Mastering golf – and sin

It’s now early April and that means that sporting competitions move into the oft dubbed ‘business end’ of the season, where every point seems to matter that wee bit more and every mistake feels more costly. However, for those who follow golf, April means the start of the major season, and more specifically, that The Masters is just around the corner.

Hosted at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA, the event is now widely considered as the crown jewel of golf’s four major championships, with perhaps just The Open vying for its crown. It is the only major to be hosted at the same location every year and the beauty of the course is perhaps only rivalled in sport by tennis’ annual Wimbledon Championships.

An invitation-only course with a joining fee believed to be around £30,000, the easiest way to play a round at the famous venue is said to be to qualify for The Masters, perhaps emphasising how seriously the club take the prestige of golfer who plays on and the upkeep of the course. However, despite Augusta National’s picturesque golfing setting, it presents one of golf’s most brutal challenges, as many have found to their peril.

Golf is already a notoriously difficult game to play and is one of the greatest sports due to its ability to test every facet of a player’s ability. It requires strength and power with the driver off the tee, precise placement with irons on the approach, and deft touch and accurate reading of a ball’s lie with the putter on the green.

Combining these attributes over a round which can last four or five hours, repeated over four days in a row, golf leaves no stone unturned. If you have a weakness, it will be exposed eventually over an 18-hole round and weaknesses are often ruthlessly exposed over a championship’s 72 holes, and not by opponents, but by the course itself.

While many of the best golfers have thrived at Augusta National, some of golf’s biggest names have struggled over the years. The Masters is the only major which has eluded Rory McIlroy, while big-hitting two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau took years to get to grips with the course. Many others have won other major honours, but their games have failed to deliver when put to the ultimate test of Augusta National.

Reflecting the Christian life

The Masters provides an effective illustration of the necessity of ensuring our lives are grounded in strong foundations, with as few weaknesses as possible susceptible to knock us off course. At The Masters, countless players have hit strong drives off the tee, only to let themselves down on the greens because their putting is not as strong. Others have been thrown off course about a hundred yards from the hole because their approach play is not reliable or because their aim is not sufficiently precise.

In our Christian lives, we must look to improve not just our strengths, which we find easy to work on because we enjoy being good at them, but also our weaknesses, and the things which leave us open to temptation.

It is not our stronger attributes that the devil will use to tempt and torment us, as he knows these give us confidence. It is our weaknesses which he will use to dangle opportunities to sin in front of our eyes, which we find harder to resist.

While the golfers who struggle in Georgia this weekend must find a way to overcome their sporting weaknesses themselves, we have a saviour who promises to get down in the trenches with us as we fight our sinful nature and make ourselves more like Christ across every aspect of our lives. That battle will not end until the Lord returns, but with His enabling, we can be sure that He will help us become more like Him every day.