Why Links Golf is the Best Form of Golf, and a Metaphor for Life

In the latest episode of the 19th hole, host Michael Williams goes deep with an ode to links golf.

Michael Williams | Jul 22, 2022

Why Links Golf is the Best Form of Golf, and a Metaphor for Life /

Mark Parsinen, who died suddenly and tragically a few years ago, was friend of podcast host Michael Williams and a student of the game. Williams and Parsinen would often have conversations about how golf was like life, full of highs and lows, rewards and penalties. Williams cherishes as he watched the 150th edition of the Open Championship in St. Andrews, a town that Parsinen made his home for a number of years while he built the modern classic course Kingsbarns.

Williams loves links golf because he says it really is like life. American style parkland courses are what we’d like life to be, all manicured and perfect. American golf says that if you do good things, good things will happen. Hit it far, hit it close and you will succeed. But links golf is different. You can hit a “perfect shot” and get a disappointing or even a disastrous result. All you can do is find your ball and try again. In links golf, there are a variety of ways to reach the goal and a 25-year old and an 85-year old can make par in wildly different ways. The weather can change an easy task into an impossible one, and that is totally our of your control. Just like life, you do your best and carry on.

Listen to the full episode above, and look for more from the 19th Hole coming soon to the Morning Read Podcast Network.

Published Jul 22, 2022

MICHAEL WILLIAMS

Born in Washington, DC, Michael Williams has lived in or visited over 40 countries, but he has a special appreciation for his native city. A graduate of The Sidwell Friends School and the first African American male to attend the prestigious school from Kindergarten through High School, Mr. Williams attended the University of Maryland at College Park where he majored in English Literature. Williams has had success in industries ranging from high tech companies to foreign exchange banking. But his life has been defined by his abilities in the media and communications, for his experience in world affairs and his passion for the game of golf. He has established himself as a leading voice for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. His “Open Letter to the Golf Industry from a Black Man Who Loves the Game” became a template that inspired the leadership of the game to implement long-needed change. In addition, Williams’ article for ESPN about his handling of a PGA Tour professional who admitted to dressing up in blackface garnered praise from around the world and was recently recognized as one of the best articles of 2020 by the Golf Writers Association of America. Williams has also contributed to a wide range of charitable organizations, including The First Tee of Greater Washington, DC. and the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, which was authorized by The White House and Congress to establish the Memorial to the President Eisenhower. Mr. Williams is a member of the United States Golf Association, the Golf Writers Association of America and the National Association of Black Journalists.