There are so many occasions on which I’ve heard people say, “That’s life” or “That’s golf.” It’s a statement that regularly follows a situation that doesn’t seem to have an immediate answer. Whatever that situation is made of it has a recognizable pattern, but not the one they expected.

The desire to make sense of what happened is linked to the desire to experience predictability in one’s life.

I was reminded of this reading this quote attributed to Gary Player: “Golf is a puzzle without an answer. I’ve played the game for 50 years, and I still haven’t the slightest idea of how to play.”

Gary Player is considered one of the best golf players. He won a career grand slam between 1946 and 1953. This means, that he is one of only six players who achieved this since 1935. The career grand slam is achieved through winning the four major golf competitions: the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the Open Championship.

From what I’ve seen of Gary Player, he isn’t the kind of guy who lacks confidence. His statement may explain why it is so difficult to win a career grand slam in golf. The fact that only six have been able to do so too. But his statement also highlights a relationship between his profession and his game which is one of acceptance. Golf and life don’t come with an answer. There is no blueprint. They present us with a continuity of choices where everything is possible.