Wally Armstrong’s Blog

Golf is a sport of integrity and honesty. No black-and-white striped referees walk down the fairways with you. No umpire notices whether you improved your lie or not. You are expected to make the call or ruling, no matter how painful the penalty will be, as pro golfer Tom Kite demonstrated when he once said the ball moved while he lined up an important putt. No one saw the ball move after he apparently touched it with his putter, but Tom called a one-stroke penalty on himself, and it cost him the tournament title and tens of thousands of dollars.
Golf also teaches youngsters respect—for others in your playing group, for the group in front of you, and for the “Rules of Golf.” You don’t see John McEnroe-types wrapping an iron around a tree or digging up a green in frustration. Although everyone has gotten upset and tossed a club toward the bag, temper tantrums should be rare occurrences around the course.
If the kids don’t hear you swearing after missing a shot, then they are hearing just the opposite message that the world teaches: go ahead and utter a four-letter word when you blow a shot. Believe me, sooner or later they will ask you why you don’t swear, which will open the door for you to explain why.