Church on the Golf Course: Christian Virtues Found in Golf

By Tennison Hubbard

Do you ever wish you could strengthen your faith and biblical understanding while playing the great sport of golf? Church on the Golf Course masterfully accomplishes just that. In a simple yet profound way, Tennison Hubbard produces this short book to help you to:

aEURC/ Identify the Seven Christian Virtues in the Bible and on the golf course

aEURC/ Pinpoint these virtues in yourself and improve on them

aEURC/ Walk the righteous path while playing the game you love

Once youaEUR(tm)ve finished Church on the Golf Course, youaEUR(tm)ll understand who you are and why you are the way you are a little better. By the end, youaEUR(tm)ll gain some humility, be excited to make a few changes in your golf game and in your life, and recapture the nostalgia you had for golf when you first started playing the game.

These eleven condensed chapters are guaranteed to help you play golf and live your life as an ambassador for Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781098070137

Book preview

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Church on the Golf Course

Christian Virtues Found in Golf

Tennison Hubbard

Copyright © 2020 by Tennison Hubbard

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

God’s Creation and Man’s Fingerprint

Christianity’s Responsibility to the Environment and the Two Political Extremes

Justice and Honesty

Prudence and Course Management

Courage and Perseverance

Temperance and Fasting

Christian Charity

Faith in Prayer

Hope

The Great Commission

Closing Chapter: The Three Rs

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

—Ephesians 2:10

I dedicate this book to my wife, my parents, and my siblings.

My father raised me on a golf course and planted the golfing seed in my soul. That seed has grown over the years, and I thank my father for his contagious passion for golf, which I now have.

My mother taught me about God. She did more than get me to church as a child; she taught me that no matter what I did, she loved me. Through her unconditional love for me, I came to understand the love of Jesus Christ.

My older brother taught me how to be competitive. Growing up, he beat me in all competitive activities we played against each other. I learned that I wanted not just to win but to do things to the best of my ability. He taught me to better myself in all aspects of life.

My sister is my best friend. We have been close our whole life, and I measure all my friendships with the one we have. Our similarities have often made me feel like I’m not alone in this world, especially during those dark times, we all go through in life. My joy for life was taught to me by my younger sister.

My wife is my life. Together we have grown in our faith, and our faith continues to grow daily. We have lifted each other up in the hard times and kept each other humble in the good times. She has always supported me and encouraged me to be the best man I can be. I am a better man because of her, and I love her with all my being.

Glossary of Golf Terms

Pro Shop—The place where golfers check-in before playing. Many pro shops sell snacks, drinks, and golf equipment.

Driving Range—An area at the golf course where players can practice or warm-up before rounds. Most driving ranges include yardage markers for players to gauge the distance of shots. Often consists of an area to practicing chipping, and a practice green to practice putting. Not all golf courses have driving ranges.

Tee Time—Golfers schedule tee times in advance of playing at a course to reserve a time for their group to begin play. Some golf courses do not require a tee time. Tee times help courses manage the optimal amount of golfers on the course at one time to avoid overcrowding and slow play.

Tee Box—The area on the golf course where players start each hole. There are various tee boxes to play from, which allow for varying degrees of difficulty.

Fairway—The fairway is the idle target when players hit their first shot off the tee box. The fairway is the part of a golf course between a tee and the corresponding green, where the grass is kept short, which makes it easier to hit the ball.

Green—The green is where the flagstick and hole are located. When players hit the ball onto the green, they use a putter to roll the ball into the hole. The greens are a particularly delicate area on the golf course, and golfers should do their best to avoid incidentally damaging the greens in any way.

Rough—An area that surrounds fairways and greens that has typically longer grass length, which makes it more challenging to hit the ball and, therefore, an area golfers want to avoid.

Sand Trap or Bunker—A shallow pit partly filled with sand, usually located near a green or fairway. Hitting out of the sand is difficult for beginners. Players are not allowed to ground their club or set it down in the sand before attempting their shot.

Water Hazards—These come in the form of a river, stream, lake, pond, or any intended body of water.

The Driver—The driver is the longest and lightest club in the set. A modern driver has an enormous head. It is used from the tee box with the ball placed on top of a wooden or plastic tee.

Irons—A modern recreational set of clubs consist of iron clubs five through nine. Each iron has a different loft on the clubface, which results in shots flying varying distances. The difference from club to club for the average players is about ten to fifteen yards. So a 9-iron will hit a ball higher and about ten to fifteen yards less than an 8-iron. The 8-iron will hit the ball higher and ten to fifteen yards less than a 7-iron and so on.

Wedge—These special irons are used when a player’s ball is near but not on the green. Wedges are often labeled with letters like PW (pitching wedge), LW (Lob Wedge), or SW (sand wedge).

Putter—The putter is a club designed for use on the green. It is a flat-faced club used to roll the ball into the hole.

Break—The amount a putt will curve to the side because of the slope of the green’s surface.

Loft—The degree of angle on the clubface, with the least loft on a putter and the most on a sand wedge.

Shank—A shank is when a golfer makes contact with the hosel of the club, and it usually sends the ball directly to the right.

Pull—When a golfer says they pull their shot, they have hit it directly to the left.

Albatross—Another word for double eagle, or when scoring three-under on a hole. An albatross only occurs if a golfer were to make a hole in one on a par-four or make their second shot on a par-five.

Chunk—When a golfer says, I chunked it, that usually means that they made contact behind the golf ball, and their club had dug into the ground too deeply. Also could be referred to as hitting it fat.

Green in Regulation—When any part of the golf ball is touching the putting surface, and the number of strokes taken is two less than par. For example, on a par four, if you reach the putting surface with your first or second shot, you have hit the green in regulation.

Texas Wedge—A Texas Wedge is another term for using a putter any time you are off the green. Some players will elect to putt from the fairway, rough, or even the bunker sometimes.

Sandbagging—When a golfer claims they have a handicap, that is much higher than their actual playing ability. If golfers compete against each other based on handicap, this practice is frowned upon because that golfer will get extra strokes that they technically don’t deserve. A player who lies about their handicap in this manner is often referred to as a sandbagger.

Lip Out—When a golfer’s putt rolls around the edge of the cup, causing it to change directions.

Slice—A slice occurs when a golfer puts an excessive curve on the ball. For a right-handed golfer, they have sliced it if the ball is moving excessively from left to right.

Hook—For a right-handed golfer, a hook occurs when the ball travels from right to left, but in a much more exaggerated path.

Fade—A fade is a left to right ball flight for right-handed golfers, but it is more controlled than a slice. Sometimes referred to as a cut shot.

Draw—A right to left ball flight for right-handed golfers, but more controlled than a hook.

Up and Down—A term used when a player fails to hit the green in regulation, but they are still able to make par on the hole. For example, if a golfer hits their approach shot in the rough and then pitched the ball on the green and made the ball in the hole in one putt, they have successfully gotten up and down for par.

Birdie—When a player scores one stroke under par on a hole. For example: Scoring a two on a par-3, or a three on a par four would be considered a birdie.

Par—When a golfer’s score for a hole equals the listed par. For example: Scoring a three on a par-3 or scoring a four