Golf that matters

“Golf That Matters” is more than the 3M Open’s tagline. After spending four days volunteering there, I came to appreciate just how many different ways golf can matter.

According to their website, “The 3M Open is a mechanism to give back to our community and demonstrate the many unexpected ways we can improve lives while showcasing the world’s greatest golfers.”

I realized that “Golf That Matters” isn’t only about charitable giving, it’s also about the experiences the tournament creates.

For me personally, it’s about spending time with my family, not only watching the world’s best golfers (including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler this year), but volunteering to help, this year with Hannah and my second run as standard bearers.

Did we learn something through the experience? Of course. Here are a few highlights:

Hannah learned…

Hannah counted the amount of time it took each golfer from when they addressed the golf ball to when they took a shot. She’s been working on this in a program with Coach John at https://www.mntp.golf. She told me she may need to speed up this process, based on what she observed, to confidently move from preparing to executing her shots. Gary Woodland stood out in this respect and he also hit drives of around 360 yards!

I learned…

I quickly realized how behind I was on the apron system of numbers for the standard scoring signs. I offered to help since it was going to be 98 degrees on Sunday, when Hannah normally does it all on her own. After a brief training last year and four rounds of practice, she could find the numbers two to three times faster than me! Learning by doing!

Then came the lesson neither of us expected…

We had honorary observers walking with us during Sunday’s round. I assumed it was something people paid for, like a Disney VIP tour, but I wasn’t sure, so I asked the man who was there with a young boy.

He shared that Vinny’s dad had passed away the week before and that they had loved golf together.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Then I realized I didn’t need the right words, I simply needed to help make the day special.

From that point on, I looked for opportunities to engage with them and help where I could, hoping this experience would give Vinny and his uncle, Jonah, a few moments of joy during an unimaginably difficult time.

My daughter and I also watched Gary Woodland acknowledge Vinny throughout the round, giving him a thumbs-up after every birdie: seven times on Sunday.

Those small moments clearly meant something.

“Golf That Matters” means something different to everyone. It might be a donation to charity, a day with family, a first PGA Tour victory for Jackson Koivun, a lesson about how learning happens, or simply giving a grieving young boy a few hours to smile again.

Sometimes the most meaningful moments at a golf tournament have nothing to do with the leaderboard.

Learn In the Flow Of Life

Jason