Just like a downpour can ruin a great round of golf and make us run for cover, life’s storms leave us scrambling too. You know what I’m talking about . . . the financial problems, relationship issues, challenging kids, stressful jobs, accidents, health concerns, and (please, let’s not forget) Global Pandemics.

However, I’ve got reassuring news. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a golfer and the lessons we’ve learned from the course have given us superpowers to help deal with life’s storms. It turns out we’ve got almost as many superpowers as we do clubs.

Golfers know how to deal with uncertainty

Here’s the thing about a round of golf. It begins with the greatest of intentions. And, while we start out optimistically, as golfers we’re also realistic, and realize anything can happen during a round.

The same goes with life; in any given situation, don’t we all start out with the best of intentions, but sort of understand deep down that we just don’t know how things will play out? For example, take that great new job . . . who knew that after we signed on the company would go under? Or, when we bought that new house, how could we have guessed it’d cost us our life’s fortune? The same goes for smaller problems; we don’t wake up thinking, “well, I’m prepared to have X, Y, or Z totally blow up my to do list and leave me a basket case today…”

It’s true. We start most things with great intentions knowing that inevitably the road ahead is uncertain and laced with potential hazards. If we handle that road like we handle ourselves on the golf course—taking each shot (good or bad) and each round as it comes—we can rest assured that we’ll be calmer and better prepared to handle anything we encounter.

Golfers know the power of friendship on and off the course

On the course, it’s our golfing friends who make the rounds more fun. We encourage each other when things get dicey and share the love for good shots. We help each other find lost balls. We offer life and golf advice. Golf wouldn’t be golf without the support of fellow golfers.

Just like life, when times get rough, our people come to the rescue.  For me, that means at the first sign of trouble, I’m on the phone with my sisters, cousin, or BFF (after I’ve given my husband an earful). The pandemic taught us that communication doesn’t have to be face-to-face to get the support we need; virtual meet ups are almost as good as in-person sessions. Quite simply, we get through our battles by reaching out to others. Just as golf has us teamed up with three others to get through a round, life provides these backup supporters too. Call on yours!

Golfers use the time between shots to think about things

One of the nice things about golf is that it offers us downtime on the course. We don’t hit five shots in a row and end the hole; we have a chance to reflect and breathe between shots. This built-in think time allows us to analyze our play as well as work through any troubles we’re carrying.

What we don’t often realize is that life offers us this built-in think time too, we just have to remember it’s there. Whenever stressful events and situations come my way, I try to take a breath, reassess things, and pull myself together.

Don’t forget that while life’s “easy button” sometimes disappears, there’s always a “pause button” at our disposal. This button helps us consider how to address problems and make changes to improve our lives (or our golf games).

Finally, Golfers are prepared for a variety of situations

Golfers carry a bag full of clubs and tools for every imaginable scenario. We’ve got rain gear, sunscreen, insect repellant, snacks, water, and sunglasses. If a fellow golfer has forgotten something, we share.

Similarly, let’s not forget that we’ve got the tools and people to help us out when life throws us curve balls.  No matter what happens along the way, there are resources to help us, and we do have access to them; we just may need to do a little rummaging through our bags.

As golfers, we’re equipped to get through almost anything, and we will. Let’s take it one shot, one hole, one day at a time, knowing that we will make it through, and to the 19th hole.