Early morning dew glistens on the carpet like grass. The cheerful chirps of magpies echo across the fairway. Grip in hand, the man angles the club head towards the awaiting ball. He pulls back his arm and swings.
Con is a paramedic who often spends his days off at Paradise Golf Course. He first found his passion for golf in his early twenties when a friend introduced him to the sport.
“I liked the idea of being out in nature,” he says, his gaze following the white speck of the ball as it soars across the field. “You’re out in the sunshine, walking around. And you don’t have to rush,” he says.
At work, Con is forced to make split-second decisions. “When people are unwell, you have to keep things moving,” he says as he walks along the fairway. “You’re thinking about what could be wrong and what might go wrong,” he says.
Con’s job is a constant state of rushing against a clock. But in golf: “When you play a shot, all you’re concentrating on is the green and knocking that ball down the fairway. You’re fully in the moment,” he says, coming to a stop near a sand trap.
Not only has the sport been a reprieve from the stressors of his job, it has also taught Con a valuable lesson. “You can make a mistake in golf and it won’t be as catastrophic as it will be at work,” he says as he lines up his clubhead. “But ultimately, you do make mistakes because there are different influences that are out of your control,” he says.
Con smiles, pointing to the awaiting ball. “You can hit a golf shot but then the wind comes along and blows it up as you hit the shot. You can’t change that,” he says as he takes his stance over the ball. “But you can’t predict that either,” he says.
Con knows better than anyone that life is unpredictable and sometimes, you need to give yourself a little bit of grace when you make a mistake.
Con takes one final swing. The ball rolls home.
