Rannulph Junuh: You really love this game, don’t you?

Hardy Greaves: It’s the greatest game there is.

Rannulph Junuh: You really think so?

Hardy Greaves: Ask anybody. It’s fun. It’s hard and you stand out there on that green, green grass, and it’s just you and the ball and there ain’t nobody to beat up on but yourself; just like Mister Newnan keeps hittin’ himself with the golf club every time he gets angry. He’s broken his toe three times on account of it. It’s the only game I know that you can call a penalty on yourself, if you’re honest, which most people are. There just ain’t no other game like it.

This back and forth from “The Legend of Bagger Vance” is one of my favorites.

Yesterday I got to watch most of the last round of the British Open. It always serves as a reminder of the great things about golf.

The Open is a great reminder that golf is a game with a long history. And that in order to be successful today, you will be well served if you understand the past.

It is also a reminder of the shear beauty of golf courses, each a unique expression of the greatness of nature.

Big golf tournaments are also a reminder of the inherent difficulties of golf. The best players in the world are challenged with the most difficult of circumstances and the champion is the person who deals with adversity the best.

What strikes me the most usually during the British Open is the seeming fickleness of it. The courses in Scotland are notorious for random bounces and unpredictability.

Like life, you aren’t guaranteed a fair shake. It is about making the most of whatever bounce you do get.

I know that golf isn’t for everybody, but the lessons learned from it can be.

Make it a great day.

Jake