In ways large and small, golf is like life. A round is long, endlessly challenging and filled with the unexpected. More than anything, the game reveals character. There is a strict etiquette to golf, and those who can't abide by it are likely to carry over that attitude to other pursuits.
The late super agent Mark McCormack, who represented Arnold Palmer and a host of other golf greats, wrote in his book, "What They Don't Teach You at the Harvard Business School": "I have often said that I can tell more about how someone is likely to react in a business situation from one round of golf than I can from a hundred hours of meetings. Maybe golf cuts more directly to the psyche than other games and situations. Or maybe it's the venue itself — green grass and rolling hills. It's astonishing how so simple a game can reveal so much."
I love to play golf, although I am not really very good at it. If I shoot in the high 80s or even the low 90s, I feel that I have had a good round. It is a great game filled with highs and lows. If nothing else, I get to enjoy the camaraderie of friends and the challenge of each hole. 
In 1948 I had a golf experience I have always cherished. My family had a membership at a wonderful country club called Brookfield in suburban Buffalo, N.Y. The club was set to host the Western Open, and championship golfers from all over the world were coming to compete in it. Golfers such as Ben Hogan, Lloyd Mangrum and the great South African Bobby Locke were on their way, and everyone was excited to see them in person. As the tournament came closer the club professional, Alf Nagel, asked me if I would like to caddy for one of the golfers in the tournament. Of course I said yes.
I was assigned to a young golfer named George Shu from San Bruno, Calif. A few days before the tournament Shu played a couple of practice rounds and asked me to shag balls for him late into the evening. It was a great experience, and when Shu was asked to play in a fivesome the day before the tournament with Hogan, Mangrum, Locke and Nagel, I couldn't believe my luck, caddying in such a group.
When we teed off on the first hole, the crowd was immense because everyone wanted to see the great players in action. Everything went well until the 3rd hole, when Locke took an 8 on a par 3 hole. He literally buried his putter in the green. The crowd went silent with shock at such a violation of golf etiquette. It was a moment I will never forget.
Over the years I have played many tournaments and probably thousands of rounds with friends. Never have I seen anyone on a golf course as out of control as Bobby Locke was in Buffalo, N.Y.
And yet, I have seen much bad behavior. There is a temptation to cheat, as often people aren't watching, and it's what we do when others aren't watching that shows who we really are. I have seen golfers improve their lie in the rough and pick up putts of several feet, as if they would have made them. Some golfers even cheat on the scorecard and tell everyone how well they played. The only people the cheaters are hurting are themselves.
On the other hand, I have witnessed good character at play on a course countless times. I was watching the just-concluded British Open, won by the popular U.S. golfer Phil Mickelson. During the tournament he happened to hit a remarkably bad shot and immediately turned to his caddie and said, "That was my fault!" Think about that, in the pressure-filled last few holes of the tournament Phil could have blamed his caddy and even used profanity. Instead, he quietly took responsibility. That tells you a lot about his character.
The beauty of golf is that 90 percent of it is mental. If you are not mature in your approach to the game, you won't do well, no matter how talented you may be, because every golfer confronts bad bounces and poor lies. The only person you have to blame is yourself if you fail.
So I subscribe to Mark McCormack's theory that a round of golf with a person can tell you a lot about his character and approach to life. If golf is played properly, there is no room for cheating. There are no shortcuts or bluffs, no excuses — it's just you and the course. Poor behavior, such as boasting about a score you didn’t achieve, throwing tantrums and improving your lie accomplishes only one thing: losing the respect of others.
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