Player's Progress

The year is 2056, and at age 43, Paul “ProV” Player has lost his way. His dreams of being a star on the PGA tour are gone. His ex-wives and two kids don’t much like him. He has run out of money and friends.

Except one man, Lucas Friend, who invites “ProV” to Scotland for his first experience with links golf. Both of them get more than they ever imagined. A mysterious Voice in the Dornoch Cathedral says there may be a “wisdom in the sand” which could change everything.

So off the twosome go, in search of a treasure at the greatest golf course in the world, if they can find it in the Orkney Islands.   Is it all a dream or is it real? And if it is, can his new discoveries be real enough to take back to California, to change his life, to mend his broken relationships, to find Wisdom?

Come. Follow these golf pilgrims into a future that might show you how good life can be.

PlayersProgress.com

Around the World

For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16, KJV)

I love the Olympics! As I watched the action night and day for two weeks, I discovered I am not as patriotic an American as I thought.

Gold medalist Xander Schauffele’s hat said “USA,” but his father is German and his mother is Chinese but grew up in Japan. If you pull for Xander, that means you are rooting for Germany, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and the USA, all in one.

Then Rory shoots 61 to grab silver. No, not that Rory. You know, the Slovakian guy (smile). That wily veteran Rory Sabbatini had no chance to make his South African team, so he found a Slovakian bride and bingo, he has a silver medal. And don’t forget the epic playoff for third place among seven countries.

Then the women! Nelly Korda wins for USA, but you know the story. Her parents were tennis stars for Czechoslovakia. Japan celebrated silver with a wonderful young woman, Mone Inami, named for a French painter. Lydia Ko won bronze for both New Zealand and her Korean family.

And even though China is America’s main political rival, I find myself pulling for Shanshan Feng every time. Her smile makes me smile.

My new favorite golfer is Aditi Ashok from Bangalore, India, ranked No. 200 in the world. She missed the medal podium by one inch, despite being dead last in driving distance. Or even better: her teammate Diksha Dagar, who is hearing impaired, finished T50. I love those ladies.

Beyond the golf, two Indonesian women made me want to buy a badminton set after they won the gold. An amazing woman from Brazil swam six miles in the open sea, and I was so exhausted watching her that I nearly drowned sitting on my couch. I was all-in with all the Africans, especially the Nigerian table tennis player.

And I was always pulling for Japan, the host nation. I loved it when the Japanese hit a walk-off homer against the USA in baseball and beat the softball Americans for gold. I almost cried watching an intense Tokyo girl lose the gold in kata, a sport I had never even heard of until five minutes before she lost. I hated watching Matsuyama miss those putts at the end.

So why this love affair with the ‘world’? I think it goes back to my days in vacation Bible school. This song we sang there makes me old-fashioned, I know, but do you remember this tune?

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world…
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Are you humming along?  If you have never heard the song, google it. The little tune will stick in your head like butter on a hot roll.

The Olympics reminds us that Jesus loves everyone in this world. No one is forgotten.

Jesus loves those Indonesian badminton girls just like the American stars wearing crosses.

And don’t forget, Jesus came mostly for the losers, the quitters, the injured, the brokenhearted. He really loves the people who dreamed of making it to the Olympics but came up a little short, like my javelin-throwing friend Dana Pounds, who once missed her Olympic dream by half an inch. The stories of the winners in Tokyo are amazing, but even better are the stories of all the losers, mostly unknown.

Jesus loves them all. All the children of the world. Click here to see one of my young friends from India with her amen to this message.

The Name

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11, NLT)

Recently a dear friend called to chat. It did not take long to get to the point of his call. He tried to be humble, but pride was oozing from the phone. He had received an invitation to play Augusta National Golf Club.

He will fly on a private jet to Augusta for an overnight and 36 holes. He expected me to be happy for him. I tried. I really did.

Naturally, I responded with, “How did you get on?”

The answer was simple. He spoke the name of a member.

I was reminded of a trip to New Jersey many years ago. I wanted to just quickly visit Pine Valley, perhaps buy something from the pro shop. I drove up to the gate. The gate attendant politely asked, “Are you here with a member?”

“No, sir. I just wanted to look around.”

“I am sorry, sir. Members and guests only,” he said with a smile. I needed a name.

Shortly thereafter, I arrived at Muirfield Village in Ohio. At the gate, I simply said, “I am here with Ivor Young.” The gates swung wide open without a blink. I had the right name. Ivor was a founding member and a dear friend of Jack Nicklaus.

So, what is the point of these stories? I hope you understand that you will need a name at the gates of heaven. That name, of course, is Jesus Christ.

Sadly, many golfers mention his name only after a chunked wedge or another sliced drive.

And just as sad, many people arrive at the gates of heaven with a useless speech about how good they have been on their earthly journey. They mistakenly believe that eternal life is determined by some balancing act of good deeds and bad deeds.

But imagine trying to get onto one of these private courses just because you are “good.” Would you drive down Magnolia Lane and expect to play Augusta National because you are a scratch golfer? They would laugh at you for such absurdity. Likewise, the key to heaven will not be your goodness. It will be a name. The only name. Jesus Christ.

Peter said it clearly. “For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). All the power of the universe stands behind that name. Our eternal destiny depends upon that name.

Jesus Christ has the “key of David,” which opens the door of heaven. So, “what he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open” (Revelation 3:7). He holds the key. Don’t forget it.

Living Hope

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3, NIV)

I currently live in three worlds.

First, in my imagination, I live on a mythical island in the Orkneys. I go there every day in my mind as I write a golf novel about the greatest golf course in the world.

Second, my real world is being retired, living at a golf course community in Alabama. My biggest personal challenge some days might be “coming over the top,” or “can’t make a putt,” or “the grooves on my wedges are gone.” I quit golf at least once a week.

This golf world includes hanging with some very lost souls at times. I met such a soul recently on the course. He was drinking Bloody Marys before 9 a.m. while discussing his hangover with great pride. Jesus Christ was mentioned only to describe a chunked wedge on a short par-4.

And then, waiting on a tee, he told me about one of his golf buddies who lost tens of thousands at a Mississippi casino. He delivered the story in such a way that surely this other guy must be what we all aspire to be. After all, he sold his company for millions at age 41 and was rich enough to lose six figures in one night without missing a beat. How great would that be, right?

But as I was hearing his casino story, my third world came crashing into my mind through a text message asking for urgent prayer. It was about the devastation of COVID in India. The text was quite personal, because a ministry partner, age 41, was sick in the hospital with the virus. I first met Joel when he was nine years old. Now a sold-out 24/7 missionary, he was giving himself every day to help destitute and desperate people.

The contrast was so vivid. Joel has no company to sell for millions. Only millions of souls to be saved. And now he was just one of the multitudes of people sick and suffering in this third world of mine. Our weekly Zoom prayer meetings for India were starting to feel like a futile cause.

So, back to the casino story, I had to say something. With a smile on my face to hide my inner aggravation, I just told my new friend, “What a shame to throw away so much money at a casino when it could do so much good,” and then I mentioned the overwhelming humanitarian needs in India. He stared at me with wonderment, speechless.

I immediately knew this man was more lost in his riches than the poorest of the poor will ever be in their poverty.

Jesus has a bold message in red letters for our country club set: “You say, ‘I am rich. I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing’. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17, NLT). And I would add, clueless.

But hopeless? No. God himself has sent some of us as missionaries to these golf environments to speak hope and truth. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:16, NLT).

Sadly, Joel died last week. His wife and kids and fellow workers at Living Hope School for orphans and destitute children are mourning his loss, but it is with living hope, not despair.

God the Threesome

…Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain… (Mark 9:2, NLT)

Many golf interviews include this question: “What three players would you invite to join you for one last round?” Pause for a moment and think about that one before moving on.

I am writing a futuristic golf novel that includes a mountain at the far end of a mythical links course. It is called the Mountain of Threesomes, in homage to the idea that golf is really perfect in many ways in a threesome. The pattern for professional tournaments, college events, and most major amateur tournaments, three seems to be the perfect number to keep play moving.

Indeed, we saw last month that “two are better than one…”, but in golf, a two-ball will often be looking for a third, instinctively knowing that “three are even better than two, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

In life situations, three is better than two for many reasons. For one, communication seems easier when three people are in the conversation. It is the basis for most marriage counseling—the simple fact that two people often need a third person to be in the mix. Mediation in court is based on the same principle. Two people in conflict often just need a third party in the room to see the possibilities of agreement.

And even better, when a man and woman love each other, the twosome often becomes a threesome. Their love means a baby comes into the world, making the perfect three-ball.

This was evident two Sundays ago when Rory McIlroy won his 19th PGA tournament. His victory seemed more special because he was actually “three” for the first time. His wife and baby girl were there on Mother’s Day to celebrate with him. He was not alone. Surely the happiest wins on the PGA tour are the ones with a wife and a baby to join the celebration.

But back to my Mountain of Threesomes. They are a diverse mix of golf and Bible history.

Francis Ouimet is joined by Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, forever linked by the US Open at Brookline in 1913. Hogan, Nelson, and Snead are linked by all having been born in 1912. Of course, the modern big three of Palmer, Player, and Nicklaus make an appearance.

Biblical threesomes are even more interesting.

Genesis 18:2-3 recalls a threesome that showed up at Abraham’s tent: “He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.” Many theologians believe this was Jesus making an Old Testament appearance with two unnamed angels. What a threesome!

Ezekiel 14:14 seems to say that Daniel, Noah, and Job was the most righteous threesome of all time.

And of course, it was Peter, James, and John (three special disciples) who were invited to join the threesome of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on top of a mountain.

There are so many lessons, but for today, just one final thought. Have you comprehended that God himself is a threesome?

Father. Son. Holy Spirit.

And best of all, this Eternal Threesome is calling you into personal relationship.

Imagine the phone call from a heavenly secretary.

“Good morning, Tim. The Holy Trinity—you know, Father, Son and Holy Spirit—are looking for a fourth this evening. Would you like to join them for a quick nine? You can walk and talk with them. And don’t worry, they don’t keep score.”

Who could say no to that invitation?