Sunday mornings
at Oak Hills
can get busy.
But get there early,
7:30, beat the rush,
start on that first tee
across the pond
before the parking lot fills up
and the humidity turns
the course into a swamp.
This morning
we brought a new guy.
Good high school golfer
who hadn't played
in a few years.
He still had it.
Short game was
a little rusty.
A few timing issues,
but the swing was there.
We showed him the course,
talked about golf,
talked about life.
Ocho, the fairway cat,
met us at the clubhouse.
That's one of the things
I like about this game.
You can meet somebody
on the first tee
and by the ninth hole
know things about him
you'd never learn
sitting across a bar.
He's going through
the recovery house
like we did.
Now my brother and I
are getting close
to four years sober.
Funny how things change.
There was a time
when I'd steal the moon
if I could.
Take the drink.
Take the money.
Take the night.
Take whatever
somebody was willing
to hand me.
Now we take new guys
out to Oak Hills.
Show them where to hit.
Tell them where the trouble is.
Laugh at bad shots.
Talk about life
between holes.
Maybe that's what
getting sober does.
You stop asking
what you can take.
You start wondering
what you can give.
A golf lesson.
A good story.
A little encouragement.
A place to belong.
Sometimes all somebody needs
is a tee box,
a few good swings,
and somebody beside him
saying,
Keep your head down.
It's just one shot at a time.
-
Author:
Thomas W Case (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: September 6th, 2026 07:59
- Comment from author about the poem: All of my books are available on Amazon, and my latest poetry collection, Searching for Nod, will be out in October: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-W.-Case/author/B0CL2RKDGX?ref=sr Here's a link to my YouTube channel where I post poetry readings and videos of my attempts at golf: https://www.youtube.com/@ThomasWCase
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 24
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Comments10
Whether teaching golf or life it is what you can give not what you can take that makes life better. First you have to live it to give it. Great write my friend and a great metaphor Thomas
Thank you. I appreciate that.
My pleasure
That’s the way, “one shot at a time”!
For sure. Thanks
Welcome, Thomas 👍🏻🕊️
A deeply moving reflection on sobriety, fellowship, and the quiet shift from taking to giving.
Thanks
You are welcome my friend.
the pleasure is in the giving not receiving
So true.
good write my friend
well written
ty
What a beautiful piece, Thomas. The golf is almost beside the point by the end…what really stays is recovery becoming community, and experience becoming something you can hand forward to the next person. Quietly powerful, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Thank you, my friend.
A good Poem as always. Good that things are fine with you. There is a Golf Course beside a Railway Station near me. And some of the Players 'Slice' their shots. Standing on the Platform one day and a Ball just missed me. 🤕
Enjoyed.
Thank you. They should have yelled fore!!!
My Pleasure.
Beyond the course the companionship and the cat, golf as you tell it provides a focus which is just the right space to allow a member of your crew to feel safe when they divulge, confess, consolidate in their own time. No pressure, just the necessaary pace made clear here.
Thank you.
A past time I have yet to pick up. Most enjoyable read.
Thank you, my friend.
Really beautiful poem Mr. Thomas. The lines so smoothly flows as you narrate.
Thanks.
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