A bit about what golf means to me: From the time I first picked up a golf club to my golf rounds these days – the sport has both enthralled and frustrated me (as I’m sure most golfers can relate). Below are some of my golf stories and photos/video(s) that relate to a sport I hold dear to my heart.

Matt Lewis’s Golf Story

By Matt Lewis

March, 2006 (essay that earned me a college scholarship from a local non-profit group called the Sunbirds – a group of Chandler retirees who live in a golf community with the same name)

Born with a golf club in my hand, I was lucky enough to be raised in Arizona, golf capital of the world. At seven I was introduced to the game of golf by my grandfather and soon learned I couldn’t get enough. Golf is about inches, not miles though I’d take either in my quest to master the game. 

When I reached the fourth grade, I embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. It is something most kids only read about. I lived in Penang, Malaysia for a year and attended Uplands, a British International school. Since I was wasn’t allowed on golf courses because of my age, I developed my swing at the driving range.

After I got back to the states, my golf game improved substantially. My love of golf spread to my best friend Zach and to several other friends and relatives. I helped organize a golf team at my Jr. High – D.W. Higgins. During the summer, Southwest PGA tournaments helped open my eyes to a more competitive world so I could set higher goals for myself.

High school was a difficult transition coming from a charter school. Golf was a great way for me to make friends and enjoy life. I have made many friends through the game and have met people that I otherwise would not have. Golf is a social game that encourages camaraderie and teaches friendliness.

“Golf has taught me that attitude is everything.”

Being captain of the Basha varsity golf team meant playing other number one seeded players. As a freshman team captain, I often played seniors, so the pressure was on to perform well and be a role model for the rest of my teammates.

My volunteer efforts along with my work at San Marcos Golf Resort tie in nicely with golf. It gives me pride knowing I can make a difference when it comes to someone needing assistance or a divot repaired. Sometimes it is the smallest gestures that make the biggest difference. When we lend a hand to those around us we are rewarded in many ways. Besides, I’d take my spacious outdoor office over a cubicle any day.

If golf has taught me one thing, it is to follow the rules even when I’m not inclined to. I play by the book whenever I know the rule and if I don’t, I ask. Life and golf are not always fair, but when you are honest it all seems to even out in the end.

One goal of mine is to carry a scratch handicap and work my way up to renowned courses like St. Andrews and Pebble Beach. Golf is not just a sport, but a philosophy of my life from which I wish to continue to learn and grow. I would like to incorporate some aspect of golf into a future career in journalism. Golf has taught me that attitude is everything. Life is all about having fun because we only have 18 holes to dance on the green.

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MORE on what GOLF means to me:

Matt Lewis was introduced to the game of golf by his grandfather at the age of 7. He was visiting them in Ponca City, Okla. While there, his grandparents elected to get all of the grandchildren golf lessons and see if any of them would take to the sport. Needless to say, he was the only one of his cousins who fell in love with the game. It was a game that Lewis could not only tolerate, but one  in which he excelled.

He was told time-and-time again that he had a natural (and quick/powerful) swing.

Rather quickly he began to excel in the sport. Not in the traditional way, mind you. He did NOT have success in a junior golf league or on his high school golf team (in terms of winning any matches, rounds or tournaments).

BUT, in his mind he did meet a few personal golf milestones, including:

1. Getting first place in what he dubbed the “Kids Golf Tournament – a.k.a. ‘K.G.T.’ – He’d also got second place in a long drive competition and a third place finish in a tournament in central Arizona.
2. He finished fourth in a Four-Club Challenge and fifth in a high school golf tournament.
3. It was his high school golf match that earned his name in the sports pages of the state’s newspaper (The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com).
4. Finally, some of his other accomplishments include being able to drive a green on a Par 4, one that was well over 300 yards long; sinking long and difficult putts and a fierce short game that earns praise from fellow golfers (seasoned players and those new to the sport alike). It was in high school, though, that his favorite golf nickname would emerge:  “pin-seeker,” which was derived from his ability to hit shots so on-track to the cup they’d hit the pin.

More coming soon, please stay tuned. Also, this page is continuously being edited (as it is going to stay “Live” and Lewis will make corrections, deletions and additions as he sees fit.

Thanks again for checking out his website!

… More coming soon … 

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