The proof of a golfer

Poem by Edgar Guest. This is an oldie but goodie.

The proof of the pudding is the eating they say,
But the proof of a golfer is not
The number of strokes he takes in a day
Or the skill he puts into a shot.
There is more to the game than the score which you make
Here's the truth which all golfers endorse:
You don't prove your worth by the shots which you make;
But the care which you take of the course

A golfer is more than a ball-driving brute
He is more than a mug-hunting czar.
To be known as a golfer, you don't have to shoot,
The course of your home club in par.
But you do have to love every blade of the grass,
Every inch of the fairway and greens.
If you don't take care of the course as you pass,
You're not what "a good golfer" means.

Just watch a good golfer some day when you're out,
And note what he does as he plays,
He never goes on leaving divots about,
Till the grass is put back, there he stays.
Observe him in the traps as he stands for his shot,
Then note when the ball has been played,
He never unthinkingly turns from the spot,
Till he's covered the footprints he made.

You may brag of your scores and may boast of your skill,
You may think as a golfer you're good;
But if footprints you make, in traps you don't fill,
You don't love the game as you should.
For your attitude unto the sport you enjoy,
Isn't proven by brilliance or force;
The proof of a golfer- now get this my boy,
Is the care that you take of the course.


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