Dear Harvey,
Today, I want to reflect on life’s journeys, joy, and the concept known as the arrival fallacy. The season’s final major, the 153rd Open Championship, has concluded. One of your Texas lads, Scottie Scheffler, is The Champion Golfer of the Year.
Stellar performance by Scottie at Royal Portrush, in County Antrim
- This was the third time the tournament had been held there, following its inaugural event in 1951 and its most recent iteration in 2019.
- Nestled on a sand hills peninsula against the wild North Atlantic and overlooked by the ruins of Dunluce Castle.
- Dramatic elevation changes, firm fast turf, and minimal bunkers create a uniquely beautiful yet merciless test of championship links golf.
- With a rich history featuring champions such as Max Faulkner, Shane Lowry, and now Scottie Scheffler, Portrush effortlessly combines storied tradition, rugged natural beauty, and unpredictable coastal challenges into one of the most distinguished Open venues.
Lag putting versus shorter putts
This Saturday was a complete washout for playing golf in Richmond, so Cathy and I settled into The Open and I started rolling putts on a putting mat. I made a short (tongue-in-cheek) video for our golf coach, Nick Lloyd, here in the UK. I’ve adopted a golf tip which advises amateur golfers to practise lag putting only when they have access to a proper putting green. For shorter putts, such as those ten feet and in, it’s best to practise on a putting mat using alignment aids.
I love the process as much as the results
I’ve always enjoyed learning proper techniques in any ball-related sport. While not the most gifted athlete, I have decent hand-eye coordination and enough athleticism to master the proper techniques. Examples would be:
- Hitting a tennis ball
- Smashing a table tennis ball
- Juggling a soccer ball
- Shooting a free throw (basketball)
- Shagging ground balls (baseball)
Practising these things makes me happy and fulfilled. The only ‘person’ I ever met who loved balls more than me might have been our Jack Russell terrier, Bailey!
A Dog’s Life (a poem about a fit dog on Fit as a Fiddle Friday)
The chase to single-digits
I’m still striving for that elusive single-digit handicap. Not because I think it will transform who I am or make me a better person, but because I enjoy the chase. With each round, I learn more about myself: how I handle setbacks, how I regain composure, how I focus on each shot. The goal matters, certainly, but the journey towards it has become the true reward.
Cathy continues to improve
I also love watching my life partner, Cathy, who started playing golf in her 60s. She’s a good sport in the above ‘off-the-cuff’ video. Check out how athletic she is in the clip below during a recent full-swing lesson with Nick. I’m fortunate Cathy is willing to give it a go, as we all know it is not an easy game to learn at any age! In addition to Nick’s outstanding instruction, we are grateful to two of your finest disciples in Austin, TX: Barb Puett and Ann Marie Gildersleeve. Both Barb and Ann Marie helped Cathy learn proper fundamentals from the hole backwards.
Scottie’s runaway victory
What struck me most wasn’t just his victory, but what he said afterwards. How he’s spent a lifetime chasing the summit, collecting wins and accolades, only to find that the fulfilment of those triumphs is fleeting.
There are a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to No. 1 in the world, and they’re like, what’s the point? Because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. (Golf) is one of the greatest joys of my life, but does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart? Absolutely not.
The joy comes from the journey
We are told to believe that success—whether a single-digit handicap, a championship, a promotion, or external recognition—will fill us up. But achievement alone doesn’t bring lasting fulfilment. The joy comes not from reaching the goal, but from the journey.
An article in The Athletic captured this beautifully. It described what’s known as the “arrival fallacy”—the mistaken belief that true fulfilment comes with reaching a goal. We’re wired to crave progress, to find deep satisfaction in each small step forward. The goal gives us direction, like a sailor’s rhumb line, but the magic is in moving towards it. When we finally arrive, the sense of accomplishment is brief, the finish line just another marker before the next horizon. [The Athletic – Scottie Scheffler raised questions about happiness and fulfilment – by: Rustin Dodd – July 19, 2025]
The real pleasure is in the striving
The article points to Olympic champions who fall into depression after winning gold, or the author who reaches the top of the bestseller list only to see it replaced the next week—these are stories of people who have spent years chasing a finish line, only to discover that the real treasure lies in the striving, not the standing.
Harvey, you’re never far from my thoughts—especially in the moments between swings, when the real lessons seem to surface. What brings me back to the game isn’t the number so much as the quiet ritual of practice, the camaraderie, and the way golf continues to teach me about life.
Until next time,
gPage
“Millions of people were charmed by the homespun golf advice dispensed in Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book, a sports classic that became the best-selling sports book of all time. Yet, beyond the Texas golf courses where Penick happily toiled for the better part of eight decades, few people knew the self-made golf pro who coaxed the best out of countless greats — Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright — all champions who considered Penick their coach and lifelong friend.” – Kevin Robbins, author of Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf.
