Spiritual Weightlifting on the Golf Course

A Presence Golf reflection from Streamsong

I had an enlightening—and humbling—opportunity to practice Presence Golf over three days at Streamsong Resort with my son.

Streamsong is home to three of the top golf courses in the United States. It sits off the beaten path, surrounded by vast open land, silence, and sky—an environment that invites you inward whether you want to go there or not. This is exactly why I’m drawn to places like this. Golf, when approached consciously, becomes a dojo. A mirror. A spiritual weight room.

And these three days became just that.

I Didn’t Write Presence Golf From Mastery—But From Practice

I wrote Presence Golf: A Sacred Path to Self-Mastery not from a place of having it all figured out, but from a place of honesty—sharing what I’m learning, what I’m practicing, and what I aspire to embody as I walk my own spiritual path.

This trip made that truth unmistakably clear.

Round One: When the Nervous System Takes the Wheel

I know the techniques.

Breathwork.

Qi Gong.

Visualization.

I did my inner preparation before the first round. But once we stepped onto the course, the external stimulation hit hard.

A brand-new course. Negative energy from playing partners (excluding my son). Walking alongside a caddy for the first time.

My nervous system flooded with adrenaline. I was in high beta—revved up, overstimulated, not fully in my body. For the first six holes my mind raced. Everything came fast. I couldn’t slow it down. It was a blur.

My power game off the tee was strong. But when it came time for fine motor control—chipping, pitching, touch shots—my adrenaline hijacked everything. Old patterns resurfaced.

Did I enjoy the round?

Yes.

Did I also see clearly where Presence was missing?

Absolutely.

Round Two: Presence…Then Ego…Then Presence Again

The second round was better.

There were genuine moments of Presence, followed by the ego stepping in and trying too hard. The course itself felt alive—beautiful, demanding, soulful. But the true highlight had nothing to do with my own score.

I got to witness my son play one of the best rounds of his life.

Watching him play freely, confidently, and fully in his own rhythm filled my heart with love and joy. That’s one of the sacred gifts of golf—the shared experience. The silent bond. The unspoken transmission.

In that moment, nothing else mattered.

Round Three: The Fog That Set Me Free

The final round began in a deep fog.

As I stood on the first tee, I could barely see a few feet in front of me. No visible hazards. No future outcomes to worry about. Just the present moment.

I swung.

Best drive of the day.

Best approach shot of the day.

Birdie.

I laughed out loud.

Apparently, I play my best golf when I can’t see anything.

And there was the lesson.

When I’m not visually fixated on danger, I naturally feel my body in space. I trust. I swing freely. I let it rip without fear or control. The mind steps aside and Presence takes over.

A Metaphor Bigger Than Golf

This isn’t just about golf.

When we become constricted by external circumstances—other people’s energy, expectations, outcomes, or perceived threats—we freeze. We over-control. We lose our natural flow.

But when attention turns inward…

When we ground into the body…

When we live from Presence…

Life becomes a playground.

Not reckless.

Not careless.

But free.

As the fog lifted and the hazards came back into view, I wavered again—Presence, then ego, then Presence. But the overall tone of the third round was calmer. There was progress. Integration. Learning happening in real time.

The Real Work Is Inner Work

I’m proud of myself for placing myself in this environment—new stimuli, pressure, unfamiliarity. This was spiritual weightlifting on the golf course.

And I came out stronger.

More confident.

More resolved.

More committed to this path.

My work isn’t more hours grinding technique.

My work is cultivating calm Presence.

That’s the practice—on and off the course.

Yes, I want to play my best golf.

But more importantly, I want to live my life anchored in Presence—and share that calm with others.

That is why I play Presence Golf.

A Reflection for You

Where in your life is external noise hijacking your nervous system?

Where are you trying to control instead of trusting?

What would it feel like to let the fog roll in and swing anyway?

Golf doesn’t just reveal how you play.

It reveals how you live.

And that’s the invitation.