Sacred Holes

Gabriel Reiter

Nov 08, 2025

Golf as a Way of Being.

A lot of people look at golf as something to do, when in reality, golf is more of a way to be. Yes, you do swing the club, you do read the greens, you do think of a thousand different ideas before you hit the ball. But, as everyone who golfs comes to learn, there is a lot more to be in golf, than to do.

Through golf, you can be in a different state of mind when you are not golfing. You can be inspired, whether for photographs and stories, or shot shapes and scoring. You can be open minded, paired with people you otherwise wouldn’t interact with, you can be fashionable, you can be unique, nonconforming, now more than ever. You can be at peace, or you can be tense as a strung wire. For a sport whose action is so expressive and subjective (no two swings are the same) it’s wild they tried to hold the lid on golf’s full potential.

With a lot of the old guards down, golf is changing, and the perspective on golf is changing alongside. While the act of playing golf is incredibly enjoyable, and so unique in the possibilities and locations, the idea of using golf as a conduit to a state of being, is what I believe is the game’s true highlight. It brings people outside, brings them together, removes screens from their faces, gets them to be self-reflective, competitive, internally confident. The true idea of golf being a “gentleman’s game” isn’t reflecting stuffy wool outfits and jet black cigars, but the noble notions of honesty and integrity. Golf is a way to celebrate a beautiful combination of man and nature, combined together to create something with life and movement, though it never really moves.

The best golfers are those who practice mindfulness, meditation, positive thinking and self reflection; that’s no coincidence. For a place like Miami, where nature and humanity mix unlike many others, the perspective on golf is incredibly positive. For people in Miami, golf is certainly a way to be; be with friends, be under the sun, be with the animals, be competitive, connected, flashy, drunk, yet all tied together in a way, as all golfers are. Miami golf is the perfect representation of the sport as a way to be rather than just do. Every golfer I know down here ties some part of their identity, or life enjoyment, or overall idea of fun to golf, whether on the course or not. It’s what really makes this sport be more than just the act itself, but a way to bring someone peace, self reflection, and self confidence, among many, many other benefits.