How would you respond quickly if the word “golf” were tossed your way? The poem below imagines how a variety of golfers and others might respond. If you would like to add a stanza leave it as a comment for readers to enjoy.
The Word is “Golf”
Lighting round: “golf,”
What’s the reply?
For the driving range golfer
It’s just likely a sigh.
But a hacker, determined,
Might answer this way:
“With a little more practice
I’ll break 90 one day.”
The frustrated golfer,
His name could be Morrie,
Might offer a drink
And tell a sad story.
For the erratic duffer
Who just hit a slice,
The words would come quickly
None of them nice.
A pro might just smile
Turn his or her back,
Tee up a ball
And give it a wack.
A MAGA politician
Would respond with “Come on,
There’s only one answer,
The answer is Don.”
But you and I know
Just what we’d say,
Our singular reply:
“When can we play?”
Leon S White, PhD
The Word is “Golf”
February 18, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Birdie Flu
February 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Newspaper articles about the bird flu and the controversy regarding vaccinations (shots) got me thinking how these concerns might relate to golf. Here is the result:
Birdie Flu
I’ve got the birdie flu
And it's killing me.
No birdie two’s
Or four’s or three.
It starts with driving
Left and right
Birdie chances
Out of sight.
Second shots
Become the test
Pushes and pulls
Lead to pars at best.
With pitches and chips
They’re never near
Leaving putts that even
Good putters fear.
If you catch this bug
And you’re tied in knots
The only prescription
Find better shots.
Leon S White, PhD
Have You Met Him
March 15, 2023 by 1 Comment
Thanks for visiting again or for the first time. As you may know (from reading this Blog) I’ve recently published a book called If Golf Balls Could Talk – Collected Golf Poems (available on Amazon). Here is a poem from the book that tells a familiar story:
HE TALKS A GOOD GAME
He talks a good game
You know the guy
He judges each swing
With a critical eye.
He talks a good game
Awash with advice
He’s off to the races
When he sees you slice.
He talks a good game
He studies the pros
He is eager to tell you
All that he knows.
He talks a good game
Can he turn a phrase
He talks a good game
But it’s not how he plays.
He talks and he talks
With eyeballs that glisten
But even the duffers
No longer listen.
If you’ve met this guy, you are welcome to share the experience in the comments section.
Frets
February 11, 2019 by Leave a Comment
This website is now a little more than 10 years old. It includes more than 200 Posts with poems. You are most welcome to search on popular golf topics or click on one of the many categories in the list on the right. (I particularly encourage Australians to click on Australia).
Though I am now playing more guitar than golf, I intend to keep writing golf-related poems when ideas arise that encourage poetic responses. And for me, some of the best poem ideas involve playing around with a word or words. The following four-liner is an example.
Frets
A gigging guitarist
Fingers over frets;
A gambling golfer
Frets over bets.
Leon S White, PhD
P.S. Right now Amazon (USA) has my book, Golf Course of Rhymes, at over 30% off. Best price I’ve ever seen!
What’s Hot
February 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment
I’ve been away from the New England cold. Now I’m back and still focused on temperature.
What’s Hot that Matters
Golf Digest is out with its “hot list,” clubs that will not lag.
A list of drivers, irons and such, the hottest swinging sticks.
But my concern, at 82, is not with the heat of my bag;
It’s my internal heat that needs to remain at 98.6!
Leon S White, PhD
Escaping Inclement Weather
January 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment
I had to go out today to meet my brother for lunch. It was raining like crazy. Hence the following,
Escaping Inclement Weather
Went out today in a heavy rain.
But I’m a lucky fella.
While most others got soaking wet,
I had my golf umbrella!
Leon S White, PhD
Cost of Putters
September 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Periodically, you hear the story about a pro who sours on his/her putter. Before the tournament begins, the pro goes to the pro-shop, picks a putter out of a barrel of used putters, and then goes on to win the event. It does happen.
But most pros and the rest of us add to our collection of putters, from time to time, by buying a new one … that feels just right. New putters today seem to be getting more expensive. Hence my observation:
The Cost of Putters
Have you noticed the price of putters?
Many $200 and more;
They could be considered a bargain
If only they lowered your score.
Leon S White, Phd
Guitar or Golf
September 11, 2017 by 1 Comment
Last week I posted a verse with a universal observation about the challenge of practicing properly. After another week of serious guitar practicing (at the expense of golf practice), I offer the following:
Guitar or Golf
Practice is practice,
But with guitar a rub;
It’s the music that swings
Instead of a club.
Leon S White, PhD
Par The Last
August 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Shakespeare wrote “All’s Well that Ends Well.” In psychology there is a precept called the “peak-end rule” which states that the way an experience ends determines the happiness we ascribe to it. In golf, the effect of the rule might be described as,
Par The Last
Bogey after bogey,
You’re failing the test,
Par the last hole . . .
And you forget the rest!
Leon S White, PhD
Please come back next week for another poetic observation on golf.
Trapped
August 14, 2017 by 2 Comments
How many times have you heard or read “It’s easy to get out of a trap” or “Bunker shots are easy.” Here is my view,
Trapped
If you’ve found that your ball
Came to rest in the sand;
Were the rules more obliging
You’d remove it by hand.
Leon S White, PhD
Hope you will come back next week for another break from the prose of golf.
Golf Course of Rhymes 
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