by Won Kim

While on a recent golf outing, a friend of mine stated that golf is arguably the greatest sport known to man. I asked him what made golf such a great game, and he responded with a question, "Name me another sport that pits man against man, man against machine (golf clubs), man against nature and man against himself?"

I was silenced.

I have a confession to make-I'm a horrible golfer. Granted, I've only played golf a handful of times in my life, which is a great excuse to use on behalf of my suspect game. However, in the few times I've played, I have come to embrace the sport. Here are 10 reasons why golf is a great game:

• The great escape. Playing golf means you will be away from everything else that occupies your life-errands, babysitting, shopping, etc.-for at least 5 to 7 hours. I always tell my wife, "Hey, it's better than playing poker."
• It will test your honesty. Mis-remembering a stroke here or there might be a subtle hint into your tempestuous soul.
• It will test your patience. You know that curse word you haven't yelled in years, well, the golf course has a strange ability to bring that out. And don't get me started about the foursome in front of us taking forever to finish the 7^th hole.
• Quiet solitude. How often do you get to be surrounded by nature as the rays of the sun break the morning sky, and nothing, absolutely nothing can be heard for miles? That's the beauty of an early tee time.
• Camaraderie. It's just the guys, a golf course and sporadic dialogue for five-plus hours. You can learn more about your friends over a period of a golf game than almost any other activity.
• Sweet spot. For some golfers it may happen every hole and for other novice players like me it may happen once or twice a round, but a perfectly hit shot has no parallel comparison. It makes you feel invincible and on top of the world, that is until the next time you hit the ball.
• It keeps you humble. The moment you think you've mastered the game, it finds a way to keep you modest. Whether it comes in the form of a small pond, a ditch full of sand or a forest of trees that seemed to come out of nowhere-golf is the great equalizer. As my friend (who's a tremendous golfer) once told me, "In golf, you never get better, you just suck less."
• It keeps you focused. Golf is a game that can force you to spend $12 for a jumbo-sized pail of balls to perform one thing over and over. The devotion that some men exert to perfect their swing is a good reminder of how men can be so singularly focused.
• The celebration. When you finally make that birdie putt or in my case the ever elusive double bogey, it calls for an all-out celebration. Fist pumps, high-fives, lighting of cigars or the ever-increasingly rare hug are all possible options. For that short moment, you realize that life is very good.
• The memory. Whether it's because you played your greatest hole ever or that your buddy shared the best story on a golf course, a day of golf has 18 chances to leave an indelible mark.

As a maturing dad and a burgeoning golfer, I'm reminded of how the very same reasons that make the game of golf so great, are also the reasons that remind me why fatherhood is so sacred.

Your children will test your character, they will be your sweet spot, they will keep you humble, they will keep you focused, they will be a reason for celebration, they will leave you tons of memories and, yes, they will sometimes make you want to escape. Thankfully, we have a several rounds to become both the better golfer and a better father.