Finding Balance: Golf, Time Management, and Prioritizing God in the Catholic Faith

Swing, Schedule, and Sabbath: Finding Balance Between Golf and God

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Let me be honest: I love golf. But as a husband, father, and Catholic man trying to give his best to faith, family, and work—it’s not always easy to find time for everything. Golf is a time-consuming game. It can easily take up half your Saturday or a whole afternoon. And when my son started playing and we began spending more time on the course together, I had to ask myself: how do I balance this passion with the life God has called me to live?

If you’ve wrestled with finding time for the things you love—while still honoring your responsibilities and your faith—you’re not alone. Golf has helped me see time management not just as a life skill but as a spiritual discipline. Every round has become an opportunity to think about how I’m spending my hours… and where I’m placing my heart.

Golf and the Clock: A Test of Priorities

We both know golf isn’t a quick game. There are slow groups ahead, time spent looking for balls in the rough, and let's not even talk about those 5-hour charity tournaments. But if you’re going to play regularly, you learn quickly how to plan ahead—when to schedule tee times, how to manage your day around it, and how to make sure you’re not sacrificing what matters most just to get in a round.

That kind of planning has taught me something about my faith, too. If I can rearrange my Saturday to make a tee time, why can’t I plan my week so I don’t miss Sunday Mass? If I can commit hours to a game I love, I can certainly carve out quiet time in the morning to pray or reflect on Scripture. It’s not about guilt—it’s about priorities.

Passing the Lesson Down

One of the blessings of golfing with my son is watching him learn to make those same choices. Sometimes he wants to play but has homework. Other times he has to miss a round for Mass or a family gathering. Those are real moments—teaching moments. And every time he chooses faith or responsibility over fun, I see the seeds of maturity and devotion growing in him. I remind him (and myself) that God is never against our passions—He just wants to be first in everything.