Reverence for God’s Creation: How Golf Teaches Environmental Stewardship from a Catholic Perspective

God, Golf, and the Green: Seeing Creation Through the Game

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Some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had with my son didn’t happen in church, around the dinner table, or during a family meeting—they happened somewhere between the tee box and the green.

Golf has always been special to me. My grandfather was the one who taught me how to play. But looking back, I realize he wasn’t just teaching me how to swing a club—he was teaching me how to be present, how to be patient, how to respect something bigger than myself. We didn’t talk about it like that, but that’s what it was.

So when my son decided he wanted to start playing golf, I saw an opportunity—not just to teach him a game, but to pass on something deeper. I started to share with him the same kind of lessons I had quietly picked up over the years: how to carry yourself, how to be honest, how to stay grounded, and—maybe most importantly—how to notice and appreciate the world around you.

Seeing God in the Details

If you’ve ever played a round early in the morning, when the grass is still damp and the light is just beginning to break through the trees, you know there’s something sacred about it. The birds, the breeze, the quiet stillness—it all points to something bigger. And if you’re paying attention, you start to feel it: this is God’s creation on full display.

As Catholics, we’re called to be stewards of that creation. The Catechism reminds us that while we’ve been given dominion over the earth, we’re not meant to exploit it—we’re meant to care for it. That idea hits differently when you’re out on a course, standing in the middle of something so carefully crafted and naturally beautiful at the same time.