CATHEDRALS
On our fourth day in Scotland, we arrived in St. Andrews. St. Andrews and its surroundings have a rich history, dating back hundreds of years, even thousands of years if you look to the first settlers. The town is the home of the oldest university in Scotland and, in many ways, it feels like a university town. Even in the summer, the town is filled with students. St. Andrews is also the home of St. Andrews cathedral, in its time the largest building in Scotland; it is now in ruins but it remains a fascinating sight. But most significant to me, St. Andrews is also the most important destination in the world to those who love golf.
A cathedral is the principal church, the seat of authority of a denomination or region. When I arrived in St. Andrews, I felt I was arriving at the cathedral of golf. Golf has been played at St Andrews since the fifteenth century. St. Andrews is home to five golf courses, including the Old Course. The Old Course is the oldest course in the world and accepted universally as the Home of Golf. St. Andrews is also the home of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the ruling body of golf everywhere outside the United States and a leading proponent of the game.
It's hard for me to describe the emotion of arrival at this cathedral. I think of myself as a spiritual person, I spend a lot of time thinking about morality and immorality, good and evil, the elements of a good life. Nothing focuses ones thoughts on these matters better than a cathedral. Cathedrals make us think of our place in the universe, our relation to others, to our ancestors and descendants, and our relation to higher authorities. I also view golf as a spiritual pursuit. Golf helps me crystallize all of my spiritual thoughts: morality as a function of rules, honesty, respect for others, the beauty and the size and power of nature. Despite the unrequited nature of my love for golf, I continue to love it in all circumstances, all places, for all time.
Our hotel, overlooking the "road hole" at the Old Course, was the best of our entire trip. The service, performed by wonderful young people who I assume were students working in their summer holidays, was cheerful and prompt. Since we arrived late but not too late to see the sunset, we ate dinner in my room while I placed a few telephone calls and basked in the glory of the setting. As I ate and talked, talked and ate, I thought of how lucky I was to see the Old Course at St. Andrews while I was still young enough to walk it, to be there with friendly companions and, perhaps trivially but still importantly, to be there in perfect weather. I felt a part of the history of golf, of the universe of golf, of the universe.*
Lest everyone begin to think I've lost my mind, I also thought about character and how character is formed, and revealed, by golf. Because golf requires each of us to enforce and abide by the rules ourselves, without policemen or other external watchdogs, because cheating in golf is unimaginable, because golf involves head, heart and hands, because golf requires respect for oneself and others, living in the world of golf reveals character and reminds us of good character. If someone is of poor character, dishonest, disrespectful, rude, obnoxious, it's revealed immediately on a golf course. Even if you don't play golf, even if you don't appreciate golf, you must admire it for these elements. More importantly, you must at least think about good character and try to exhibit it, to possess it.
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* In addition to all the other wonderful things about my visit to St.
Andrew, I also received the best explanation I've heard of the
expanding universe, from my caddy, an engineering student at the University.
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9-23-02
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