What are your ‘Spirit Courses’?

In Native American traditions, animals are used to communicate the values and spiritual beliefs of the community. Each animal in this tradition carries meaning, and they are used to tell the stories of their people while respecting the environment and honoring the animals. In 1936, John Maynard Keynes took this idea from American Indigenous people, and he coined the famous phrase “spirit animals.” The term was used successfully to describe the instincts, proclivities, and emotions that influence and guide human behavior. 

If we had a “Spirit Animal” here at NewClub, The Pollinator would be it. But when it comes to our environments, the golf courses we are fortunate to play and visit are the living, breathing, creatures that help us tell our story. 

It’s why we here at NewClub started to keep track and came up with the idea of “Spirit Courses,” The places that engage us, give us life, provide us with community, lift our spirits, permeate a culture we want to be a part of and inspire us to play and be our best. 

Like Maynard in the 30s, all too often, the popular golf culture of today tends to review golf courses in a language of criticism… good vs. bad, strengths vs. weaknesses, defaulting to a grading scale, rankings, lists, and status. 

Spirit courses are meant to be quite different… they are personal; they dig a little deeper for the thing that resonates with us, the thing that brings us back to the simple joys of golf. To identify them, we may need to ask a different set of questions… 

What new course felt friendly and familiar?

What old course felt new and exciting? 

What was my favorite walk? 

What was my favorite match?

What course inspired me to play my best?

Where did I feel most like myself? 

Where did we have the most fun?