This weekend I played a hickory golf tournament at Sand Valley.

36 holes. Old remade golf balls. Clubs from another era. A beautiful new twelve hole course called The Commons. Completely meaningless in every measurable way.

And when my name went up on the board and I wasn't playing well —

It bothered me.

Not in a dramatic way. I got over it fast. I had a great time. That's what good friends and a great golf course do.

But the feeling was there. That familiar gap between where I wanted to be and where I actually was. That quiet dissatisfaction that serious golfers carry around like a second bag.

I'm in my mid forties. I have kids. A career. Responsibilities that have nothing to do with golf and everything to do with being an adult.

I'm just a guy who loves this game deeply and thinks about it probably more than he should.

And still — whenever my name goes on a board, whenever I walk onto a good golf course, whenever I step into any competitive situation at all — I want to play well.

When it does — there's nothing quite like it. Peaceful satisfaction.

When it doesn't — there's a void. It's unfulfilling.

I think that feeling is actually the whole thing.

It's why we practice. Why we chase swing thoughts, watch tour players, and take ghost swings in front of a passing mirror.

Because deep down there's a desire and a feeling that comes from playing really well that's hard to replicate anywhere else in life.

That feeling is worth chasing. Worth working for. Worth being honest about when it doesn't show up.

This is what Golf IQ is about.

Not tips. Not quick fixes. Just the honest journey of a serious golfer trying to close the gap between where he is and where he wants to be.

If that sounds familiar — you're in the right place.

Play well, Mark

What keeps you coming back to this game no matter what? Hit reply.