Unfortunately, I see a lot of people who are so wrapped up in the moment that they fail to see the bigger, more important picture and this causes them – and everyone around them - needless anxiety both on the course and in the clubhouse.

Golf is a game, a great game for sure, but in the end, it’s still a game. If you shoot a record personal score that is wonderful, but the moment is fleeting and means nothing if you don’t set new goals for yourself.

More importantly, it’s not really the score which is important, but rather the way you play the game and what you get from it in the way of life experience.

I constantly grouse about players who believe that "winning at any cost" is acceptable and consider cheating to be just another tool in their arsenal because they take this attitude into the streets with them.

Has the human race sunk so low that we believe winning is the only thing that matters? What ever happened to losing gracefully, with dignity and honour?

CNN had highlights of the recent basketball fight where some players started beating the hell out of the fans and I couldn’t believe my eyes. There have been baseball games where benches cleared during the fight and times where players charge into the crowd.

Golf is not exempt from poor behaviour by the players either, as the Ryder Cup is loaded with less than tasteful incidents.

I guess what galls me is that if you combined the salaries of all the professional athletes on the planet, it could finance a small country, yet some still have the nerve to complain about "how tough it is out there", or worse, attack and deride the fans who pay their salaries.

This is a great example of lacking perspective.

Professional athletes get paid for playing a game, the outcome of which means nothing when compared to a child starving somewhere on the planet. Yet, they carry on like the world will end if they lose. Granted, they will lose a bit of money but its certainly not the end of the world.

Both players and fans can get so wrapped up in the emotions of the moment that they believe they’ll die if their team loses. Football hooligans are a great example of people losing perspective and taking a simple time of potential enjoyment to an extreme.

It’s not supposed to be that way. Sports are interactive entertainment…period.

Most of the clubs in Vietnam have a highly diverse membership, who work very hard Monday through Friday, and look forward to a relaxing round of golf on the weekend. Strangely enough, quite a few of them seem forget that golf is a game and become as stressed out on the course as they do in the office.

Look, when you’re working for a living, decisions you make affect your company and thus, your future and your family, but golf is supposed to teach you to relax.

Let me give you a tip…hit the shot and enjoy the day. No matter what score you shoot, your family will still love you, the dog will still wag his tail when you walk in the door and the office will most likely be there on Monday when you return.

No matter what score I shot that day, or no matter what ridiculous incident occurred at the club, one smile from my daughter makes it easy to remember what is important and what isn’t.

Keep things in perspective, you’ll play better golf and you might live a few years longer as well.