I Want to Die Under a Willow Tree
Monday, May 25, 2026
“Too much ambition is a bad thing to have in a bunker.” – Bobby Jones
When I was first learning to play golf, I picked up an instructional book written by Julius Boros. Boros won 25 tournaments on the PGA Tour during his long and distinguished career, including two U.S. Opens (1952, 1963) and the PGA Championship (1968). The latter win came when Boros was 48 years old, making him the oldest player to win a major until Phil Mickelson eclipsed that record by winning the PGA Championship in 2021 at age 50.
It has been almost half a century since I read Boros’s book, but I still remember two of his tips. The first was how to play a ball from a greenside bunker. Boros said to draw a mental line 1.5” behind the ball and swing your club through that line. If you do that, he wrote, your ball will come out on a cushion of sand… and he was right.
The second tip that I remember – and apply virtually every round I play to this day – is that when you find yourself in trouble on the course, don’t try to hit a one-in-a-million miracle shot. Instead, take your medicine and just chip the ball back into play. After all, Boros reasoned, if you were that good a golfer, you wouldn’t be in trouble to begin with, so don’t compound one error by making another.
The spiritual applications of Boros’s golf advice are many. Simply put, when you have committed a sin, don’t make things worse by trying to cover it up with a bunch of lies and excuses. Instead, confess your sin to God (and the affected party if applicable), accept His forgiveness, and move on… learning from the experience.
Here are two Bible verses that I think Julius Boros would agree with…
“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (BSB)
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 (BSB)
One final thought about Julius Boros. He died on May 28, 1994 of a fatal heart attack that he suffered while playing golf at the Coral Ridge Country Club in Fort Lauderdale. Boros was found sitting in a golf cart under a willow tree by two club members near the 16th hole, his favorite spot on the course.
Not a bad way to go!
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
