Steering Clear of Life's Water Hazard

“The difference between a sand trap and a water hazard is the difference between a car crash and an airplane crash. You have a chance of recovering from a car crash.” – Bobby Jones

Most amateur golfers like me try their best to avoid sand traps. Simply put, we’re just not that good at getting out of them. However, with the right club – a sand wedge – the right stance and the right technique, there is a fairly good chance that you can get your ball out in a single stroke (or two).

A water hazard – such as a lake, creek, or pond – is another story altogether. Once your ball “takes a dip” or “goes for a swim”, there’s no getting it back. You simply have to assess yourself a penalty stroke, take a drop at the point of entry, and play on.

Now, as far as Bobby Jones’ comparison to car and plane crashes, the greatest amateur golfer who ever lived and winner of 13 major championships was actually wrong (although I’ll cut him a break because he probably said those words 100 years ago). You see, not only is airplane travel 1,200 times safer than automobile travel, but the survivability rate of a plane crash (95%) is marginally higher than for car crashes (90%). Overall, your chance of dying in a plane crash is 1 in 11 million whereas the odds of you dying in a car accident are 1 in 5,000.

I think what Bobby Jones was trying to say in today’s quote was to stay away from making big – and very costly – mistakes in life. For example, if you have a gambling addiction, stay away from racetracks and casinos. The same goes for alcoholics and bars… and yes, men who battle lust should steer clear of massage parlors, strip clubs, and R-rated movies.

Here’s another illustration…

I have spent the past 39 years ministering to inmates and I give the same advice to every ex-offender I meet: get a job (even if it’s flipping burgers); find a good Bible-believing church; and don’t go back to the same “friends” that got you into trouble. If you follow those three simple steps, chances are you will defy the odds and make it “on the outside”.

Ironically, I lead a ministry called Risk Takers for Christ, so I am not opposed to taking what I call “sanctified risks”. In other words, if you have prayed about something, sought godly counsel, sensed God’s leading, and made sure that it is 100% biblical… then go for it and don’t look back!

(See Genesis 19:24-26; I Kings 19:19-21; Proverbs 3:5-6; Proverbs 16:3; Matthew 16:24-26; Luke 9:57-62; Luke 14:25-33; et al)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President