Golf is a game that depends on honesty and integrity

The recent media coverage of Tiger Woods and his extramarital affairs has focused on Woods as if he were a Hollywood celebrity. However, a key difference — and core to understanding many of us who are more than disappointed in Woods’ transgressions — is to understand how this relates to golf.

Golf is a game of honesty and integrity. The game relies on the individual to identify and report when he plays outside of the rules — accidental or not.

These apparent repeated transgressions must make the golfing world think a bit. While there is no doubt about Woods’ superb golfing ability, several questions now creep up:

How are they able to find Woods’ ball in the deepest of roughs? Did he get a little extra help in his recent recovery from knee surgery?

In life, we often separate our professional and personal lives. However, key traits are inherent in our personality, and these include integrity and honesty. For the golfing community, it is not the loss of celebrity, but the loss of integrity that causes us to feel betrayed.

Donald Allred

Springboro