Professional golfers use sport to share their faith

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ORLANDO (FBW)-In a country many have referred to as a post-Christian nation with rampant biblical illiteracy, some Christians are finding a new way to communicating the Gospel to those who may not have ever set foot in a church or read a verse of Scripture.

It's called golf.

That's why Wally Armstrong, a former PGA Tour professional - and a growing number of people like him - are using golf as a tool of outreach. An Orlando resident, he conducts golf clinics all over the world. He teaches people how to improve their swings and lower their scores, but he also uses these clinics to talk about Jesus.

"That's the deal. It's the language," said former PGA Tour professional Wally Armstrong. "People don't know the Bible. They don't understand the scriptural concepts they did 20 years ago.

"You've got to be able to walk and talk the language of those people you're communicating with," Armstrong told Florida Baptist Witness. "Golf is a universal language. There are golf courses all over the world. The language is universal. Everybody knows what par is. Everybody knows what birdie is. Everyone has experienced the ups and downs of the game."

Armstrong is not alone is his attempts to reach unbelievers or unite Christians through the medium of golf. Links Players International is a golf-based ministry that counts among its supporters many of professional golf's biggest names.

The ministry publishes the Links Letter, a monthly magazine with testimonies including golfers Tom Lehman, Betsy King, Larry Mize, Gary Player, Lee Janzen, Tracy Hanson, and others on the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour [see related stories about Janzen and Hanson].

"We are primarily a communications ministry," said Jeff Hopper, executive director of Links Players International. "We wanted a way to get their testimonies out."

The Links Letter serves as a means of connecting the various golf ministries around the country, including local Links fellowships that consist of golfers who meet on a regular basis for prayer and Bible study.

Hopper said one of the goals for the Links Letter is for Christian golfers who read it to pass it along to their non-Christian friends. The ministry also distributes Gospel tracts and offers a daily devotional e-mail service.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) one of the most well known sports-related ministries, has a division devoted specifically to golf.

Every summer, FCA Golf, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, hosts 20 junior golf camps around the country. The young golfers who attend are given instruction in golf and the camps include programs where the Gospel is presented.

"We're shooting to get 1,000 kids at camp this summer," said Dean Bouzeos, executive director of FCA Golf.

Another FCA Golf ministry, "Breakfast with the Pros," invites tour professionals to PGA and LPGA events across the country, to share their testimonies with area high school and college golfers.

An upcoming breakfast will take place March 24 at the Marriott at Sawgrass Resort in Ponte Vedra Beach, prior to the Players Championship March 27-30. Bouzeos said he is expecting about 500 students and 200 adults to attend the breakfast.

"We'll get as many kids as possible there," he said.

Armstrong is one of the professionals who has been involved in the ministries of both FCA Golf and Links Players International. Talk to anyone about golf and ministry, and you'll probably hear Armstrong's name.

And for good reason. Armstrong has taken his message all over the world, and his books are quite popular among golfers.

His latest book, Heart of a Golfer -like much of Armstrong's ministry - provides spiritual connections to golf terminology. For Armstrong, successful ministry comes back to the Apostle Paul's belief in being all things to all men.

"It has a lot of fun quotes that illustrate principles of trust and faith," Armstrong said. "They may relate to some of the mental parts about golf, but it will always be in a chapter where it always gets back to having a relationship with Christ.

"People are in the fast lane today," Armstrong continued. "A lot of times they don't have the time to get into a huge book. We broke it up into fun categories, fun stories, stories about Tour players, stories about my own Tour experience. A lot of it's just practical lessons that I've learned from the pro - from Jesus.

"He's like the ultimate pro. He's played the course before us. He's played the shots. He knows the hazards. We have a great model there, and we have access to His knowledge and His wisdom through the Holy Spirit."

Armstrong also likens spiritual gifts to the variety of golf clubs a player uses.

"Some of us are five irons and some of us are wedges," he said. "We have been gifted to have certain roles in God's design, just like the clubs in a bag have different roles. You don't see people driving with a wedge or putting with a driver. That's part of growing in your faith is you begin to see what club you are."

He believes his ministry has a niche, and is reaching people others are not.

"When people can relate to these principles through the medium of this golf language, that's what makes golf so great," Armstrong said. "It's like a glue that God uses to bring the Gospel in. I feel called to promote that, to energize people, to use the game as a bridge to have people see that relationship."