Professional golfer and instructor Meredith Kirk shares about the game she loves, death and her devotional book.
Meredith Kirk is a wife and mom of three, and is an accomplished Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) golfer and certified golf instructor operating out of the golf mecca of Myrtle Beach, S.C. She is passionate about teaching golf to all levels of players, especially junior golfers. With 15 years teaching experience with top PGA and LPGA instructors, Meredith’s teaching methods combine golf mechanics with a mind-body-spirit connection.
She received her bachelor of arts in public relations from Coastal Carolina University and is a graduate of Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary with a degree in biblical counseling. Biblical Recorder sports correspondent Roman Gabriel III interviewed Kirk about her golf, her faith and how she almost lost her life at a young age. Kirk shared how this experience helped start a new chapter in her life that has inspired her to use her passion for golf and her struggles as a platform to help others. Meredith’s popular devotional book is titled Thy Club and Thy Staff. The book is comprised of 21 devotions that bring together the basics of good golf and the fundamentals of strong faith.
Q: As a certified LPGA professional and teacher, who do you teach at the Meredith Kirk School?
A: Beginners to advanced players [and] couples. I give playing lessons. I can work with anybody. I work with lots of juniors. I am a huge advocate for promoting the game of golf to juniors. I think it’s a great investment to work with these kids coming up in the game. It teaches so much, so I spend a lot of my time with juniors.
Q: Your book – Thy Club and Thy Staff – is 21 daily devotionals using golf to challenge us with biblical principles and teach lessons about life. Where did you get the inspiration to write a book about golf, using the method of daily devotions?
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Contributed photo Meredith Kirk, above, loves working with junior golfers. Kirk, with her family, shares a little about her life in a new devotional Thy Club and Thy Staff. |
A: It’s kind of interesting. I had two life-threatening issues happen to me during the birth of my third son. I chose to have the epidural, and the needle actually went into a vein instead of the area in my spinal column where it was supposed to go into, so it stopped my heart.
The doctor got my heart going again, and said I was so lucky to be alive. This is rare. It scared me so much. I don’t think I have ever had so much fear flood me in all my life. After I gave birth, I couldn’t believe that I survived that. Four months later I had a thyroid storm, a life threatening issue when your thyroid overproduces hormones that regulate your metabolism. [I] almost had a heart attack. This happened about four months apart. At that time I was already a Christian. I gave my life to Christ at 19. I came to a place in my faith where I started to think about death. It made me look at how I was living my life. I could not run. I could barely walk. I was 20 pounds under weight, and lost half of my hair. We live on a golf course so I started just slowly walking the course.
Q: Did you plan to write the book after your tough experience in the hospital?
A: God gave this book to me. I did not start out writing this for other people. God just spoke to me. I started journaling. It was really for me, but someone read it, and said, “This is decent stuff and other people should read this.” I thought why not go for it; why not put all these journals in a book and write about it? And if it helps one person then it’s worth it.
Q: Was contrasting the experience of golf and life a big part of your idea for the book?
A: Absolutely, that was one of the ideas when I was writing the book. I was going through a lot of personal health issues myself. I actually could not play golf at the time. I was having trouble with health issues like keeping my heart rate up. I took the time to write these devotionals, when I was [going through] that. God showed me so much correlation between biblical principles and golf. He just opened up those doors for me. I thought, ‘Wow,’ golf teaches so much. God has shown me a lot through the game of golf, biblical principles … opening doors to teach us. The game is about honesty and integrity. You can learn a lot about someone [by] playing five hours of golf.
Q: Over the years a lot of people have spoken about what can be learned from this very demanding sport. How has the game made you a better teacher?
A: Golf exposes peoples’ personalities, their characteristics, shortcomings and strengths. By teaching kids through the game of golf and letting them go out and have fun, you also teach them a lot about biblical principles: telling truth, being honest, practicing patience, respect for other people, and learning to control your tongue.
I have some students that are real vocal when they hit a poor shot. Controlling what comes out of your mouth is so important. The Bible teaches on that.
I even wrote about it in a devotional in the book … you have to control your tongue.
The Bible talks so much about it. That’s what my book is about.
Q: How has dealing with hardship changed your perspective on life?
A: I can be a little bit stubborn at times. I am thankful for those experiences. A lot of people who turn their faith to God in crisis look at the situation later on, and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t like going through all that, but I learned so much. I am a much better person for it. … I hope it doesn’t just help my life but helps someone else’s life as well.
Q: Is the book something anybody can read and enjoy?
A: Absolutely! When I wrote this book I wrote it in a way that anybody can relate to. Actually, it’s a basic devotional, very easy to read. Anybody can pick it up. I have actually given it to some of my middle school students. They can read through and feel comfortable with the material, straight to the point really.
For more on how you can get Meredith’s devotional book Thy Club and thy Staff, go to her official web site at meredithkirkgolf.com.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Roman Gabriel is an evangelist and motivational speaker. His Sold Out Sports Talk Radio program on American Family Radio can be heard in 200 cities nationally or streaming live at afr.net. It’s all about faith, family and sports. Visit his website: soldouttv.com; Facebook page: Roman Gabriel III Fan Page; connect with him on Twitter: romangabriel3rd; email him: [email protected] or call 910-431-6483. For more stories from Gabriel, visit here.)