Perhaps this piece is not the “sportiest”. It might not have the hottest takes or the silliest claims. But for this week’s edition of Thought Bubble, I wanted to write about a fun experience I had on Father’s Day: watching golf with my dad.

For context, I do not like golf.

I know! I know. You already hate me, and you are considering closing this article. But do not do that, please. I do not want to get fired.

Growing up, I was not much of a golf fan. Sure, I knew about Tiger, Phil, and so on. Like the big names were easy to vaguely follow.

But I just did not enjoy watching it. As the kids say, I thought golf was “mid”.

However, one person was always glued to the tv screen when golf came on.

A former high school golfer himself, my dad always watched these tournaments with a sense of awe in his eyes. He could admire the power and technique of these players on another level because, to a degree, he knew somewhat how to do it himself.

My dad always encouraged me to try golfing when I was younger. It became clear pretty quickly, though, that I was not going to be the next Rickie Fowler or whoever people like to root for these days.

But what I appreciated about my father is that he did not force me to play. He did not become disappointed in me for not wanting to play. No, he instead accepted it, loved who I was regardless, and always kept the door open in case I wanted to partake in his passion.

And that’s something I will always love and appreciate about my father.

He has his own passions, but he is never pushing it or mad at you for not liking what he likes. He is always there if you want him to explain this thing or need him to help you with that. But he never pushes his own agendas on others.

You can be you, even if you’re wildly different from him with wildly different interests, and never feel like it’s a problem.

That’s the father I had growing up.

Now let’s fast forward to 2023. It’s Father’s Day, and while having a lovely dinner with my mom and dad, we debated what to watch.

It was the US Open, and my dad really wanted to watch it. My mom and I were like, “eh… not really our cup of tea.” But we let it happen because it’s Father’s Day. Why shouldn’t he be allowed to watch golf.

So, we ate and watched. Some dude with the last name Clark played well and ended up winning the thing while Rory McIlroy’s valiant last effort on the last few holes wasn’t enough.

But results aside, something much better was happening on our end of the tv screen.

My father and I were chatting about golf. He was telling me about all of this stuff, things I had not noticed, and just educating me on his own little world.

He was a tour guide showing me all the intricacies of a place I had rarely ever bothered to look at. In a way, he gave me his glasses for a split second just so I could see how he saw this game he loves.

And it was a beautiful moment.

We were so happy, and I was so glad to partake in this moment. It was so cool that it made me care a little more about golf. How wonderful!

But better yet, I got to have a great human moment with my father. And it was a great way to celebrate Father’s Day.

So, to my dad, thank you for introducing me to your world and letting me see it how you see it. Thank you for helping me better appreciate this game you love.

Thank you for having this moment with me.

And most of all, thank you for being a great dad.

I love you, dad.

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Thought Bubble. Thought Bubble is a weekly reoccurring sports column that is designed to humorously discuss sporting ideas that, while perhaps ridiculous, are intriguing, nonetheless.