There are countless people in this country that deal with stressful situations on a daily basis. Whether it’s work related (which probably makes up the majority), your significant other, family issues, your favorite team sucks whatever the case may be. It seems the more we try to avoid bringing stress into our lives the more it rears it’s ugly head. As a defense mechanism, we naturally react to stress in different ways to vent. Some better than others.

This brings up an interesting story. Robert O’Neill, the former U.S. Navy Seal known as the man who shot Osama Bin Laden, has had to make the transition from a highly trained spec-ops warfighter back to a normal civilian. Part of his transition included regular meetings with shrinks and at their suggestion take up activities to help with any PTSD. These activities included fishing and you guessed it – golf.

Now, I don’t know about you but when an ex-Seal says golf is more stressful than combat, you have to wonder. According to O’Neill, put a suppressed assault rifle in his hands, it’s all good, another day at the office. Give him a golf club and he loses his s***. In some odd way I can almost understand his point. Fighting has become second nature and he is in his “comfort zone”, as weird as that may sound.

Considering golf is a precision sport, the idea of using it to relax could backfire when you have a perfectionist trying to play for the first time. Here’s a man that has been to some of the most hostile war zones in the world and has successfully completed missions so dangerous that if he was caught the government would probably deny even knowing who this guy was. And golf is stressful?

Mr. O’Neill, I can’t thank you enough for your service and am glad you are on our side. If you’re ever in the Northeast and want to hack up a local track, it would be an honor.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!