As the days lengthen (remember the meaning of Lent?) and get warmer, I begin to think about that game some of us play that keeps us humble -- golf. It is a game I find frustrating, challenging and fun all at the same time.

This last fall, I was playing a round with someone who is quite good at the game. I am always open to tips and pointers and we were having a very good time, until we ended up behind a foursome that was playing in front of us. They had one golfer who was not very good. He would hit three bad shots for every good one, and we ended up watching him most of the day as we waited to play our shots.

It ended up being a good day for philosophy. "Do you know how to tell a really good golfer?" my friend asked. "The really good golfer is the one who can recover from a bad lie. Say…