Remember that great Yardbirds song “Heart Full of Soul?” How good were the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck? In the ’60’s that’d be like your scramble team having Nicklaus, Palmer, and Player on it … not fair.

And maybe the Yardbirds got even better in the ’70’s – breaking up into Led Zeppelin, the Faces, Derek and the Dominoes.

What does this have to do with golf? Music is like golf in many ways. They both make you happy – they both can make you cry. I could go on making analogies forever. But golf and music … (let me try again) … but good golf and good music have soul.

Soul. People don’t talk about golf and soul in the same sentence nearly enough. For many years I’ve been obsessed with trying to make golf fun and entertaining. That’s not wrong – golf is both. But it’s more than that. Golf grabs you like great music grabs you. That’s more than fun. It’s even better. It’s magic.

Ever read Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy? It’s about Murphy meeting a Celtic shaman at St. Andrews in Scotland. This shaman – Shivas Irons – is about as much of a trip as Jim Morrison of the Doors. Morrison proclaimed himself to be a shaman – and the Doors music was Morrison’s attempt to “Break on Through to the Other Side.” Shivas Irons tries to show Murphy how to “break on through” using golf as the vehicle.

These are soulful Celtic artists. They’re trying to bring the magic and mystery of life to us. They are trying to reach inside and grab our souls. Golf can do this, too, but sometimes the industry just doesn’t get it.

I just read an article by a golf course reviewer complaining about how he hates courses that feel like they’re only interested in taking his money. I don’t like that either. In fact, I don’t like that about anything. Obviously, money is needed to pay the bills – but money shouldn’t drive the train – money should be the result of things done right and for the right reason.

We all know music that was inspired from the heart, and music that was written to fill up the album. I’d rather they had fewer songs on the album than fill it up with soulless noise.

I’m not trying to say that every song has to be “heavy” – not at all – I love light, fun songs. But they have to be inspired from the heart – not the wallet … we can tell the difference.

We can tell the difference with golf courses, too. Fake is not good. Fake smiles, muzak, dyed fairways, holes that are unnatural to the terrain, or courses that are trying to be championship when they aren’t.

A friend just sent me an email asking where to play in Arizona. One of the courses I recommended is Shalimar in Tempe. Shalimar is a goofy 9 hole course with a great little clubhouse and a great vibe – people love to play there, and people love to work there. I’m not going to mention some of the semi-famous places in the Valley of the Sun that I don’t like – but I’m sure you can take a guess.

You know when a golf course has soul. Could be a funny par 3 like Shalimar, an old school country club, a mom & pop owned public course, a famous resort course … they’re everywhere. They’re usually a labor of love and the people working there are really into it. They’re motivated out of love and respect – not out of fear. They want you to love the place the way they do. To feel it deep in a soulful way.

It’s hard to create a soulful place when owners view their staff as the enemy. I’m on an email thread with the Golf Course Owners Association. A few weeks ago an owner went off on a tangent about how his employees were taking advantage of him. Wow – the emails started pouring in from other owners with the same attitude. They viewed employee “perks” as taking advantage. I replied that staff deserve perks and that perks are the grease that keeps the gears of the operation turning and keep people feeling happy … something that golfers can feel. My reply was greeted with a cold stare – no response. A little while later the thread heated up with more “abuses” by their enemy – the golf staff.

I’m sympathetic to golf course owners – but seeing the staff as the enemy is about as smart as seeing the customer as the enemy. Probably not very soulful golf courses.

All golf organizations need to keep soul in mind when making decisions and talking about their vision. I admire the USGA’s attempts to keep golf fair. But the Rules of Golf and the GHIN Handicap system have become too complicated/intricate/myopic … they’ve lost the spirit of the game.

Too often the PGA Tour seems too much about money. Thank God for the Majors – sure they’re big dough – but they’re about the golf.

The PGA of America have been trying to grow the game and have come up with an initiative called Golf 2.0. It’s mostly about making golf more fun and entertaining – I’m all for it. But … don’t forget soul. Maybe even do some marketing with Jimmy Page playing a mandolin in front of his old, magical English estate. Maybe have “Heart Full of Soul” become the theme song of the PGA. But more than market about golf and soul – make sure that golf has a heart full of soul.