Sometimes I have the strangest swing thoughts while standing over a golf shot. Take for instance a recent round I played at Pebble Beach in California:  

As I addressed my ball on the 18th tee, I repeated four magic words uttered by the immortal Mr. Miyagi (portrayed by the late Pat Morita in the “Karate Kid” movies), “Must have balance, Daniel-san.”  Unfortunately, preparation and execution rarely coincide in the game of golf, and I hit a bad “pullie” into the Pacific Ocean.   

Balance is not only important to the golf swing, however. As someone who spends a lot of time working and thinking about work—both in and out of the office—I’ve realized that it’s also important to find the right balance in life, between work and play. For me, golf is a big part of this balancing act.  

As an attorney, I have plenty of things filling my head on a daily basis: cases, clients and crises (the latter normally having something to do with the first two). Sometimes it gets so bad that I actually think about deadlines and assignments in my sleep. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my job and the responsibilities and challenges that come with it. But when the work piles up, so does the stress. The game of golf gives me an outlet—something to look forward to at the end of a big case or a particularly rough workweek.  

Golf is one of the few activities that truly takes my mind off of work and provides me with a place of refuge from the rigors of practicing law. During a round of golf, I turn off my cell phone and rarely check my Blackberry for e-mail (hey, at least I’m honest). And the way I play golf, there isn’t much room to think about anything other than my 12 different swing thoughts (and that’s just during the backswing).   

Golf also provides a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family (at least those who golf). I recently played nine holes with my younger sister at Harding Park. We usually don’t spend a lot of time together without distractions, so it was really nice to go out and hit the links as a twosome early on a Saturday morning. We talked about her two young kids, her job and family matters.   

When I’ve been able to take golf trips with my dad or “golf buddies,” the added element of travel is a bonus because it lets me recharge my mental batteries. When Dad and I spent a memorable week in Scotland a few years ago, all we did was golf and spend quality time together in golf’s homeland. It was a week of golf, eat, sleep and repeat. That trip was the only time in the last nine years that I did not check e-mail or voicemail at work for more than three consecutive days.  

So for me, to decompress after a long week of work and to maintain the proper balance between work and play, there’s nothing like chasing around that little white ball. And as one of my golfing buddies likes to tell me (especially when I’m grumbling about yet another three-putt):  “A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at work.”  Now there’s a swing-thought worth having.

 - Kevin Chung is an attorney who lives and practices labor and employment law in San Francisco, Calif.