Physics teacher pursues golf in free time

Photo by courtesy of Kirk Davis

Davis poses with his golf partner at his course in San Martin.

Having been brought up experiencing sweltering Wyoming summers and given freedom to roam outside, physics and business teacher Kirk Davis often spent hours at a country club where he would swim, hunt frogs, and chase snakes. At a point in his childhood, however, his interests switched, and he spent his time at the country club playing golf exclusively. That interest has remained for Davis since then. 

“Golf became a routine, and naturally, I improved over time,” he said.

As an adult, Davis learned to see golf as a means to further develop relationships. Rather than silently going through the rounds, he always tries to build camaraderie with his golfing partners. 

“I almost acquire a sort of intimacy with who I’m playing with,” Davis said. “In my case, it’s been the same guy for a couple of years now, so I’ve gotten to really know the ins and outs of who he is through golfing.”

Davis said the golf course serves as a change of scenery from his work week spent in the classroom. He said that his time there allows him to experience changes from a relatively repetitive routine. 

Davis mostly golfs at Cordevalle Club in San Martin. 

“Being a teacher for so many years now, I have been in my class a lot,” Davis said. “Especially with physics and the demand that it requires me to take on, I’ve spent a lot of time prepping and working. As I’m slowly getting up there in the seniority ladder, however, I’ve branched out more into other interests, and golf has naturally come to the fray more.”

Davis, who worked in industry for decades before making a mid-career switch into teaching, plans to play even more golf when he retires. Though he will miss his years instructing both at Saratoga and other schools, he feels that as he reaches a different stage of his life, his time will construct itself differently, particularly regarding his golf career. 

“When I’m on the golf course, I feel completely different than how I feel in the classroom,” Davis said. “I don’t live super far away to the extent that I have to express an inability to experience Saratogan surroundings — I live here. However, my weekends spent golfing do allow me to get into nature more while improving a skill I’ve long developed.” 

Davis said that while he unlocks a different part of himself on the golf range, he doesn’t harbor a dependency to the game. Though he tries to golf as much as possible, he has alternatives if he wants to go outside and experience nature or new surroundings; for example, Davis said he also loves his long bike rides and ambitious hikes. 

Additionally, Davis said how the competitive attitude taken by many golfers has even led him to overthink on some occasions, a  mindset that can also be extrapolated and analyzed at a school level — competition, after all, is hyper-intense at Saratoga. 

“People at a certain level are fueled by such a high degree of competition that playing with them becomes genuinely exhausting,” Davis said. “I feel that’s a notion transferable to school: Kids do all sorts of stuff to remain competitive, a lot of which I don’t see the necessity of.”

Davis said golf has been a central hobby in his life, with both its physical and mental qualities bringing him great utility. 

“Golf sharpens both my mind and my body, and as long as it does that while allowing me to further relationships with people I love interacting with, I’ll always treat my rounds on the course as a staple of my life.”