The saint most often named patron of golf and golfers is St. Andrew the Apostle, the patron saint of Scotland, because the Scottish town that bears his name, St Andrews, is known around the world as “the home of golf.” The game has been played on the links there since the fifteenth century, and the Old Course is the most famous golf course in the world. St. Sebastian, the patron of all athletes, is also invoked by golfers. Below are St. Andrew’s story, how his relics came to Scotland, a golfer’s prayer, and Scripture.
A short golfer’s prayer, written for this page:
St. Andrew, patron of golfers, pray for me.
Give me patience on every hole, honesty in every score,
and the grace to enjoy God’s creation and the company of my friends. Amen.
St. Andrew, patron of golfers
Andrew, a fisherman of Bethsaida and the brother of St. Peter, was the first of the apostles to follow Jesus. According to tradition he preached in Greece and was crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross. A medieval legend says that relics of St. Andrew were brought to the east coast of Scotland, where the town of St Andrews grew up around his shrine and became the religious capital of Scotland. The saltire, St. Andrew’s white cross on a blue field, became the flag of Scotland. Golf took root on the links of St Andrews in the fifteenth century, and so the apostle of the town became the patron of golfers. His feast day is November 30. See St. Andrew the Apostle.
A golfer’s prayers
Written for this page.
Before a round
Lord, thank you for this beautiful day and this course.
Help me to keep my temper, to play by the rules even when no one is watching,
and to treat my playing partners with kindness. Amen.
After a bad round
Lord, the game humbled me today.
Teach me patience, help me laugh at myself, and remind me that my worth is not in my score. Amen.
For a golf outing or tournament
Many parishes, Catholic schools and Knights of Columbus councils hold charity golf outings. A prayer to open the day:
Heavenly Father, bless everyone who plays today, and the good cause that brings us together.
Keep us safe on the course, give us good weather and good fellowship,
and let our play today help those in need. St. Andrew, pray for us. Amen.
Golf and the Christian life
Golf is a game of patience, honesty and self-control. It is one of the few sports in which players call penalties on themselves, and every golfer knows how quickly pride can be humbled by a single hole. St. Paul often used sports to describe the life of faith: the Christian trains and keeps going, not for a trophy that fades, but for a crown that lasts forever. A round of golf can be a small school of virtue: patience after a bad shot, honesty with the scorecard, kindness to playing partners, and gratitude for the beauty of creation.
Scripture
Patience and perseverance (Hebrews 12:1, Douay-Rheims):
And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us:
Running for an incorruptible crown (1 Corinthians 9:24–25, Douay-Rheims):
Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain.
And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of golf?
St. Andrew the Apostle, patron of Scotland and of the town of St Andrews, the home of golf.
When is St. Andrew’s feast day?
November 30.
Who is the patron saint of athletes?
St. Sebastian. See the patron saint of athletes.
More patron saints for sport
- Patron saint of fishermen
- Patron saint of athletes
- Patron saints of sports and hobbies
- St. Andrew the Apostle
- Patron saint of Greece
- Patron saint of runners
- Patron saints
Texts and sources
- Hebrews 12:1 and 1 Corinthians 9:24–25 (Douay-Rheims).