When 16-year-old Thomas Abraham attended the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, he tried something new. He made a call from a public telephone. It’s the old-fashioned kind with a cord. 

“It was kind of cool,” says Thomas. He phoned a friend from the Masters Par 3 competition on Wednesday. “I’ve never used one before. I figured it out.”

People who visit the competition must leave cellphones and other electronics behind. The no-smartphone policy creates a distraction-free setting for golfers. 

Some fans miss their smartphones.

“We were at 18th [hole] and I went to reach in my pocket and it wasn’t there,” Thomas says. “Then I remembered it’s in the car.”

The public phones provide a way to reach the outside world. But some folks run into trouble. They don’t have any phone numbers memorized. The public phones don’t save phone numbers like cells do.

Bill Kehoe from Raleigh, North Carolina, came prepared. He brought a sheet of paper with a handful of names and numbers written in black Sharpie. 

“I can’t even remember my own phone number, let alone anyone else’s number,” Kehoe jokes. “They’re all saved in my phone.”

Tyler Johnson and his wife Lauren called home to check on their five-year-old son. “I think the last time I used one of these was 1999,” Mr. Johnson says with a laugh.

Some fans enjoyed going phone-free. 

Fletcher Lord is from Little Rock, Arkansas. He texted his wife after he arrived at the course around 6:00 a.m. Then he powered off. 

“Once you get over the anxiety of not having your phone, it’s a very freeing feeling because it forces you to just be here in the moment,” Mr. Lord says.

Ryan O’Connor, also from Little Rock, agrees. He checked his pockets for his phone about 10 times during the tournament. But he was still glad to be without it.

“Is not having a phone a pain?” Mr. O’Connor says. “No, I think it’s actually good for me. Those emails will be there when I get back home.” 

A smartphone is a useful tool, but people often let their phones distract them from other people, work, school, creation, or other important things. Read 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 6:19-20. What do you think Paul would say about this problem?

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. — 1 Corinthians 6:12