The Way Golfers Screw Up: Playing the Game
March 31, 2008 – 6:16 pm | by GolfdirtOriginally Published in HumanGolf.com
By Martin Vousden
PREVIOUSLY: Attitude to Others
We should: Remember always that golf is much more a game of subtlety than strength, and that hitting it straight is far more important than hitting it long. As Harvey Penick, who taught both Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite throughout their distinguished careers, used to say: “The woods are full of long hitters.”
We do: Throw ourselves off our feet in increasingly desperate efforts to squeeze out a few more yards and we measure all golfers by one criteria and one alone — the distance they hit the ball. If we play with a retired bank manager who hits a 5-iron on every hole, bunts it no more than 160 yards and scores 82, we’ve forgotten all about it after two hours. But pair us with a gum-chewing Neanderthal with misspelled tattoos who hits it, by his own admission, “well large” on his way to shooting 112, we tell all our friends — in tones of hushed reverence — for days afterwards.
NEXT: Sportsmanship
Martin Vousden is a freelance golf writer, a former editor of Today’s Golfer and launch editor of Golf Buyer and Swing magazines. His book, With Friends Like These; A Selective History of the Ryder Cup, was published in 2006 by Time Warner. He edits the RareBirdie.com website.
