Living in Reality
Greetings Golfers,
One of my favorite things about golf is that you have to live in reality while playing the game. Hit it … find it … deal with it.
A few weeks ago in an interview … Bernhard Langer responded to one of the dumbest sayings about golf … that it’s “90% mental”.
Here’s Langer’s response:
“If you say that … you have no IQ … I’m sorry. If you put two players together with the same level of technique and experience and capability, then it becomes very much mental, because what is going to differentiate those two guys who are playing on the very top of their game? But if I take you on tomorrow, I don’t know how good you are, but it doesn’t matter. You could be one of the best mental in the world, I could be the worst, and I’m still going to beat you out there just because of the different technique we have, and the different experience we have.”
Thanks Bernhard - we needed that.
Is the typical recreational piano player as good as a concert pianist? Would you go to a concert to see some hack play “chopsticks” or some basic songs?
Same thing. I guess the only difference is that the concert pianist is much stronger mentally.
Wow.
This “everybody wins a trophy” mindset is moronic. Obviously we can see where it comes from … well-meaning but not well-thought-out. If everyone wins a trophy … what’s the point of winning a trophy?
That carries over to the “golf is 90% percent mental” way of thinking.
These ideas of equality are disingenuous. If we value people for qualities such as kindness, morality, responsibility, etc … we don’t have to pretend that the reality of talent, competence, and expertise don’t exist.
But if our value system is shallow … then the reality of human differences is too much to handle.
If that mindset totally took over … PGA TOUR events would be handicapped … and a 36 handicap player might win the Masters.
Well, Bernhard Langer is a former Master’s champion … and a master champion at saying what needs to be said.
Cheers!
Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com