Power

Greetings Golfers,

I just finished making a spin around the course as a Ranger. The golf course was good - more lush than normal at this time of year - which is a good thing … that means the grass is healthy.

But that lushness also means that the fairways are not hard and dried-out … the ball is not rolling very far. For some of us … that lack of roll is not a good thing … we need more distance. While rangering … I told some guys that it’s not them, but that the course gets longer every year. Well, it sure plays longer when it’s lush.

Most golfers are in a search for power. It’d be fun to hit it so far that lush fairways wouldn’t matter. But, power needs to be in control. As Percy Boomer says in “On Learning Golf” - “Power, like fire, is a good servant but a bad master. Uncontrolled power is the very devil - in golf or anywhere else.”

Speaking of power out of control … have you been watching “Succession”? It’s a show about the kids wanting to succeed their father … supposedly loosely based on the Rupert Murdoch family. They can’t handle much - especially power. We all know the Lord Acton saying “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

However, I’d argue with that saying. My saying would be “Power tends to reveal, and absolute power reveals absolutely.” Reveals what? Reveals character - it reveals who someone really is.

These kids on “Succession” are beyond annoying. Once they get power … they’re petty and foolish and short-sighted and ruthless. It ain’t pretty. 

In a recent episode, the father said: “I love you all - but you’re not serious people.” True. They live in la-la-land … and try to act like they’re smart by speaking a language of idiotic hip terminology and “clever” remarks. It’s mind-boggling and embarrassing. 

Have you ever played golf with people who use what they think is “cool” golf terminology? It’s also mind-boggling and embarrassing. It’s not straight-forward … it’s using language not to be clear, but to use it as a childish way to act like they’re a member of a secret-society. They want to make you feel like they know more about golf than you do. Charming.

Once-upon-a-time there was an Asst. Pro who came back from a golf school and adopted that “clever” golf speak. It wasn’t likable. He tried to use it as a form of power - just like the goofballs on “Succession”. As you would expect - he was enamored with power in golf. He could hit it really far - but it was not in control. Percy Boomer knew what he was talking about. 

Power - like money - is a tool. And it can be a valuable tool if used properly. But it’s not something to be worshiped. It’s about getting the right conceptions.

Here’s Percy again: “We cannot lay too much stress upon this matter of getting the right conceptions. It is surprising what you can get people to do once they clearly understand what it is that has to be done. To reverse this, I contend that many of us are playing bad golf not because we are incapable of playing good golf, but simply because we are thinking of golf in the wrong way. 

I have known cases of such players who improved their swings and games without intending to, simply because they came across and adopted a better conception of the swing. The truth is, of course, that just as we appreciate good manners we will become good mannered in spite of ourselves; so also, if we appreciate the true ethics of the golf strokes, we will become good golfers.

Why do I use the word ‘ethics’? Well, because golf is a matter of ethics, that is (according to my dictionary) ‘relating to manners or morals’. To prove this, cast your eye around the club room. The chances are you will find the most modest man in the club is also the best player and that he is out in the caddie shed. I have never known a great golfer who was not modest, and that goes for Walter Hagen, who in spite of his showmanship was a charmingly modest fellow and a great gentleman.”

Wow - how good was that? I first read Percy’s book in college - I didn’t know what he was talking about … not just the golf swing - but life. And, he’s very clear - he’s not a conman. But his clarity and sanity were not normal back then. Probably even less so now.

I think people have gotten less clear. That somehow clarity is seen as narrow-minded. But as Percy said, the best people are humble … and clear. The worst are like those “Succession” kids - arrogant and vague … they speak nonsense as a form of a creepy power play. 
Golf is about clarity. Keep it simple and good. Power is just a tool. The game is still - hit it, find it, deal with it. It’s not a long-drive contest. Life is not a long-drive contest. It’s how you play the game that counts.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com