Golfers are from Mars, Gymnasts are from Venus

I was in my cave last night; in other words, sitting in front of the tv watching the PGA Golf Championship. If you never read any of the “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” mumbo jumbo, then you don’t understand that statement. The author, John Gray, said that men need to find that quiet time in the cave to reflect on life; but in today’s day and age, vegging out in front of the tv substitutes for going into your cave. John Gray made a quick killing in the financial department with these books of his; of course it didn’t last long after people realized that a relationship expert who had been married multiple times and failed miserably in his own relationships was probably not the expert he made himself out to be. I digress; the main point of this is not about self-help, but about the golf.

They were showing Sergio Garcia’s second shot from the fairway, and a photographer must have snapped off a picture in the middle of his swing. Well Sergio did not appreciate that and gave a glare that was meant to intimidate the perpetrator of this heinous crime. (unfortunately, Sergio is kind of a wimpy guy and it came across more as a look my 11 year might give when I ask him if he’s ever going to finish the chore I gave him) Although you don’t see it a whole lot during tournaments, these pro-golfers do occasionally make a big deal about minor distractions and this incident brought to my memory an article I had read one time from a sportswriter, whose name I can’t recall, about just such circumstances.

His point was that these guys should quit their belly-aching and just play their shots; if there are distractions, tough, you make the big dough to not let that stuff bother you. He compared it to a female gymnast on a balance beam. These athletes, usually 16 years old, are competing for world championships, standing on a beam that is 4 inches wide and 4 feet off the ground, there are usually 3 other events going on around them, there’s music being played in one of those events, and there’s multiple thousands of spectators making noise and cheering. If these young athletes can concentrate and do a back flip on a balance beam with all that going on, I think a golfer should be able to stroke a putt without getting all bent out of shape if someone farts during his backswing.

As a matter of fact, I’d like to see golf go the way of all other sports and let the fans go nuts. You ever see a group of basketball fans sitting behind the basket when an opposing player is shooting a free throw; it’s not going to work to have someone saying “quiet please.” They keep talking about how technology is changing the face of golf; well lets throw a human equation back into the mix. Maybe John Gray could get another job and become a sports psychologist helping golfers focus and concentrate with people screaming their bloody heads off---- Noooonan, Noooonan. (give yourself a pat on the back if you know this movie reference)