Opinion & Analysis
What’s the point of getting so angry on the course?
I’ve seen a lot of crazy things happen on a golf course, and I’ve witnessed some shocking behavior. I’ve heard expletives, indeed I’ve learned some new ones. I’ve seen clubs broken, damaged and flung into bushes and ponds. I’ve seen hot heads snap shafts over knees, bury wedges into the ground and tomahawk putters at golf bags. Golf balls have been thrown into ponds, shoes removed and kicked, caddies verbally abused and goodness knows how many locker doors smashed. I’ve experienced stand up members of my community transform into snarling and twisted demons, even viewed a bit of fisticuffs from time to time, a la Happy Gilmore v. Bob Barker.
What is it about this pleasant and relaxing game that turns golfers into savages? The simple nature of hitting a little white round pellet into a hole for fun can lead some golfers to unsurpassed levels of anguish, frustration and irrational behavior with a poor shot. While some can simply laugh it off, shrug, smile and get on with their lives, with others it can lead to psychotic transformations that make the Hulk look tame. These guys miss a 2-foot putt and something clicks. All their anguish is channelled into a terrible rage better suited to the Hammer House of Horrors.
There has been a lot of recent coverage of some Tour professionals “losing the plot” on the course, with temper tantrums that fit in more at a Day Care center than a golf course. We’ve seen Victor Dubuisson’s meltdown at the Honda. It wasn’t just one thing with our mercurial Frenchman; he spent a few minutes totally erupting in full view of the world. We’ve seen Tiger, Sergio, Henrik and Shane Lowry all “see red” with outbursts of petulance. John Daly has helicoptered a few clubs in his time, as has the former world No. 1 Rory, who sent a beautifully arced 3-iron into the lake on 18th at the Doral in Miami last year.
These guys are faced with some of the most difficult courses and setups in golf. The Bear Trap, The Snake Pit, Amen Corner and our usual U.S. Open “pain cauldron” will test the patience of a saint. There’s a fine line between being competitive, determined and steely faced, versus completely boiling over into a frustrated Tazmanian Devil. And when the mercury does rise and golfers take out their anger in front of millions of golf fans, it can turn into quite a show.
But temper tantrums are not a new thing in professional golf. There are lots of stories of pros from previous golden eras losing it, too. One of my favorite characters was Lefty Stackhouse, who was prone to displays of emotion way off the spectrum. In fact, he would do himself bodily harm after a poor shot. The diminutive, but popular Texan played on the U.S. Tour in the 1930s and 1940s and lived with an insatiable thirst and a raging temper. He would cause himself physical pain, as if to punish himself for poor efforts. Once after hooking his tee shot out of bounds on hole No. 18 in a final round, he was so incensed he swiped his hand back and forth through a thorny rosebush near the tee until it bled. Seeing his other hand had escaped injury he shouted, “Don’t think you are going to get away from it either!” With that, he whipped the hand through the bushes until both hands were bleeding profusely. Lefty was a prolific gambler, and one story tells of a money match he was losing. He got so incensed he started beating his head against some rocks. He stopped momentarily and reached in his back pocket and took out his wallet. He threw the wallet on the ground and told his playing partners to take out what he owed in case he killed himself, and then carried on pounding his head against the rock.
On another occasion, after a particularly horrible display of putting during a tournament, Stackhouse figured he would teach his putter a lesson by dragging it behind his car all the way to the next tournament. Once while standing four-under par after seven holes in a tournament, he hit his ball into a lake. Stackhouse grabbed his bag from his caddie and threw it into the lake, too. Then he proceeded to take off his shoes and socks, rolled up his trousers and walked barefoot back to the clubhouse through a field of bull nettles.
Another golfer from yesteryear who had a legendary temper was Tommy Bolt. He was notorious for his hot temper, one that led to fines and even suspensions. He became known as “Terrible Tempered Tommy” and “Thunder” Bolt. Legendary tales grew from the storm that followed him around. There was the time he asked for a club recommendation during a particularly frustrating round, and his caddie suggested a 2-iron, far too much for the 120 yard distance required, because it was the only iron left in the bag.
“Here’s irony for you,” he once said in an interview. “The driver goes the shortest distance when you throw it. The putter flies farthest, followed by the sand wedge.”
Related: The Art of Club Throwing
Golf can be a deeply frustrating game that tests every nerve and sinew, body and mind. We all know the culprits in our groups, that Semtex personality who erupts at any moment. I, for one, am not immune to its curses and have been known to drop the odd F-bomb after a poor shot, and in my younger days I’ve slung a club or two. But I’m not a professional athlete in the public spotlight with a microphone and camera within yards of my every move. Yes, professionals are under pressure, with millions of dollars at stake week in week out. But none of these guys are going to starve. Who isn’t under pressure these days as we try and hold down jobs, pay mortgages and get on with our own lives? I guess for the majority of us, golf does not represent our livelihood.
So lighten up, people! Laugh at the lip-out, chuckle at the chunk, snicker at the snap hook, titter at the topped drive, hoot at the hosel rocket and giggle at this goofy game.
Golf is fun, enjoy it!
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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.
For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.
The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.
The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.
*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*
Past Winners at LIV Adelaide
- 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)
Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami
Green in Regulation
- Richard Bland
- Jon Rahm
- Paul Casey
Fairways Hit
- Abraham Ancer
- Graeme McDowell
- Henrik Stenson
Driving Distance
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Joaquin Niemann
- Dean Burmester
Putting
- Cameron Smith
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Matt Jones
2024 LIV Adelaide Picks
Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)
When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.
At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.
The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.
Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)
Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.
In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.
For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.
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Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole2 days ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole2 days agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
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Josh
May 8, 2016 at 3:44 pm
I used to get really angry on the golf course, and cringe when I look back at it now. I would imagine it negatively impacted my playing partners games, and I would say that is unacceptable! I still get annoyed now, but within reason and it very rarely carries over from one shot to the next.
Billy
May 8, 2016 at 4:07 am
haha I enjoyed this. Thanx!
Mad-Mex
May 7, 2016 at 7:02 pm
Honestly, I don’t know which is worse:
The guy who is half smashed by the first 9, hitting on cart girl with same lame jokes, talking loud and walking in front of you as you line up your shot and thinking he is far better that he is, telling you 50 year old jokes and laughing like it is the best, asking to use your putter or driver, then telling you how to improve your swing. Or:
The guy described here, who Only plays tour issued equipment and lets you know he only plays XX-Stiff shafts tipped 3 inches and changes his Pro-V1 every hole, describing EVERY shot and throwing clubs because it is never his fault while telling you how you can gain 3 more yards if you change your clubs so you can reduce your rpms by 50.
8thehardway
May 6, 2016 at 7:11 pm
The odd thing about tossing clubs is the driver goes the shortest distance; the putter goes the farthest, followed by the sand wedge.
Scott
May 6, 2016 at 4:30 pm
If one puts in a ton of time, effort and money into doing something, and things go bad, sure you are going to get mad. And you should! Just don’t let it ruin your life or enjoyment of the game.
Derspatero
May 6, 2016 at 4:23 pm
I often accuse one of my regular playing partners of being a rage-a-holic. I have pictures of broken wedges and a 9-iron stuck in a tree to prove it. Last year he invited me to play golf with his elderly father and uncle – it seemed weird that I got invited to play a family event but by hole 2 it was apparent that I was invited to witness his dad’s temper – anything but a perfect shot triggered a tourettes attack of f-bombs. My favourite was when he pointed at my friend and said “this is your MOM’s FAULT! Make me stop smoking after 50 years! How am i supposed to play golf without a F*ing cigarette?!??!” Each time my friend would look at me as if saying “see, i’m not so bad”. But the good shots also triggered intense celebration (including hugging his son after a great approach shot and yelling “see!! THAT is why I play this game!!!”) I saw more emotion in the 4 hours I spent with them then I have from my dad in my whole life. So maybe its a good thing? If the lows are low, the highs will be that much higher.
Bob Jones
May 6, 2016 at 11:55 am
There are things in this life truly worth getting angry about. A bad golf shot is not one of them.
Crispy
May 5, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Reminds me of Arnold Palmer’s great quote. “You’re not good enough to get mad.”
Burn
JBH
May 5, 2016 at 5:53 pm
Last year during the club championship I played so horribly in the first round I earned myself a nick name with “Helicopter” in it. A few of my sticks got the old toss that day and I was so disheartened I didn’t even show up for the second round. The entire year was a giant step backward for me and I really stopped enjoying the game altogether due to my outbursts and poor play. This year I haven’t joined a club, I haven’t even been to the range or played a round yet. It really bothered me that I got so bent out of shape about my golf game I figured why frustrate myself any more and decided to take some time off, at least until I can eliminate any expectation and just go out and enjoy the game for what it is. I have a tee time booked this Sunday, will be the first time I have touched my clubs since September of last year and I have no expectations. Just going to play with a guy from work and yuck it up like when I first picked up golf. Pretty much have given up on game improvement or any aspirations of maintaining a handicap or playing competitively anymore for that matter. When it stops being fun and your a raging lunatic on the golf course it’s time to put things back into perspective. I don’t care what I shoot Sunday and it will have no bearing on my golf future as I’m retiring to a casual status. Hopefully I will learn to enjoy golf for the environment, the company and camaraderie, not the statistics.
Leon
May 5, 2016 at 5:28 pm
Winner smiles and loser angers
Steve
May 5, 2016 at 9:05 pm
Winners aren’t winning because they smile – they are smiling because they are winning. Losers aren’t losing because they are angry – they are angry because they are losing.
There’s nothing wrong with getting angry on the course as long as you can collect yourself and move on before the next shot.
Mikee
May 5, 2016 at 4:46 pm
One member in each foursome is having the most fun out there……..that one may as well be you!
Milo
May 5, 2016 at 3:01 pm
I expected more from that video.
Clemson Sucks
May 5, 2016 at 2:42 pm
When the round goes bad, light a cigar and grab a six pack at the turn. Works every time.
Snickers
May 5, 2016 at 3:16 pm
in turning you into an a-hole?
Clemson Sucks
May 5, 2016 at 7:54 pm
Rather be an a-hole than a whole-a like you
Mike Puglielli
May 5, 2016 at 2:13 pm
I think the frustration comes down to one really simple fact: Our expectations don’t match what we are doing…but why is that? 9 out of 10 times it is for the simple reason that we can’t see our swing. If we knew how were swinging, and knew the things we were doing wrong, our expectations would match what we are doing and therefore we wouldn’t get mad. We’ve all played with the guy who “doesn’t play much so never gets angry”—easy example of how this golfer’s expectations on performance match actual performance.
Alex
May 5, 2016 at 1:41 pm
I sometimes go mad out of frustration on the course. It’s been like that for all my golfing life (30 years). I still can’t control my impulses sometimes. It’s a sad story. A friend who took up the game with me as a kid is exactly the opposite. He doesn’t care a damn if he plays bad. We’re both single digits, but you can guess who’s the better player, by far. My worst enemy´s not par but myself.