One Under Par

A Newsletter from KeyGolf ...July, 2001

NOW HEAR THIS!

We don't know whether to believe the old adage which suggests that "the more things change, the more they stay the same," but one can find support for such ideas, even in golf.

"I have come to the conclusion that too much emphasis has been placed on the mechanical and physical elements of the game, and that not enough attention or study has been given to the emotional and psychological aspects...I have written this book because I believe that everyone can profit materially by an understanding of his emotional problems and by learning to develop a better mental approach toward the stroking of the ball and the playing of the game in general."

That quote from Alex Pendleton's little book "Better Golf with Brains," was written in February, 1941. World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Storm, man on the moon, the industrial age, civil rights, TV, high tech, the information age, Microsoft, Hippies, Yippies and Yuppies have all made their mark since then, but we're still saying the same things about our golf games.

In addition, Pendleton offers what might seem like a very strange notion (against present perceptions, that is), however. In his chapter titled "How to Control Your Emotions!," he says "Many golfers find that the smoking of cigarettes helps them when the pressure becomes heavy because it relieves their emotional disturbances...but, perhaps the greatest value lies in the fact that it will cause the smoker to take a deep breath and exhale. This assures him of having his lungs deflated when he makes the shot. Also, the cigarette itself may have some soothing value, which will tend to help a nervous player calm himself before he strokes his ball. It might be helpful to SMOKE BEFORE YOU STROKE!"

We suspect the Surgeon-general, not to mention a large proportion of golfers,might want a warning label put on any reprints of this book! Regardless of that, Alex Pendleton, an attorney in Gary Indiana, who began playing golf when he was 25, seems to have been moving in a supportive direction. Sometimes, such directions are not pure, but nonetheless, contain the seeds of help that can resonate to fulfillment. So, it isn't surprising that the contents are mixed by the author in this case. Some of his ideas are "right on," like "Sing While You Swing." Others are more likely to shoot one or both of your feet out, like "Learn to Change Your Emotions." Anyone who has studied seriously the available research and information directed toward the management of emotion knows that they (emotions) cannot be controlled. They can only be managed. Even so, Pendleton was clearly a student of the mental side of the game, and had his head turned toward the best interests of playing and players. In some ways, he was ahead of some of what we continue to see published, showing more insight than many who fancy themselves "up" on these subjects.

Thanks to a good friend, who had Pendleton's book tucked away among his "antiques," along with "The Missing Links," by David C. Morley, MD, c1976. Morley employs his psychiatric eye, giving clinical views of why things happen, but not really providing much help in terms of what to do about anything. (We have noticed there is a lot of that kind of information available. There are many who feel free to tell us why something doesn't work, who are woefully short of providing solutions that work any better than the ones they challenge).

Even so, the reading of both these books was entertaining. We did find it interesting that the lawyer's 60 page book had a lot more useful substance than the psychiatrist's 235 page treatment of the inner game, which he addressed from a Freudian point of view. Could it be that professionals in any vocation have a tendency to become more cerebral than practical when relating to their own fields?

We continue to recommend that anyone who wants to grasp fully the principals that go with golf, whether physical or mental, will do well to understand what is basic and what is not, what can be changed and what cannot. For that, a baseline measuring standard needs to be part of one's portfolio. That is attainable, bot not likely without some hard, highly focused work. Meanwhile, be normally cautious about the "gospel" effect of what appears in print and heard or viewed in other media.

Or, as Bertrand Russel once observed:

"Even when the experts all agree, they may well be mistaken."

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