Golf and the Spirit by M. Scott Peck

Author:M. Scott Peck [Peck, M. Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-55644-8
Publisher: Harmony/Rodale
Published: 1999-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

“Okay, I guess.”

“All right. Keep on holding the club that way, firmly but not tight. No need to get white knuckles. Now start to swing the club. Swing it any old way you want. Little wiggles. Big swings. Great. How does it feel?”

“Okay.”

“Does it feel as good as when you were holding it before?”

“Yeah. Better maybe.”

“Great. Keep swinging it.”

I let him swing the club for another minute. “Still feel okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you can remember to grip it that way?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s see. Drop the club on the ground. Okay, now pick it up the way you did before. Perfect. Swing it a little more. Good. Are you sure you can remember that grip?”

“I’m sure.”

“Wonderful,” I say. “It’s been a very good lesson.”

Tommy drops the club, aghast. “You mean that’s all?”

“Yup.”

“Aren’t we going to hit any balls?”

“Nope. Not today. That’s the next lesson. Next lesson you can hit all the balls you want. Hundreds of them.”

Tommy’s face is a mixture of eagerness and disappointment. “So this is it?”

“Yes, except for your homework assignment.”

Tommy’s face now totally falls. “Oh no, not homework.”

“Remember I told you that golf is a sport,” I remind him. “You don’t have to play golf if you don’t want to. You don’t have to take lessons if you don’t want to. And you don’t have to do golf homework if you don’t want to. But you might want to do this homework. Shall I tell you about it?”

“Sure.”

“Well, I brought you to this knoll for a reason. Right from this spot where we’re sitting, you can see the men’s tee, the women’s tee, and the green. You can watch how every player swings, and you can see exactly how well their shot works. You can even keep score on them. My homework assignment is for you to come to this very same spot for a whole day—let’s say nine to two—and watch how the players swing and then see how they do. Even two days if you’re up to it. What do you think?”

“It might be fun.”

“Let me tell you what would be even more fun. That would be to be scientific about it. Bring a pad of paper and some pencils, and write down the grade you’d give every player. Two grades. A grade for their swing and a grade for their shot.”

“I’d be like a teacher.”

“Partly. But there’ll be some surprises. You’ll see some players with graceful swings who make lousy shots. And you’ll see some players with awkward swings who make great shots. Still, if you keep close score, like a scientist, I’ll bet you that the players with graceful swings will make more good shots than the ones with strange swings. Just keep a scientific record of your grades.”

“Neat.”

“You’ll see some players take graceful practice swings, but then when they actually hit the ball, they’ll be awkward,” I continue. “I’ll explain to you why that is some other day. Anyway, just grade their swing when they’re hitting, not when they’re practicing.”

“Okay.”

“And I want you to watch the women just as closely as the men.

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