So Much Fist Pumping, So Little Time
This is a small rant about ‘fist pumping’ on the golf course, specifically during pro tournaments. The Ryder Cup didn’t trigger this. We see it more and more every week during whatever PGA tournament happens to be on. I’ll predict in advance that those of you over 50 will be in complete agreement with me on this and those of you under 40 will think I’m loony. I’m not sure where the 40-50 crowd will be.
I just can’t get used to the fist pumping thing. That was never a part in any of the golf that I saw or participated in when I grew up. Back in the day, players in general felt good when something worked and bad when it didn’t. No one needed to run across the green, shout at the top of his lungs and then give 4 or 5 uppercuts for emphasis when a 20 footer happened to disappear into the cup at a most opportune time.
Is there anything inherently wrong with fist pumping? For sports in general I guess there are arguments on both sides. But golf? The rules and atmosphere are so different from other sports. There’s always been something genteel or zen about it. There’s decorum and history and tradition. It’s more a ritual than a sport. It can even be meditative with the right frame of mind. How can anyone be for fist pumping who feels this way about the game?
Tiger started this whole thing, though he really didn’t. Let me explain. Tiger started winning and began to imitate the sports stars of his day, like Michael Jordan. They fist pumped first! Was Tiger the first guy to fist pump in golf? I don’t know. But he was the first guy that brought it front and center. Now some guys even fist pump in their industrial leagues. Don’t want to play with no fist pumper!
I just miss the days when a guy played four rounds of golf in four days, sank his last 10 footer, beat his opponent by 1 stroke and proceeded to take his cap off and shake the other guy’s hand. Not to go all Zen on you, but doesn’t it take two of something to make a great competition. Fist pumping just seems to take away from that from where I sit. I’m also afraid to do it because I suspect the Golfing Gods will punish me later because they know I was more lucky than good on that last shot. Without my share of lucky breaks I’d probably have given up the game by now!
Related posts:
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Greg, glad the comments are finally working. After I wrote this article I saw a piece on Tiger’s fist pumping by a sports psychologist. He was all for it. His feeling was that the pump reinforced a positive event and served to fuel Tiger’s winning ways. Maybe I should start fist pumping myself!
Now that you comments are working…. Tiger started this whole thing??? What about ChiChi Rodreguez? I’d rather play with a fist pumper than a swash buckler!!! I’m sure there are others in golf history as well.