Luck on the golf course comes in two varieties as might be expected. That obviously would be luck that is good or bad, or possibly, degrees of either.
For example, player A hits a second shot on a par 4 needing a birdie to win the tournament. The shot strikes the flagstick and bounds away at a 90-degree angle, rolls off the green, down a steep slope and into a water hazard. After a most accurate shot, all is lost except for a chance to finish as a runner-up.
Conversely, player B comes to the last hole needing a birdie to tie. When this competitor’s shot hits the flagstick, it spins down into the cup for an eagle two, which makes this golfer a winner.
Luck, good or bad, makes its fickle presence felt in numerous situations. How about the time Tommy Aaron made a mistake at The Masters and gave Roberto de Vincenzo a four on his scorecard instead of the three he had made. When Roberto failed to notice the error and signed his card, it was bad luck and a runner-up finish instead of a tie with Bob Goalby. That translated to good fortune for Goalby, right? Well, not entirely. He was declared the winner, but golf fans failed to give him the credit he deserved.
A large, misguided number of individuals apparently thought that Goalby had put the four on Roberto’s scorecard. DeVincenzo had to live with Aaron’s scoring error, and Goalby never realized the honor he deserved. Instead, he got hate mail and even some death threats. In the end it was a case of bad luck all around.
It was a number of years in the past, during the Bing Crosby Clambake played at Pebble Beach when Hale Irwin was ready to hit his second shot on the par five finishing hole.
When Hale’s high hook headed directly for the Pacific Ocean, it looked certain that Hale’s bid for the championship was over since he was one shot out of first place at that juncture.
Irwin’s shot drifted down to the rocks below the fairway. His shoulders slumped when he realized what he had done. Then, several seconds later, here comes his golf ball after taking a nearly impossible, high bounce back to the fairway. The announcers were flabbergasted as were all who witnessed the unbelievable lucky bounce.
Of course, Irwin went on to get his birdie on that 72nd hole and then win the championship in a sudden death playoff. I’m sure Hale would be the first to admit this example of unequaled good fortune illustrated the luckiest shot he has ever struck!
I’m reminded of Masters winners Trevor Immelman and Fred Couples, who each had his respective golf ball inexplicably stop on steep banks, where every other shot in the tourney had rolled down to a watery grave. Both players admitted that good luck played a major role in their respective victories and Lady Luck gave them the opportunity to win their coveted green jackets.
It has been said that most golfers moan and groan the ill fortune they experience on the course, all the while ignoring the lucky breaks and fortunate bounces that have come their way.
• • •
Let the games begin! It’s that time when Terre Haute’s fairways are visited regularly by members of their respective hunts. These informal competitions have been around for many decades. It was Rich Tickner who I first heard refer to a golf game as a “hunt”.
In days of yore, 1940s style, skin games were played for two bits per skin. Team bets were usually two or three dollars. Through the years, fees rose gradually with inflation. Some games required a $10 investment with five dollars targeted for the team winners and another five went to the skin pot.
Of course, there was, and is, always the possibility of securing any number of side bets which included individual and two man bets. The general idea was to have the opportunity to play for as little or as much as you wished to bet.
Some side bets could get fairly hefty, but most would not exceed five dollars three ways which included better ball matches that featured play on the front, and back nines as well as the 18 hole total. Such games are popular in that most hunts feature open competition since anyone who has the money to bet is welcome to play. Golfers who lose and then “forget” to pay at the conclusion of play are usually banished.
Golfers usually seek a hunt that has players whose abilities on the course are fairly uniform. To insure fair competition, team captains are agreed upon, and they take turns choosing their players. Names such as Tennant, Klutey, Johnson, Brown, Alumbaugh, Mundy, Keen, Kaperak and Kluesner, among others can be sure to be “choosers”. Also, Winning, Anderson, Farris, Bird, Doan, Nasser, and Horrall. Others include such surnames as Parker, Long, Jovanovich, Poore, Treash, Stewart, Eaglin and Campbell among others.
It seems that Terre Haute, Brazil and Clinton have never been short of talented players when it comes to posting some excellent numbers on their scorecards. Look for names of more “choosers” in our May 18 column.
• • •
It was a few years ago captains were being picked at the Elks Fort Harrison course for a Sunday hunt. Needing more choosers, someone announced, “Anyone who can beat Kenny Bosc come forward and stand on the putting green.” Twenty-four players strode to the putting green and answered the call.
Just kidding, Kenny. Maybe it was only 23.
• • •
• Tip of the week — Over controlling or hanging on to the golf club can cause a variety of problems. Good players let their wrists fire and release at the opportune time to gain distance and accuracy. If a proper release is your problem, you might want to try this. Get three or four old, beat up clubs, and when you swing each one, release your grip and throw the club down your target line. Make sure there is no one near you when you try this because the club may fly in a variety of directions. When it is launched at the spot you are aiming, your release is correct.
Keep your head down and your shoestrings tied. We’ll be back.
Bob Arnett can be reached by e-mail at subob@aol.com or by mail at the Tribune-Star, P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute, IN, 47808.
Rub of the Green
Rub of the Green: Addressing the science of luck in golf
- Rub of the Green
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Ryder Cub drama a great part of American sports scene
The recent Ryder Cup matches are over, but not done with! At the time the final match had concluded the “talking heads” had already gone to work assessing blame to those who didn’t live up to their preconceived expectations.
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Snedeker the big winner after FedEx Championship
The season-long FedEx Championship has finally come to an end and Brandt Snedeker may need a Brinks truck to haul his winnings to the bank.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Memories of Crooked Stick
The BMW tournament that concluded Sept. 9 at Crooked Stick in Carmel brought back a flood of memories.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: "Fair Joe" known expects rules to be followed in local hunts
Fair Joe is the name and golf is the game when referring to Joe Bukovack, who has sponsored hunts in Terre Haute as well as throughout Indiana during the past 25 years.
The “Fair” in Joe’s title refers to the fact that players who wish to participate in Bukovack’s competition must be willing to follow the rules of golf to the letter, otherwise they will not be invited to participate. -
RUB OF THE GREEN: Enjoying the game after all these years
When golf is referred to as “The Game for a Lifetime,” you’ve got to believe that description is definitely on target. For example, there is the Danny Williams hunt that converges on the first tee at The Landing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Many players are in their 70s and retired dentist, Bill Aikin, has seen 92 birthdays.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Hunts still popular on golf course
There is something about golf that lends itself to some friendly competition and in times gone by, the competitions were called “choose-ups.” Somewhere along the line, choose-ups became “hunts.” Regardless of what you call them, they remain a most popular mode of play for Terre Haute divot-diggers on courses throughout the Wabash Valley.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Heat doesn’t deter Terre Haute golfers
“When you’re hot, you’re hot, and when you’re not, you’re not.” Those are the words of country singer Jerry Reed and they apply to golfers as well.
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Rub of the Green: Father’s golf imprint still evident today
I was lucky and I knew it. My father, Robert Erwin Arnett, was one of the best dads any youngster could hope for.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Hogan, small of stature, left big footprints
With the Crowne Plaza Invitational being played at Colonial Country Club today, it conjures up images of the man himself, Bantam Ben Hogan, who won so often at Colonial it became known as “Hogan’s Alley.”
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Rub of the Green: Bowling or golf? Both provide plenty of challenge
The question has been raised in the past, is it bowling or golf that is the more difficult endeavor?
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Sometimes this can be a confounding game
To be sure, the great Sam Snead certainly knew what he was talking about when he delivered his favorite axiom, “The sun don’t shine on the same dog every day.”
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Grayless takes over as golf professional at Hulman Links
Ed Grayless has assumed the “head man’s” position at the Links after Ryan Klopfenstein resigned as Hulman Links golf professional in order to pursue other interests.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Young players should match course to skills
One of the biggest mistakes a beginning golfer can make is to keep playing a golf course that is far too difficult for the ability demonstrated by that player.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: On the lanes or links, Davis is competitive
Darrell Davis carries a 240 bowling average which obviously puts him in some strong company on the alleys, but he feels that golf is a much more difficult sport than keggling.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Loquacious golfers can provide priceless quotes
Golfers always seem to have a great deal to say, but determining who said what and who said it first can be a problem.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Rick Fernandes can look back on a great golf career
What does an outstanding golfer have left when an accident has robbed him of the consummate skills he once possessed? The answer most assuredly would be one word, “Memories.”
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Feherty’s humor good for golf
David Feherty is an extremely funny man. If you have read his book written a few years ago, you might have guessed what to expect from him. The book, entitled “Somewhere in Ireland a Village is Missing an Idiot,” set the stage for his far out brand of humor, most of which is directed at himself.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: It's all in your head
A pair of divot diggers had been discussing their favorite sport when one could be heard saying, “You know, I think this game is 90 percent mental.” After a short pause his friend replied, “Well, I think you’re about 10 percent short in your estimation.”
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Golf: ‘The Game You Love to Hate’
Golf has been called “The Game You Love to Hate.” In addition, love-hate relationships have been around since the beginning of time.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Golf is only sport that offers both hilarity, pathos
It’s been stated more than once that “golf is a microcosm for life itself.”
This writer would heartily agree. No sport or game can offer combinations of happiness and sadness, hilarity and pathos as evidenced by an activity called “cow pasture pool” by some of its practitioners. -
RUB OF THE GREEN: Even golfers say there is drug problem on Tour
Are professional golfers using performance-enhancing drugs? This writer wouldn’t have the foggiest, but if you asked Gary Player, one of the game’s greatest, the answer would be a resounding, “Yes.”
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Not all golfers display their trophies
Back in the “old days,” let’s say the 1940s, most of the time when you won something in a golf tournament your prize came in the form of a trophy. That was it, just a dust catcher. Later, merchandise prizes were added.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Golf full of colorful characters
Every sport has its own cast of characters and golf is definitely no exception. Whether it is diving head first into a greenside bunker or tying an unreliable putter to a car’s bumper and dragging it down the road, golfers can do some strange things.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Winter made golf impossible this year
Old Man Winter along with Mother Nature must have something against area golfers. They have joined forces to sabotage a sport called winter golf, an activity many Wabash Valley players have enjoyed in years gone by.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: Golf instruction a strenuous art
Few who have ever tried their hands at playing the game of golf would describe the sport as “easy”. In fact, just the opposite would be the case.
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BOB ARNETT: No matter what your level, watch out for pressure
What is the affliction that can affect most any golfer from those who can’t break an egg to skilled golfers who can break 70?
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RUB OF THE GREEN: THGA tournaments include variety, long history
In days gone by, the Terre Haute Golf Association has always offered more than just a 72-hole stroke play tournament.
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RUB OF THE GREEN: PGA playoff system still needs work
Is anyone fed up with the convoluted Fed Ex playoffs? The PGA has been tweaking its so-called Fed Ex playoff system for years, and they never seem to get it right.
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Rub of the Green: Golf can be roller coaster for young pros
Dustin Johnson may be best remembered for his appearances in the major tournaments in 2010, but not because he won. He didn’t win. But he came awfully close.
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Rub of the Green: One size does NOT fit all when it comes to golfing ability
Literally hundreds of books have been written on the subject of golf instruction, and we can be certain they all agree on one fundamental, always keep your head stationary throughout the swing.
Right? Nope, wrong as it could be! How’s that, you say? As examples both David Duval and Annika Sorenstam at one time were rated the world’s No. 1 professional golfers, respectively, and both swiveled their heads well before their clubheads reached the impact zone. In fact, Duval is one of a select few who has a 59 to his credit on the PGA Tour. - More Rub of the Green Headlines
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