GOLF HAS ALWAYS BEEN UP FOR a bit of folklore and storytelling. Whether it’s a leathery teaching pro passing on swing wisdom to an ea- ger apprentice, a playing legend re- counting exploits from decades gone by, or an architect creating a golf hole from divine inspiration, all of it adds to the game’s mystical appeal. It’s a common thread that goes back to the shepherds who first banged rocks across a damp Scottish moor. Of course, facts have usually never got in the way of a good story. Some of the most widespread “truths” in this game have turned out to be much more myth than reality – sticking around for decades thanks to the credentials, charisma and persuasiveness of the story-tellers. Thanks to a more widespread grasp of physics – and less reliance on an- ecdotes and second-hand accounts – we can now gently dispel some of the more durable beliefs and habits that have embedded themselves in the game’s lexicon. On the following pages, we’ll ex- plore six of the most pervasive fables and have experts explain why they might sound right but are far from it. Apologies if you’ve lived by these notions for most of your golfing life, but it’s time to realise that the world is round, lightning can strike in the same place twice and a groundhog can’t predict the seasons. Keep your lucky ball marker if it makes you feel better, but don’t be surprised if you get some funny looks the next time you trot out one of these outdated chestnuts.
DETERMINING WIND DIRECTION WITH GRASS BLADES CAN FOOL YOU
Surface wind is impacted by everything from the colour and temperature of the ground, barriers like trees blocking or channelling gusts and the prevailing wind direction that day. “Your best bet is to look at the flag on the clubhouse; think of that as the prevailing wind and make your big-picture strategic decisions accordingly,” von der Wense says. “The more difference there is between the temperature of the ground and the air temperature, the windier it’s going to be. When it gets calm and awesome on the golf course at the end of a late spring afternoon, that’s when the ground and air temperatures have equalised.” Under specific conditions – think of a hole at Whistling Straits with nothing between you and Lake Michigan – tossing grass might work, von der Wense says. But our advice? You’re better served by choosing your shot, committing to it, and not clouding your process with what probably is a bad read.
It has become a televised golf ritual: A player and his or her caddie toss some blades of grass and look thoughtfully at the trees around them – or the flag on an adjacent hole, like at Augusta National – to try to divine how the wind will affect the next shot. It might be good theatre – or a way to calm the nerves – but it turns out that the information gleaned from it isn’t particularly accurate. Just ask somebody who relies even more heavily on wind direction to win than golfers do. Nick von der Wense is a 15-time national sailing champion with experience racing everywhere from the open ocean to the lakes of Minnesota. “Making your strategic decisions based on what you feel on the side of your face is a recipe for losing,” says von der Wense, who has raced everything from single-sailor Lasers to 25-metre-mast yachts. “What you feel down by you can be, and usually is, very different than what’s happening six metres or 30 metres above the ground.”
50 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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