Golf is one difficult sport. Anyone that has swung a golf club should have an appreciation for what the golfers on the LPGA & PGA Tours do on TV. Every time I tune into the best in the world, I’m in awe by what they can do with a club and ball.
Despite their athleticism and obvious skill, one thing that’s always intrigued me about golfers is what makes them unique:
Some are tall and thin.
Others stocky and short.
Some lefty.
Others righty.
Some sponsored by Arby’s.
Others by Sweet Green.
Some rock the freshest Nike gear.
Others rock Polo by Ralph Lauren.
Some golfers celebrate with a dramatic fist pump.
Other with a tip of the cap.
Some young.
Others approaching middle age.
With all those differences, it’s important to understand that there are several fundamental skills at work here. As I watch these incredible athletes, I couldn’t help but sharing a few of these athletic characteristics that remain consistent amongst the best of the best:
- Hand eye coordination. An incredible skill giving golfers the ability to swing a club super fast, and still make great contact with the ball.
- Perception. Golfers need to be able to judge how far away they are from the hole, choose the correct club, and swing with the right speed to get the ball on the green.
- Visualization. With so many distractions and boundaries on a golf course, golfers must be able to visualize the perfect shot before it happens.
- Read, react. In golf, every single shot is different than the last. Golfers must develop the ability to read the course and react with the appropriate shot.
- Listen. Golf allows athletes to get tips and suggestions from their traveling coaches aka caddies. Before and after each shot, golfers can get important information from their caddies to help engineer the best possible round. The golfers who have the ability to listen, adapt, and apply their caddies message, tend to be on TV towards the end of the tournament.
If you got nothing going on during this calm before the storm that is Hermine, check out the Deutsche Bank Championship on CBS. What other characteristics do you notice that are consistent amongst golfers? How about other qualities that make them different? Would love to hear your comments below!
