Last week, The New York Times published an article about a golf ball that doesn’t slice. I’m sure you probably read about it – there was much re-posting going on in the golf blogosphere.
The basic theme of many blog posts regarding the new ball was: “This is great – a ball that flies straight! The only catch is it’s not sanctioned by the golfing gods. But [they ask as a devilish smile widens across their face] should we use it anyway?”
Obviously, professional golfers won’t be using this ball. So that leaves the rest of us. In fact, “the rest of us” is exactly who the developer had in mind when marketing this illegal orb:
“It’s for the other [non pro] golfers, the ones who rarely hit it straight…It’s for people who want to be embarrassed less, play faster and enjoy it more. I respect the U.S.G.A., they help identify the best golfers in the world, but what about the rest of us?”
The audacity of this company to assume that deep down, “the rest of us” are all just a bunch of cheaters. You see, it’s this kind of crap that’s killing golf. It’s been emblazoned into our ethos…right down to the molecular level – that we’re failures if we’re not good at something. Golfers are self-conscious about their swings and their high handicaps. They’re self-conscious about flubbing one when everyone is looking or missing a 1-footer for par.
Marketers love the idea of the self-depreciating golfer. They think: I know what we can do…let’s produce a product that breaks the rules to make all these golfing failures feel better about themselves! That’ll really sucker them in!
Ah, but they’re missing one major point: Golfers don’t really quit the game because they’re poor players. I mean, when was the last time you heard something like this: “I’ve had enough! After playing this game every weekend for 40 years without much success, I’m quitting!” The truth is, you just don’t hear stuff like that. And you don’t hear it for one reason: People play golf not because they are good at it, but because they love it.
Don’t believe me? Then ask yourself why high-handicappers still play. Why do golfers that have averaged in the 90’s or higher their entire lives continue to hit the links? Why go through the agony of another embarrassing flub? I think it’s obvious: We play this game because we love it – regardless of whether we’re good at it.
But what this Polara ball will do is diminish the game’s integrity by fueling the following notion: That the ultimate goal of recreational golfers should be to get better. And since golf is so hard, you’re going to have to cheat to do so.
Look, if you really want to change the way you golf, change your mental approach to the game. You don’t have to make the main focus about getting better – instead make it about having fun; or being outdoors; or spending time with friends; or just the fact that you are out doing something you love to do. And if you really need a ball that only flies straight to attain that satisfaction…then you, my friend, are no lover of golf (or any other sport for that matter).
Great post, you nailed it! Changing your mental approach to the game will do wonders for your enjoyment of the game. And if you truly want to hit the ball straight, take lessons and dedicate a little time to getting better.
I actually had a chance to demos these today and I declined. ASU Karsten hosted Phoenix Golf Fest. I figured they were not USGA approved so no point in trying them out.
I feel where you’re coming from and you make some excellent (and valid) points, but something like this isn’t taking integrity out of the game. As they say, if you got it, you got it, if you don’t you don’t.
Everyone has his/her own reason for playing the game, but I hope that “fun” is near the top of everyone’s list. If a person just wants to go out an have some fun, then I don’t care if they want to hit rocks with a broomstick. If they feel like these balls are they way to have more fun, then more power to them.
But if they want to compete, whether in an officially sanctioned USGA event or in a $2 Nassau with friends, then they owe it to themselves and to everyone else involved to play by the rules. That’s just the way it is. And if they don’t, then I can’t blame Polara, because cheating at every level has been around long before they were. It’s kind of like blaming guns for crime. They’re just tools. It’s up to each of us to follow the law and we know it.
Also, one point about golfers not quitting because they stink. Serious golfers don’t quit because they stink. But it’s hard to know how many only play a handful of times and give it up or play a couple of times per decade because they’re tired of spending all day in the woods or in the water. Maybe that’s a small number of people, but I don’t know. But I don’t care if they want to make things easier on themselves with odd equipment.
I’m in the process of reviewing the Polara balls myself. In my case, I know I’ll never, ever use them in a round after the review is done. And I’ll state as much. But I can’t begrudge someone else for wanting that help, so long as they know that the balls are non-conforming and that they treat them as such.