Word: swings
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...leaders by such a distance that it seemed he might never again make it to the final day of play. His slump sent him searching. He started out by hiring one of the great experts on golf technique, David Leadbetter, who showed him how the mechanism of his swing could be broken down into components that could be rebuilt for greater reliability. Then, in 2006, Rose hired Nick Bradley, a Buddhist who told him that successful golf incorporates elements of reincarnation, as the completion of each shot sets up a new beginning for the next one. Now 27, Rose...
Rose's employment of both swing doctors and spiritual gurus on his return to top form is not unusual for a professional golfer; the debate over whether the game is best mastered through technical engineering or mental fine-tuning may be more pertinent to this sport than to any other. When Tim Gallwey published The Inner Game of Golf in 1979, in which he documented the division of a golfer's psyche into a "thinking" and a "feeling" self, he articulated what lovers of the game have long understood: there are two approaches to becoming a great golfer, and each...
...first approach emphasizes order and precision, and appeals to tinkerers and mechanically minded players such as former Open champions Nick Faldo and Ben Hogan, who dedicated their lives to studying the angles and positions of an accurate swing. The latter approach embraces more poetical notions like rhythm, focus and visualization, and is exemplified by "feel" players such as the Texan Ben Crenshaw, who credited his 1995 U.S. Masters victory to the mental strength instilled in him by his golf mentor Harvey Penick, and who mused mysteriously that the U.S. Ryder Cup team won in 1999 because "there was something...
These two approaches can result in absurdity when taken to extremes. Professional practice ranges are lined with golfers hitting balls while standing on one foot or rigged up to mechanical swing aids such as metal arm braces or restrictive leg harnesses, all under the watchful eye of their earnest swing coaches. At the same time, no sport attracts more mental mumbo jumbo. Leadbetter says Argentina's Eduardo Romero credits his late-career success to yogic breathing during his swing. Spain's Ignacio Garrido said his win in the 2003 European PGA Championship stemmed from "practicing less, reading more" - particularly...
...passion Obama inspired earlier this year was critical to his victory in the primaries. But it isn't what he needs now. The public is not looking for a political messiah. Indeed, the over-the-top adulation of Obama's most fervent admirers probably strikes some swing voters as creepy and cultish. What people want is a steady leader who looks out for their interests: safety, secure health care, higher wages, cheaper food...