If you have been reading the golf press/blogs this past week ( which of course you have. I mean you’re reading this, right? ) you’ve probably noticed the bit of a fire storm over Tiger Woods behavior at The Open. First Shane B. over at Dogs Chase Cars commented. Then Rick Reilly wrote an article. Stephanie Wei gave her opinion, and last ( but certainly not least ) The Golf Girl weighed in.
As the wife of A Golfer, and a parent raising 3 golfers, I have, as you might expect, an opinion on the subject.
First off let me state that The Golf Girl is entirely correct in that using the reasoning that Tiger is a role model is a complete non-starter. It’s silly enough that I don’t even want to go there. But I will. Enough to say that any parent who uses any athlete/business person/scientist/artist etc. as a role model for their child isn’t doing their job. The Offspring have been raised to realize that people, even Tiger Woods, are people. Not all good, not all bad. They have their good qualities and their bad qualities. And good days and bad days. And sensible people admire the good qualities, recognize the bad qualities, and then chart their own course through life. The goal being not to be ‘just like’ someone else. But to recognize what you admire about certain people, what you don’t like about others, how that applies to you, and somehow pull it all together, along with what is unique to you, into a total human being. Damn tough job at the best of times. Lots of people never manage it. But trying to be a copy of some Role Model is pretty much a guarantee of failure. I realize this in itself is a whole post. A whole blog. Heck, some people have made whole careers out of it. And there are a lot of you who completely disagree. Okay. As I said. My opinion. My blog. That’s the way things role here at The Household.
That said, do I give Tiger a complete pass? No.
There are 3 things that an Offspring can do that will get them immediately removed from the golf course.
The first is throwing a golf club. I don’t mean grounding the head in frustration. Even The Golfer does that. I mean physically letting go of the club. Even if it is just to throw it down at your feet. We started them out young. 2 and 3 years old. When temper tantrums are a way of life. But it was made perfectly clear, even at that age, you NEVER EVER EVER throw a club*. EVER. Absolutely, positively, UNACCEPTABLE. Throwing a club will not only get you removed from the course, there will be other punishment when you get home.
The second thing is blaming your bad shot on someone else. It is you and the ball. If you don’t hit the ball the way you want, that is your problem. It is a golf course. Semi private at the best of times, completely public most of the time. There will always be people and wildlife and noises and weather. If you can’t play with the distractions then get off the course. As soon as you blame someone else’s behavior for your bad shot, you will be removed from the course.
The third thing is taking your poor play out on other people. You want to mutter and curse at yourself? Fine. We all do it. We don’t even care if you call yourself ‘Stupid f**ing idiot’ at the top of your lungs. Get so frustrated you cry even. That’s okay. But you better be sweetness and light to everyone else. Take it out on your siblings, your parents, the beer wench, the people in the halfway house, the pro shop, and you will be removed from the course and THERE WILL BE REPROCUSSIONS. No one but you is responsible for the state of your game, and you damn well better not take it out on anyone else.
Tiger has violated all 3 of those rules on multiple occasions. And super star or not, if I had been physically present at any of them I would have been hard pressed not to cross over the rope, take him by the ear, march him over behind some trees, and give him a good dressing down. Even being the best at what you do is no excuse for being a jerk.
Golf is a gentleman’s game. And I absolutely appreciate the rules, and the etiquette and especially the honor code. And we fervently aspire to instill that over all attitude in The Offspring and the way they live their lives, both on and off the golf course. But I fully concur that the constant bland behavior can get on your nerves. Not to mention keeping it all inside like that has to cause ulcers. I like seeing players show their feelings, for both good and bad shots. I don’t mind a grounded club, a shouted curse, a high five, or a fist pump at all. I’m quite happy that the younger players seem to feel more freedom to express their emotions. I think that’s a Good Thing. But there are lines, and Tiger has crossed them more than once.
He is both an adult and a professional. He needs to start acting like it.
* The only exception to this rule is Rattle Snakes. We live in the Wild West after all. Rattle Snakes on golf courses are a given. If you throw a club at a Rattle Snake you will be forgiven.
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