Golf Superstitions

[David Stewart]

Many golfers have superstitions.  My uncle once told me that he uses a quarter to mark his ball and makes sure George is facing the hole.  Now every time I mark my ball I make sure the coin is heads up and the dead guy is facing the hole.

So....what superstitions do you have?  Do you use a certain marker, only a certain color tee, never say the S-word, certain number or mark on your ball?  There are many out there.  What are yours?

[TX Golf]

Nothing really that I would consider superstitious, but I find that every time I use a quarter to mark my ball I make sure that it is heads up. I think I do it subconsciously.

[Tom Huckaby]

When approaching each green, I remove my putter from it's huge and elaborate cover, then take several minutes to align my cheater-line adorned ball just so, that is after measuring the distance to the hole using my range-finder... then before the stroke, make sure to say "screw you shivas" under my breath, or loud enough for him to hear if he is with me.

 

Obviously that is all just crap for my friend.

I can't think of any superstitions I have... none that have stuck for any length of time anyway.  

[John Kavanaugh]

I don't start OT threads during weeks I plan on golfing.

[Ian_L]

I never use the same ball marker two rounds in a row, unless it's the same day... don't know why.

[Jed Peters]

Do pre-shot routines count? When I'm playing well mine doesn't change.

As for other superstitions....I always have to have my hat ball marker in the same spot, my same divot tool in my left pocket, my chew in my right pocket.

Also, my clothing has to match. I can't play well if I'm wearing nike shoes with an adidas shirt, for example. My feng shui is off.

Oh yeah, and I only like playing #3s, and have to mark my ball in the same spot with a blue sharpie.

[David Stewart]

Many years ago when I played competatively in middle school and high school I dipped copenhagen, and if I was playing well I would not remove the dip, if I was playing poorly I would replace the dip with a new one.

So would you keep one in for four hours if you kept playing well?

[Bill_McBride]

Many years ago when I played competatively in middle school and high school I dipped copenhagen, and if I was playing well I would not remove the dip, if I was playing poorly I would replace the dip with a new one.

Did you ever hit such a good (or bad) shot that you accidentally swallowed the dip? 

That's what I would be worried about.

And did you spit on the green?   

[JESII]

The head of the coin absolutely has to face down the line of the putt...it has to!

[Bill_McBride]

The head of the coin absolutely has to face down the line of the putt...it has to!

Do you line it up with the cheater line? 

[Tom Huckaby]

The head of the coin absolutely has to face down the line of the putt...it has to!

Do you line it up with the cheater line? 

Bill - please see reply #3.   

[Bill_McBride]

The head of the coin absolutely has to face down the line of the putt...it has to!

Do you line it up with the cheater line? 

Bill - please see reply #3.   

Excellent.  Most excellent.

[John Moore II]

I always put the Right shoe on first. I always (in a round that means something anyway) use Dollar coins for marking.  I never eat at the halfway house when I am playing well. The coins must be in the left pocket and tees in the right. I never remove my wallet from my back pocket prior to playing. That might be it.

[Ken Moum]

Pink tees have sting.....

Some golf balls are afraid of the dark. Others start out OK and become afraid, a few gain courage by spending time in the darkest pocket on a golf bag.

Others never get courage and must be released into the wild, where they'll never be asked to go into a dark hole again.

K

[Sean_A]

Recently, after a few years of searching greens for my coins or markers, I have gone to the £5 coin as a marker - no problem seeing that!  If I rifle my little ditty bag and it isn't there I get a bit anxious - not least because its worth $10.

I have another new and a of a bit wierd hangup I picked up ~5 years ago.  I only use pitch repair tools which are angled and have pointy ends.  I don't use the rounded end type or the straight type or any plastic ones.  

Finally, and the one I have always gone by, I don't use plastic tees.  I don't care which colour the tee is, but it has to be wood or occasionally these new fangled jobbies that are meant to melt away (or some such horseshit), though I admit to only getting these at clubs in the States.  Also, I discovered I have a slight colour blindness deal by using red tees.  If I pull one out of my pocket, it will only get used once - I ain't looking for those little red ba09u0ds!

Ciao

[JESII]

Some golf balls are afraid of the dark...

EXCELENT POINT!

and also completely grounded in fact.

[Paul Carey]

1.) No nickels for marking....nickels are $0.05 and that is a bogey.

2.) Mark with tails up for other coins.  If you do then mark heads up then the eyes must line up to the hole.  Given the waste of time with a cheater line can you imagine how slow this would make play!

[Bill_McBride]

Not a superstition, but I really like to use one of the new state quarters for a ball marker.  I like Oregon, Texas and most of all Montana.  Love that steer skull. 



You can aim the horns at the cheater line and ..........

[CJ Carder]

Never, ever, no matter what you do... touch a tee that has just been used to tee off on #18. 

It's done, finished, served its purpose... it is not meant to continue on and will only come back to haunt you if you bring it with you to another hole.

 

[Tim Gavrich]

I find that certain of my golf shirts have better juju than others.  Same goes for socks, hat, boxers even.  This one flower-print shirt has seen a disproportionate amount of sub-par rounds than most others.

Most other "superstitions" are borne of anal-retentiveness.  I keep my tees, ball marker, and divot fixer in my left pocket, always.  Pencil and scorecard (often folded to make smaller) and pin sheet (if given) in my right pocket.  Yardage book is never kept in any pocket (too bulky).  I always keep my clubs organized in my bag, in their own little compartments.

If I putt well using a certain ball marker one day, I'll likely continue using it for the next couple rounds.

[Ian_L]

Never, ever, no matter what you do... touch a tee that has just been used to tee off on #18. 

It's done, finished, served its purpose... it is not meant to continue on and will only come back to haunt you if you bring it with you to another hole.

 

Imagine what the 18th tee box would look like if everyone did that. 
OT: I used the same tee for 6 consecutive rounds in July.

[Bruce Leland]

I sort of believe that a beer cracked open at an opportune time in a round to make a birdie results in a nearly 800% likelyhood of making said birdie...but like I said, that's grounded in fact.

Birdie in a can so to speak. 

[wsmorrison]

I only use odd numbered golf balls, only 1 and 3.

Did you ever hit such a good (or bad) shot that you accidentally swallowed the dip?

Bill,

My father-in-law played major league baseball and once when he was in a batting slump (rare) his manager suggested he get a big chaw going in order to stretch his cheek and enable him to see the pitch better (doesn't make sense to me).  Well, while chasing down a fly ball, he caught it and fell pretty hard causing him to swallow the big wad of tobacco.  He was violently ill for a couple of days and it took more than a month for him to feel better.  That was it for the chewing tobacco.

[Bill_McBride]

Many years ago when I played competatively in middle school and high school I dipped copenhagen, and if I was playing well I would not remove the dip, if I was playing poorly I would replace the dip with a new one.

Did you ever hit such a good (or bad) shot that you accidentally swallowed the dip? 

That's what I would be worried about.

And did you spit on the green?   

Only swallowed it if a teacher seemed to be on to it.  Absolutely spit on the greens, still do, and I carry my bag across the greens, and if I could I would wear metal spikes, I miss them greatly.

You must love it at Bandon where you can roll those big carts over the greens!    I miss metal spikes too, loved that clickety click sound on concrete or asphalt.

[David Stewart]

Never, ever, no matter what you do... touch a tee that has just been used to tee off on #18. 

It's done, finished, served its purpose... it is not meant to continue on and will only come back to haunt you if you bring it with you to another hole.

 

I had never heard this one before, but I know I am going to think about it during my next round and probably have to leave that little guy in the ground.

[Tags:]

Tags: