GCA and the player's mindset

[Ted Kramer]

While I certainly don't claim to be an expert on the subject, I wrote my senior thesis on a certain Zen Master and his role in establishing Zen in Japan as something truly Japanese. . .

As an athlete my whole life, playing soccer in college and other sports more recreationally, I have always found the "zone" to be a very interesting topic. In case you don't know what I'm referring to, I am talking about those elusive moments when you really feel in touch, and in control, things around you slow down, and your level of play is raised to another level. I have always felt that this "zone" was tied to one's mind and emotional state. A sense of calm usually exists during these moments. The ability to stay calm and centered always seemed very Zen-like to me. Ok, now to my point . . .

I had a business meeting set up in Seattle last Thursday. Living in NJ, that is a pretty long flight. I decided that rather than making the trip on Wednesday and returning on Friday, I'd stretch my stay a little bit. I decided to stay with a buddy in Colorado for the weekend and return to NJ on Sunday. My friend and I were lucky enough to be invited to spend Friday night at Ballyneal. Needless to say I was beyond excited for the trip.

While in Seattle I had the pleasure of a quick trip to the SAM, Seattle Art Museum. There was an Impressionist Exhibition on display that was simply fabulous. I was struck by a few works, most notably those by Paul Cezanne. Knowing basically nothing about him, I bought a small biography on the way out.

During my flight to Denver while I was reading the book I came across the following passage:

'Cezanne once described his way of perceiving nature to author Joachim Gasquet. He used the image of spread and closed fingers to explain his manner of reproducing a motif.

"This is what one must achieve. If I reach too high or too low, everything is a mess. There must not be a single loose strand, a single gap through which the tension, the light, the truth can escape. I have all the parts of my canvas under control simultaneously. If things are tending to diverge, I use my instincts and beliefs to bring them back together again . . . Everything that we see disperses, fades away. Nature is always the same, even though its visual manifestations eventually cease to exist. Our art must shock nature into permanence, together with all the components and manifestations of change. Art must make nature eternal in our imagination. What lies beyond nature? Nothing perhaps. Perhaps everything. Everything, you understand. So I close this errant hand. I take the tones of colour I see to my right and my left, here, there, everywhere, and I fix these gradations, I bring them together. . . They form lines, and become objects, rocks, trees, without my thinking about it. They acquire volume, they have an effect. When these masses and weights on my canvas correspond to the planes, and spots which I see in my mind and which we see with our eyes, then my canvas closes its fingers. It does not waver. It does not reach too high or too low. It is true, it is dense, it is full . . . But if I have the slightest distraction or feel the slightest weakness, particularly if I start reading too much into things, if I am swept along by a theory today which contradicts yesterday's, if I think when I am painting, if I interfere, then bang, everything slips away." '

Now there is a lot in that passage, especially when you consider Cezanne's place in the world of art history and his style.

Moving towards golf and GCA . . .

That passage stuck with me after I got off the plane. During the longish drive to Ballyneal I was able to think a little bit about it. And more than anything I realized that the passage had more than a small connection to what I understand Zen to be. I don’t want to get all “Shivas Irons” and mystical right now so . . .

Fast forward to Saturday morning.

After hitting a few practice putts we made the short walk to the 1st tee . . . what a perfect location for a tee, a smile on my face. Decent contact with the driver, a pushed iron, a less than stellar chip, and a missed 12 footer later I had made bogey on #1. . . the bogey didn’t bother me in the least. I didn't have any expectations and actually enjoyed the thought of what it would have taken to get that ball up and down. . . not an impossible shot by any stretch, just a very well played, and creative one.

Enjoying the short walk to #2; looking around thinking that the flow from #1 green to #2 was pretty cool and appreciating the lack of a square incongruous tee box when we reached the 2nd tee, everything seemed to be “right”. There weren’t any noises to distract me (John Kavanaugh’s post/idea was very interesting), no groups behind or ahead to unnerve me. Every hole was interesting enough to keep my level of concentration peeked. The difficulty level was perfect. Not so hard that I got discouraged or beaten down and not so easy that I got careless. There was something to consider on just about every shot – and I don’t mean things as basic as carry yardage.

After 18 holes I had shot my personal best.
I’m 100% convinced that my mindset was the key.
The help of a great caddy also had a lot to do with it, but that could be for a different discussion. What I’m really trying to figure out is . . .

How much did the GCA help me stay in that mindset?
How does GCA differ in terms of putting people into or taking them out of certain mindsets?
Should the GCA strive to take you out of your “comfort zone”?
Maybe it should help you stay there?
Could this “flow” or ability to “guide a player through” be part of why we love certain course?

I know that this post doesn’t really “go anywhere”.
And I’m nowhere near the writer that some on this site are.
I just wanted to try to share my thoughts and experience as best as I could.
Hopefully that quote from Paul Cezanne resonates with some of you.


-Ted

[Mike_Cirba]

"I know that this post doesn’t really “go anywhere”."


Ted,

Let me be the first to say that I said "Thanks, but no thanks, on your post to nowhere."

Of course, that was after I was for it until the funding went away.   

You do make Ballyneal sound intriguing, and your deep thoughts were very interesting.

[Ted Kramer]

"I know that this post doesn’t really “go anywhere”."


Ted,

Let me be the first to say that I said "Thanks, but no thanks, on your post to nowhere."

Of course, that was after I was for it until the funding went away.   

You do make Ballyneal sound intriguing, and your deep thoughts were very interesting.

I really don't know what that means . . .

-Ted

[Mike_Cirba]

Ted,

I've evidently been watching too much politics lately while you've been enjoying yourself in Colorado! 

Sorry for the obscure reference to an Alaskan Bridge that's been in the news of late.   

Your comment about your post not "going anywhere" just reminded me of the Pork Request.   

The rest of your post was very thought-intriguing....didn't mean to muck it up!

[Ted Kramer]

Ted,

I've evidently been watching too much politics lately while you've been enjoying yourself in Colorado! 

Sorry for the obscure reference to an Alaskan Bridge that's been in the news of late.   

Your comment about your post not "going anywhere" just reminded me of the Pork Request.   

The rest of your post was very thought-intriguing....didn't mean to muck it up!

LOL . . .
Fair enough.
And I didn't sense any "mucking", I just wasn't sure what you were trying to say.

-Ted

[Jim_Kennedy]

Ted,
I cannot tell you how many times someone comes into the shop beaming about how they parred the 'toughest' hole on the course, and its usually tied to their focusing in on the challenge and not letting distractions, of any kind, creep in.

The architecture can be your friend or your enemy but it's always your 'mindset' that allows you to bring out your best performance.

So, in reply to your questions numbered 1,3,4 and 5, I'd answer 'yes and no'. 
 

[Ian_L]

In sports, I've only experienced something like "the zone" playing goalie in soccer.  I'd describe it much differently than you did, though.  In my experience, everything happened so fast I didn't even have time to think, I would dive for the ball and not even realize it until I was on the ground.

[Adam Clayman]

Ted, My hope is that we get to the bottom of these questions as it relates to the gca.
 BN is the kind of a place that surpasses most in blending with nature.

On my recent excursion there some of the more interesting questions posed were "Does it matter?"  It, being this return to a more classical and/or naturalistic architecture. And, Since those who built and developed courses circa 1985 were not idiots, "Is anyone right and/or anyone wrong?"

Another interesting occurrence was that for the second time, someone I had enjoyed a lovely round with, who felt this was "Their cup of Tea" struggled to remember the holes, only a few short hours after playing. My initial impression as to why that could happen was something along the lines of how well the gca fits within the site, or how no gaps of light or truth escapes the mind while concentrating on the shot demands. Either that or they were so captivated by my routines they blocked it all from memory. (For those tonally challenged, that was a joke)

Well there's another dissertation to nowhere, thinking out loud, grasping for someone else to make sense of our dots.

BTW, Glad you had the spiritually typical BN experience. also, The staff was gratified to hear your praises. Keep the truth rolling off your tongue. 

[Bill Brightly]

I don't know too much about Zen, but I know that I hit my best shots when, on those rare occasions, I look at the ball and my target and a certain "feel" kicks in. I just KNOW I am gonna hit a good shot. All the normal swings thoughts vanish, and I just hit it.

I'm having a shitty golf year, so bad that I did not feel like playing Saturday. I dragged myself to the course on Sunday. I was having a mediocre round until I got to the 16th tee, looked at the fairway, and that "Zen feeling" kicked in. Smoked the straighest drive of my life. In the fairway, I waited for the "feeling" with a 5 iron in my hand, it came, and I hit it 18 inches from the hole!

Parred 17, and basically repeated the 16th hole on 18. (16 is our 4th handicap hole, 18 is the best hole on our course and the 6th handicap.)So for the rest of the year, my "practice" is going to be to forget my mechanics and wait for that "feel" before I swing. We'll see how it goes...(Personally, I think the golf gods were screwing with me again; they realized that they needed to allow a few good things to happen so I would keep playing...)

So how does this relate to golf course architecture? I think great architecture can both promote AND prevent the "Zen feeling" I am describing. A great golf hole certainly has the potential to get you foucused. As Jim K said, many times players make great shots on the hardest holes because they succeed in finding their focus.The bunkers or water or doglegs can all cause you to clearly focus on where you need to hit it. And if you pull it off, the excitement of hitting a great shot is much more exhilorating than it would be on a bland, easy hole.

Those same features can also distract you, make you swing too hard or play it too safe, etc. Or you can be punished for being too agressive, for over-estimating how far you can hit it, or hitting a less than perfect shot, etc. Perhaps the architecture tempted you into trying a shot that you could not hit.

So I guess great golf course architecture first takes you OUT of your comfort zone, distracts you, puts you in a mindset where outcome is highly dubious, yet offers the promise of a thrilling reward when you find your focus and hit the shot.

Bland architecture does none of that.

[Peter Pallotta]

Ted -

a really good and interesting post there, thanks. And great question. To borrow the thoughts of another artist - I think it was Stravinsky who said something like: "I don't know if great music comes from the sub-conscious or the supra-conscious, but I'm certain it doesn't come from self-consciousness".  So, to follow-up on your reference to "the zone", I think the same can be said for that, i.e. the last thing you are when you're in the zone is self-conscious (at least not in the traditional sense of that word). Perhaps architecture like you found at Ballyneal tends to reduce the human tendency towards self-consciousness and helps one get into the zone; and maybe that's because the "self-consciousness" of the architect himself is not apparent, given how the land and the course blend together so seamlessly.

But I could knock this kind of stuff around for hours, and might change my mind a dozen times, so best to stop it right now....

Peter

   

[JESII]

My first instinct is that the golf had nothing to do with your Zen state...you were there prior to arriving at the course.

The question becomes...does the golf course architect have an obligation to assist you in remaining within that state? Or does the GCA make an effort to remove you from it (to test the will of your Zen)?

Having grown up trying to figure out how to get the ball in the hole in the fewest strokes as my number one objective, I always assumed it was the architects job to screw me up...but that might just be me.

That you were able to remain in that state throughout your round at Ballyneal, and shoot your best score, says alot to me about the architecture.

[Ted Kramer]

Ted, My hope is that we get to the bottom of these questions as it relates to the gca.
 BN is the kind of a place that surpasses most in blending with nature.

On my recent excursion there some of the more interesting questions posed were "Does it matter?"  It, being this return to a more classical and/or naturalistic architecture. And, Since those who built and developed courses circa 1985 were not idiots, "Is anyone right and/or anyone wrong?"

Another interesting occurrence was that for the second time, someone I had enjoyed a lovely round with, who felt this was "Their cup of Tea" struggled to remember the holes, only a few short hours after playing. My initial impression as to why that could happen was something along the lines of how well the gca fits within the site, or how no gaps of light or truth escapes the mind while concentrating on the shot demands. Either that or they were so captivated by my routines they blocked it all from memory. (For those tonally challenged, that was a joke)

Well there's another dissertation to nowhere, thinking out loud, grasping for someone else to make sense of our dots.

BTW, Glad you had the spiritually typical BN experience. also, The staff was gratified to hear your praises. Keep the truth rolling off your tongue. 

Adam,

You know, I had trouble remembering a bunch of the holes too . . .
Mr. O'Neil was in the restaurant after my round and asked for our opinions regarding the course set-up and how it played. He asked a few specific questions about few specific holes and pins and I simply couldn't remember - and I had literally just walked off the course.

Now that a few days have passed since my round, I have a better recollection of the holes. I have looked at my scorecard while reading Ran's write-up and remembered a bunch more things/shots/details.

It is interesting that this has happened to other people too.
And I'm going to think about how that relates to the GCA in terms of the Cezanne quote, and the GCA's effort to either keep a player in the zone or try to remove him from it.


-Ted

[Adam Clayman]

Ted, I seem to recall after my initial visit (where I only walked the front nine) having difficulty remembering specific holes too. All I could remember was a few features like the staircase on two and the noses on 8 and of course the E green.

I'm leaning to the theory that the course fits so well naturally, has so many unlimited non-dictated avenues of play, it leads to a gca sensory overload which attacks the mind in such a way that the task at hand is so consuming, the part of the brain that recalls specifics is far down the list of priorities in brain tasking.

Can you remembered how you felt while you were forgetting? (Other than your Zen state)

[Ted Kramer]

Ted, I seem to recall after my initial visit (where I only walked the front nine) having difficulty remembering specific holes too. All I could remember was a few features like the staircase on two and the noses on 8 and of course the E green.

I'm leaning to the theory that the course fits so well naturally, has so many unlimited non-dictated avenues of play, it leads to a gca sensory overload which attacks the mind in such a way that the task at hand is so consuming, the part of the brain that recalls specifics is far down the list of priorities in brain tasking.

Can you remembered how you felt while you were forgetting? (Other than your Zen state)

I felt comfortable.
I didn't feel any pressure.
I was happy.
Our caddy had a lot to do with the mental state too.
I rarely play with a caddy.
He helped me keep it on "automatic pilot".
He pointed out certain things and gave me enough direction to help me feel "sure". He wasn't always the right, I didn't like the idea of the little lay-up tee shot on 12 after seeing the hole from the green, but that clear decision making was a real factor. There wasn't any indecision. I made up my mind and swung . . .

I think he had a good feel for what was going on.
He was "in touch", and that is how I felt too.

-Ted

[Adam Clayman]

My first instinct is that the golf had nothing to do with your Zen state...you were there prior to arriving at the course.

I can site an example where I was so unnerved prior to arriving to the course, I didn't feel like warming up or playing golf.
 We were in Reno on our annual trip from PG. The valet had suggested allowing him to park my car for safety reasons. Upon leaving the next morning for the course I pulled onto the hwy and low and behold someone had tried to gain entry by ripping a hole in my soft top.  They failed because on that model the door handle was way up front and unreachable from where they had cut. I was very upset, but, when I hit the first tee I hit it well. And so on and so on. Not a type of zone that I had experienced before, but, a zone of some sort nonetheless. Cetainly one I was not in prior to teeing off. Now, I don't recall the name of the course but I do recall more holes/features there than any of the other dog tracks we played on those trips.

Peter's self-conscience comment rings very true.