What is the Spirit of the Game?

[Jason Thurman]

I hear people fall on the "spirit of the game" argument whenever they can't clearly describe their reasoning for disapproval or frustration at a certain aspect of golf. Lately, it comes up a lot when talking about anchoring. Someone will inevitably say, "Anchoring a putter just isn't part of the spirit of the game."

I also sometimes hear it in context of architectural features. "Forced carries don't fit the spirit of the game."

How do you define the "spirit of the game"? Is it entirely subjective or is there an objective or quantifiable way to evaluate it?

[Rich Goodale]

Single Malt whisky.

[Tim Gavrich]

The "spirit of the game," near as I can tell, is an elastic clause whereby anyone can tailor the game of golf to their own unique set of concessions and prejudices. It's "I can't define it, but I'll know it when I see it" and its constant invocation is the center of the various conflicts cropping up in the game.

[Brent Hutto]

Place a golf ball on the ground. Strike it repeatedly with a golf club until it rests in the hole you're aiming at. Repeat for as many holes as it takes to complete a round.

The further something is from this basic sequence of actions, the less it is in keeping with the Spirit of the Game.

[JSlonis]

Jason,

Here's a copy of a post I made on another thread a while ago in regard to this magical Spirit of the Game...

For me, it's a mythical phrase that people use when they think it's convenient to their argument, even though in reality, it doesn't apply or make any real sense.

***********************
The Long/Belly putter issue and this Spirit of the Game argument never made sense to me. I hear it a lot, but I don't think it has any merit.  No where do the governing bodies ever mention a particular swing or method when trying to describe this "spirit". We are given 14 clubs and with very few exceptions, we can choose to use them in any matter that we wish to get the ball into the hole in as fewest shots as possible. Would Old Tom Morris think that 460cc drivers and lightweight graphite shafts are within the Spirit of the Game? How about Bubba Watson flying it 330yds? Right or wrong, long/belly putters have been legal for over 25 years.  It was an innovation in putting and certainly helped some golfers. From genration to generation, innovation has always been part of the game. I'd argue that while these putters and method's were always allowed, they were more in keeping with the spirit of the game than violating it.

Here is what the R & A say about the "Spirit of the Game":

**Spirit of the Game**

"Honesty, integrity, courtesy: three words that have come to represent the spirit in which the game of golf is played.

Part of that spirit sits beneath the term, ‘etiquette’ and part of it relates to the Rules of Golf. But the Spirit of the Game goes much deeper than just those two tangible terms.

It is something that every golfer should develop an innate sense of, something that is born of golf’s unparalleled history, and something which lifts golf, one could argue, above other sports.

Whether it’s through divot and pitch-mark repair, or simply through silence on the tee, the spirit of the game dictates that players make sure they give others on the course, often opponents, a fair chance to play the best shot they can.

For most of us, the game of golf is self-regulating. There is seldom a referee present so we are reliant upon our own honest adherence to the Rules in order to enjoy the game. As a result we are all occasionally forced to call a penalty on ourselves for infringements which, often, will go unnoticed by everyone else.

“ Honesty, integrity, courtesy: three words that have come to represent...the game of golf. ” It is this dependency upon honesty and courtesy that has elevated ‘integrity’ to sacrosanct status. Without them, we may as well hang up our clubs."

[Peter Pallotta]

Jason: maybe it's because I took up the game later in life and so found it the hardest sport/game I've ever played, but some part of me thinks that the real "spirit of the game" is that it's difficult -- golf is frustrating and ever changing and unfair, and winds blow and bounces go this way and that, and birdies turn into bogies in a heartbeat; and you have to use your head and your muscles and your heart in almost equal measure, and it's hard to stay focused and not let the negative talk/demons dictate, and competitors bomb it past you and others have nerves of steel on the greens and there's nothing you can do about it; and you mutter to yourself and you regret that last hole and you fear the next one and you hope against hope that you can get to that par 5 in two, and get home in less than 40 -- and with all that, with all the inherent challenges of the game, there is also that task of handling golf's many challenges with grace and style and ease and in some measure of peace and contentment, gratefully drawing in the fresh air and the smell of the grass while being a decent and honest and supportive playing partner and companion along way.  In short, the "spirit of the game" is accepting that game and welcoming it, i.e. accepting that it's hard and welcoming its challenges.

Peter

[V. Kmetz]

I think the basic ethos of the game is a non-competitive one, that it is to be enjoyed, rather than conquered or won.

Many of the posters below put up points with which I definitely agree, however when I look at what underpins those examples or characteristics, I see the one above.

cheers

vk

[Jeb Bearer]

Hit a ball with a stick, find it, and hit it again.

[David Ober]

I think the basic ethos of the game is a non-competitive one, that it is to be enjoyed, rather than conquered or won.

Many of the posters below put up points with which I definitely agree, however when I look at what underpins those examples or characteristics, I see the one above.

cheers

vk

I disagree with this wholeheartedly. I think the game is, at its very core, competitive. The goal is to knock the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible, thereby beating a group of golfers (stroke play), or your opponent (match play).

Paradoxically, I do believe that one can get better at golf by actually "enjoying" it more, but that does not change the fact that golf is a game where we (generally) keep score and compare ourselves to either our opponent(s) or ourselves....

[Jeb Bearer]

Golf must be competitive. Whether playing against yourself (the course) or others, the goal must be to get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. Otherwise, there is no strategy, because there is no incentive to take a risk to earn a reward.

Also, from George Thomas: "The spirit of golf is to dare a hazard, and by negotiating it reap a reward..."

[Patrick_Mucci]

I hear people fall on the "spirit of the game" argument whenever they can't clearly describe their reasoning for disapproval or frustration at a certain aspect of golf. Lately, it comes up a lot when talking about anchoring. Someone will inevitably say, "Anchoring a putter just isn't part of the spirit of the game."

Agree with that.

Golf was not meant to be a hybrid version of croquette.

I also sometimes hear it in context of architectural features. "Forced carries don't fit the spirit of the game."

Disagree with that, that tends to be a golfer "specific" complaint, rather than a universal

How do you define the "spirit of the game"? Is it entirely subjective or is there an objective or quantifiable way to evaluate it?

Like obscenity, you may not be able to clearly define it, but, you know what that spirit entails.

[BHoover]

Avoid slow play.

[Jeb Bearer]

Golf must be competitive. Whether playing against yourself (the course) or others, the goal must be to get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. Otherwise, there is no strategy, because there is no incentive to take a risk to earn a reward.

Also, from George Thomas: "The spirit of golf is to dare a hazard, and by negotiating it reap a reward..."

Jeb, with all due respect to George Thomas, I really don't see how the spirit of the game has anything to do with Golf Course Architecture. Isn't it about people? And their behaviour?

Fair enough. There are certainly components that have to do with people and behavior -- keep a positive attitude, be honest, etc. And I do believe that you can play golf by yourself and in a non-competitive atmosphere. At its core though, there is always that aspect of trying to negotiate the hazards before you as well as you can.

[V. Kmetz]

I acknowledge what previous posters say, contrary to my own statement, about "competition" being at the heart of Golf.  Yet I cannot resolve:

1. The solitary nature of playing...how, this particular stick and ball game that has (if those posters are correct) a "competitive" basis accounts for the fact that it is the only one where the ball is not competitively vied for?  For me, there is something unexplained in that basic and unique fact.

2.  Also, before I'm persuaded that my own idea is fundamentally flawed, I'd like to hear more about what it is to play against "yourself" and whether or not there is a difference between "comparing" (like timed downhill skiing)and "competing." (like most other ball sports).  Maybe there isn't.   Right now, I don't know how you technically compete against someone who you can't see, and in Golf, may finish hours before or after you, with potentially great changes in the environmental conditions of the field.

3.  I do not deny that we golfers have, for our own amusement and opportunity, laid a competitive mantle over our conduct of the sport...given trophies and cash, declared "findings of Golf fact" with tournament records, make elite rankings, exchanged cash in wagers and so forth.  all well, proper and good, for the people vote with their feet.  The "spirit" is what we make of it in our time, it evolves, changes, throttles or brakes as the population makes it. But as to essence?   From "hit it, find it, hit it again...?"

4. In match play, do you have two opponents (man and course) or just one (either/or)?  If you defeat one, do you defeat the other, or can you lose to the other while defeating the second.  and then, of course, maybe's there three...because there's you too, if I understand what others are saying.  This might unfold exponentially when you consider medal play against a field of 5 or more.

Well that's plenty for now.  I could be dead wrong and maybe it is competition, and those etiquette, honorable, self-regulated qualities many have spoken of comprise Golf's greatest feature...it reigns in our competitive instincts, which destroy equally what they build, and measures how "fairly" you can compete, with no advantage or disadvantage to start.  Right now, I don't think so but...

Big topic, for me, so I'm open-minded.

cheers

vk

[Jeb Bearer]

I think, perhaps, "competitive" is the wrong word to take into account the potential individual nature of the game. I can only speak for myself, but what I meant in earlier comments was that there must always be a desire for improvement, for taking less strokes to complete the course than the last time, for pulling off that shot you never could before...otherwise, why play? I used "competitive" for lack of a better word. Actually, goalorientedness is a better word, insofar as it is indeed a real word, but in any case it doesn't sound nearly as good 

[Tom_Doak]

I think, perhaps, "competitive" is the wrong word to take into account the potential individual nature of the game. I can only speak for myself, but what I meant in earlier comments was that there must always be a desire for improvement, for taking less strokes to complete the course than the last time, for pulling off that shot you never could before...otherwise, why play? I used "competitive" for lack of a better word. Actually, goalorientedness is a better word, insofar as it is indeed a real word, but in any case it doesn't sound nearly as good 

Jeb:

I hope that, before you are on your deathbed, you are able to see the error in everything you've said here.  Golf can be enjoyed on so many levels, it doesn't have to be a competition, even with one's self.

I fear this is the reason so few women play golf; they are scared away by mentors and teachers who want them to strive to get better right away, and not just enjoy the game for being outdoors with their friends and finding the thrill of a solid shot.

[John Kavanaugh]

To quote the famous song..."Don't hurry, be happy."

[V. Kmetz]

I don't know if it applies to this discussion, but I admit, beyond my own limitations as a player, my favorite format in the 4-man ABCD scramble, gotta contribute 4 tee shots each, like at the Kiwanis club outing or some such.  I love playing in them and caddying for them, when it hits the private courses. 

I love teammates rooting for one another and strategizing about when to use the C and D players drives,
I love four cracks at a putt, or fewer, each learning the break a little more, and little chance to miss the short one. 
I love setting up a batting order of who will hit first and worrying over whether or not we should change the order.
I love players getting to readily dismiss poor shots, because they have teammates.
I love - when caddying - critiquing the hole previous and previewing the next one with the other caddie
I love - when playing OR caddying - advising the team about which shot which should take and why, if there's little difference between them.

(One of the fundamental reasons I like cadddying at all, beyond income, is getting to "mentally" play multiple rounds..up to 4 or 5, depending. I don't usually play but 72-100 holes a year anymore, but I've participated in 400-600 rounds in any given season, tens of thousands in a lifetime at scores of courses)

To most of the "serious" or competitive golf world, such a format is a one-off bit of nonsense to facilitate Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrows fundraiser getting their exercise, but more happy days are had in those scrambles than I see for most of the year.  It evaporates quickly and life and Golf go on in the regular way within an hour of the last cocktail, but while it goes on, man is it fun.

I think I learned this most poignantly in my years at Siwanoy.  Perhaps owing to the excitement over their informal Fall calcutta, "The Ol' Buddy" (which is contested by three-man ABC teams, under liberal, near-hurricane rules, for big money), when I was at Siwanoy in the early mid-90s, a culture of "scramble" got going there. Mid-week, once and a while on weekend afternoons, 15-25 guys would just get together, organize 3 and 4 man teams, play lightening fast and all would have a great time.

Seeing so many outings at WF, I feel disappointed for those who bitterly complain when the format is scramble (and/or the tees are way up).  These golfers, some of whom couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat, get resentful that "I don't get to play my own ball," or "I'm not getting the 'US Open' experience, if we play from those tees.  I understand its 'their dime" (but sometimes it isn't) but for fuck's sake, far too many think the USGA is going to come back and pat them on the head for their 82." I often console the despondent and the prideful by saying; "Don't worry, these results will not be in the paper tomorrow."

Anyways, that's one essence of enjoying Golf, that at this point, overwhelms any competitive "spirit" I feel.  It'a format of Golf that breeds happiness and camaraderie that is all too absent in the individually competitive essence there might be.

Just me, but I had to say it as developed information behind my previous thoughts

cheers

vk

[Brent Hutto]

vk,

Fortunately golf is an activity that offers a "big tent" and admits widely different reasons for golfers to show up at the course. For my part, the kind of thing you describe sounds like a complete clusterfuck and I would not willingly come within a mile of such a three ring circus.

Perhaps those who enjoy that sort of thing would find the "Spirit" of the game as I experience it to lack excitement and social complexity. The good news is there are only so many days when a given golf course is taken over by that kind of rolling frat party atmosphere and generally those of us who are into a more traditional experience have a place to enjoy the "Spirit" of our game the other 90%+ percent of the time.

Tom Doak,

I had not thought of the perspective you mention as being a particular impediment to women taking up the game but I can see your point. In any case I've never understood where along the line the game of golf morphed into this semi-mystical self improvement quest as opposed to the sheer diversion, pleasure and satisfaction of a game to be enjoyed in the playing of it. I was brainwashed into that Never Stop Getting Better pursuit during my first 10-15 years after taking up golf and it was only after some perspective-altering life events that the veil was lifted and I saw that one could (speaking for myself at least) abandon any pretense of self improvement and actually enjoy the game more rather than less by doing so.

I wonder where in the history of golf the improvement meme took over as the normative way of experiencing the game...

[Rich Goodale]

Given that Dr. MacK coined the "Spirit of......." meme almost a century ago, and given the fact that in well over half (if not nearly all) of the stroke play competitions he entered at St. Andrews he did not return a score (i.e. tore up his card somewhere on the course--reference is Neil Crafter's amazing and highly valued MacKenzie timeline), was the good doctor always playing in the Spirit of the Game?  IYHOs, of course....

[Chris Johnston]

Playng with someone new
Hiring a new kid to caddy
Kindly, letting others play through
Encouraging & appreciating good play by a competitor
Winning with grace
Patience with a newbie
Honest handicaps
Giving back, every day
Old man par
Playing in the rain
The "bump and run"
A wave to someone on another hole
Letting it happen

Recognizing that "it is what it is" and really coming to enjoy "it for what it is"

[Josh Tarble]

To me, the "spirit of the game" is almost a guide for living life

Play with integrity and morals
Be friendly yet competitive
Show class when things aren't going your way
Have as much fun as possible

[archie_struthers]

 


Why outlaw the croquet style  method employed by Snead.?  Did it just look bad ?   Seems less a crutch than  anchoring to me.

[Jay Carstens]

To me, it's showing someone new how to enjoy the game more.     

[V. Kmetz]

BH,

I'm not sure how you inferred a clustered, rolling frat party, three-ring circus out of what I described, just as I wouldn't have footing to describe the "spirit" you feel as terse, dour or anti-social.

I admitted I did not know if it had fluency with the discussion, but at that risk I was seeking to describe one venue-format of Golf that builds camaraderie between its participants and sloughs off some of the vanity of it being a "exacting competition."

As yo say though, a "big tent."

cheers

vk