The Irony of the Walker Cup

[DCronan]

The irony is that the amateurs, from both sides, conduct themselves in a much more Professional manner than do the pros at similar team events. For instance:

They shake each other's hands after the match, then they shake their caddy's hand, coaches and so on......

No playing to the crowds or imploring the crowd to make some noise......

They congratulate good shots.......

They appear to be enjoying themselves.......

The conduct themselves like, well, professionals. Well, at least our Club Professionals.

[Joe_Tucholski]

Doesn't this make sense?

Traditionally amateurs were the gentlemen.

Professionals are performers and they earn their paycheck entertaining fans.

[V. Kmetz]

So true...

It's not the only reason, but I can't help that some of it has to do with the fact that the commerce comes after the competition as a priority.  

When there is no purse to meet, regional charity to endorse, and labor and material machinery to produce for their orchestration;there's no need to ampitheaterize 40,000 spectators around a par 3 Beer Garden.

When there is no treasury is to be won and there are only perfunctory baubles to be sold; the home crowd and the competitors find that one can't denigrate or fist pump an opponent - because its realized fundamentally, that without the opponent there is nothing - no game to be played, no exhibition to make, or competition to contest.  

Why would you - player, partisan or gallery - humiliate or interfere with the very thing that frames and incites your own activity?

In the professional golf world, the individual player prospers at the expense of the opponent, too many in the crowd feel their patronage entitles them to be part of the game, and the advertisers understand that controversy and "pitted battles royale" bring eyes to their wares and to their branding(s).  

Additionally in that world, there is enough of a talented mass of players, where no one opponent's victimization will mean the fall of the money-generating enterprise. If Tiger fist pumps on Sean O Hair, so what? There's 15 Nick Watneys right behind him, besides the World Top 25.  If the crowd disapproves of Sergio and shouts dis-tempers, so what?  There's plenty of the Euro-class right behind him, that they better appreciate.

Lastly, it's sometime nice when a thing is self-sustaining, under the radar and there's little to get wrapped up in.  With amateur players we get much, much, less of the bios, the interviews, the statistics, the history of their failures, the detailed, withering critique of their swings, their comportment, their decision-making.

And t's all a parallel thought to why media critics, such as myself, don't think we ought to have entered into this era of tournament-wide broadcast (read: advertising recoupment) of the Little League World Series, HS football and basketball games, etc.

It's a good thing, we have that balance, with events like the Walker Cup, and I so appreciate the irony of what you've mentioned here DC.

But irony is the unexpected result; based on what I've seen in my life...the result is not so unexpected.

cheers

vk

[Terry Lavin]

These guys don't act like the game owes them a living. Yet. Lets see how jaded the soon to be pros among them act after a few years on tour. The segue from collegiate gentleman to pampered pro is pretty quick for most.

[Joe Hancock]

The pro's don't shake hands with their competitors and caddies after each round? When did they quit doing that?

[Ally Mcintosh]

These guys don't act like the game owes them a living. Yet. Lets see how jaded the soon to be pros among them act after a few years on tour. The segue from collegiate gentleman to pampered pro is pretty quick for most.

This - unfortunately - is the answer.

Essentially peer pressure is the greatest force in the world we live. You watch how everyone else around you reacts and then you do the same thing.

[Ronald Montesano]

We all need to read and reread what VKmetz wrote above. It's more lucid than any story I've filed in my (mis)storied time as a writer.

[Joe Hancock]

DC,

No problem. I don't watch a lot of non-Major golf, so I wasn't sure if things had changed that much.

I will say that with zero chance of ever playing on the level of the pro's and, therefore, not knowing what pressures and demands they play under, I have no way of criticizing how they play or end their day. I suspect that for the elite, they are bombarded with attention that would likely get old after a short period of time. To remain humble while constantly being the center of attention would be a tough task, in my opinion. If the attention is anything like a typical sportscasters' interview, the superficiality and shallowness of the attention would become an annoyance.

Joe

[Tim Bert]

We as a society have voted with our dollars to shower millions upon millions of dollars upon professional athletes in all major sports, to men with less responsibility than those engaged in most professions and careers in the world... And we are shocked when they act like kids at a frat party when they compete and win?!?

Most top amateur athletes are still being coached on not only performance but in sportsmanship. They are learning to become young men, and most will not go on to professional sports careers.  

No, the professionalism of the amateur athlete compared to the amateurism of the professional athlete surprises me no more than the fact that my son recreational 7 yr old baseball team lines up and congratulates the opponent before we celebrate while profession baseball players line up and high five their own team.

[Bill_McBride]

Were there cheers of "You da man," "Get in the hole!" or "mashed potatoes?"   Happily at these major amateur events it's unlikely.  

[BHoover]

Were there cheers of "You da man," "Get in the hole!" or "mashed potatoes?"   Happily at these major amateur events it's unlikely.  

[Ronald Montesano]

I heard "USA, USA, USA" this AM as Rodgers/Niebrugge walked off 3 green...those midwesterners~

[V. Kmetz]

RM,

Thanks for the previous shout.  Among my byzantine golf collections, I have some coffee table books about/tangent to golf in the 1910s, 1920s.  In these there are a couple of shots of BOTH the winner AND the loser on the shoulders of the post-match crowd, both with smiles on their face a mile wide and both exalted for giving such a great show.

It was understood, back when there were no beans to count, all that's really there is the quality of the competition, which is just a framed exhibition.

("USA, USA" - really?)

cheers

vk

[Joe Hancock]

vk,

The reason for the jubilation back in those days? The currency used to pay for the golf exhibition was whiskey....

Joe

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

This thread is reaching for a conclusion that does not exist--professionals in the team competitions may show some emotion, but they finish with the same display of class found at NGLA this weekend.  Oftentimes, there are interviews or commercials which keep the TV viewer from seeing the hands shaking with hats/visors taken off.  There certainly are poor acting professionals, but the same has taken place at the Am level, but these incidents are less publicized.  Years ago there was a US Mid-Am champion who was never going to get an invite to the Masters had he repeated.  I am not aware of any professionals who have been disinvited

[Jim_Kennedy]

Another irony of the Walker Cup is Henry Leach's (English golf writer) sour grapes attempt to cast a pall over the proceedings at it's inception. He was miffed that the idea was an American invention and he felt that we were second-class citizens in the world of golf, usurping the power of the R&A.
 
 http://tinyurl.com/nfg4pu7


Thankfully, he was so very, very wrong.  

[Patrick_Mucci]

Haha! Love Shooter McGavin!!! Really interesting comments by VK but am curious: how many of them will turn pro? All of them? Or half?

What I'm wondering is how many of them are from what one might call: "good stock" - where manners is drilled in from a very early age.

Say what you like about those WASPY privileged types - they know their manners.

I'm sure you wouldn't know this, but the beginning of the USGA rule book is dedicated to "manners".

And, if you play or played at a high level of competition you'd know that if you fail to exercise good manners, you'll be ostracized in the competitive golf community.

Junior Programs emphasize that facet of the game.

In addition, golf promotes and encourages young/junior  golfers to play with older golfers, thus they tend to learn to conduct themselves properly at an early age.

The GAME sculpts proper etiquette in young golfers, especially at the competitive level.

It has absolutely nothing to do with "Waspy, privileged types."

Thus, it would appear that you're NOT an accomplished golfer.  .

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

And yet the IOC choose Professional golf for the Olympics.
Oh where did any of that Olympic ideal go?
Very few sports still exhibit the true line between professional and amateur and yet it was ignored in the interest of money, what a lost opportunity!