Unique Emotional States on the Golf Course

[Kyle Harris]

Tom Doak made the comment several months ago that golf courses are an emotional safe space for men, especially in a world where emotional expression for men is still a struggle.

The first page of this discussion group is loaded with conversations that are dominated by comparisons and rankings lists. However, golf -and golf courses by default- also evoke emotional responses. I am not so jaded to assume that rankings lists are really ranking our emotional states evoked by the golf course but that very well could be.

What are the unique emotional responses on specific golf courses? Are some emotional responses less desireable than others?

One example here is confusion, which I feel has a place in the emotional tool box of the architect and it is a perfectly acceptable emotion for a talented golfer to overcome.

Frustration tends to be self-induced and independent of the architecture, but perhaps frustration is enhanced or more acceptable the better the golf course?

Exhilaration is low hanging fruit for a lot of designs but maybe the attempts at evoking it make truly well executed examples unique?

I've come to accept and welcome fear on the golf course but wouldn't want a steady diet of it. Just the ability to recognize the presence of fear as my body preparing for the next shot.

Contentment? Satisfaction? All results based. It is particularly satisfying to execute on a good golf course, however.

What unique emotional states exist as a result of specific golf holes?

[Kyle Harris]

The easiest example for me is all of Sawgrass.


Is there anything approximating the anticipation leading up to all associated suite of emotions of the 17th hole?

[MCirba]

The easiest example for me is all of Sawgrass.


Is there anything approximating the anticipation leading up to all associated suite of emotions of the 17th hole?

Happy I was there.

[Stewart Abramson]

Mine are not tied to specific courses, but I can reach something akin to the Zen states of mindfulness and equanimity while on the golf course. One place I recall being there was upon  reaching the tee on ( I think) the 4th hole at Ballyneal and taking in the apparent vastness of the views across the chop hills.

[Craig Sweet]

Nostalgia

[mike_malone]

Kyle,


  I think my ranking topic is really about feeling. Some highly ranked courses are a bit sterile for me.
  Anger—- not likely to rank high
  Exhilaration— very high
  Frustration—forget it
  Contentment— could be very good
 


  We often hear of famous courses that don’t move people and are criticized for that.




Thank you.

[Phil Young]

To this day, I feel absolutely stunned after turning to the left upon finishing on the 3rd green of Bethpage Black, and the absolutely glorious yet unexpected view of the original tee box down below, which was the championship tee box until the new one was built for the Open championship.
      How I just tood there as my eyes were slowly drawn to take in the upslope to the first plateau and how it turned left around the corner bunker rising and then falling to the base of the next plateau, the face of which carries the Glacier bunker in it for more than 100 yards from the left rough and into the rough where it meets the right side of this upper fairway that frames the front bunker and gives just a hint of the putting surface beyond.
      Knowing that this hole could have been routed differently, for example directly left from the tee down the valley into which the 5th hole plays, or straight on into the forest beyond the 1st plateau and leading off into the unexposed land filled with trees and who knows what holes may have come to life back there. And so, from that day to this I remain in awe of what Tilly saw from that hilltop as he laid out that spectacular 3-shotter that "scared him when he looked back to the teee from the green" after the hole had been built...and realize that I never would have seen that.
      This was back in the latter part of the 1960s and was when I first began to be enamored by the vision that appeared in the brains of the few truly great golf course architects who were able to use that gift to create those rare golf courses that will remain among the great accomplishments regardless of however long this game will be played into the future...
      It is why I am in awe of those great creators of golf course back then who stood, and on down to this day, those whose creations stand above those of their contemporaries...

[Matt_Cohn]

This is interesting. Maybe something like when your ball is slowly starting to roll off a false front or edge and you know it's going another 20 yards over the next 20-30 seconds and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. There's not much in life where you know something bad is about to happen, it's your responsibility, and there's absolutely nothing you can do except watch it unfold with an absolute prohibition on any sort of intervention. I can't immediately think of an similar experience.

[Joe_Tucholski]

I'm with Stewart.

It's going to sound a little weird but recreation activities I enjoy the most (skiing, a long bike ride, a hike and a good round of golf) share a lot of similarities.  The key components being the ability to clear my mind, being awed by beauty and being challenged. 

As a whole a course I really enjoy allows that overall feeling of escape, mindlessness and contentment.   Within the course there should be individual holes that present a challenge of some sort and others that inspire awe.

I think it's a lot easier to get that feeling on a remote and isolated course or one on the ocean, but it's not necessary.  A course in the city can feel very special and protected.  Don't think I've ever felt that way on a course with houses lining both sides of every hole.

[MCirba]

I'm not sure I'm describing it well but it is emotional and for simplicity sake I'll term it "freedom".


First, I've noticed this only happens when I'm walking (not forced to ride) so there's definitely a physical exertion component to it.


As such, I feel a connectedness with the golf course as though I'm part of it.


It doesn't rely on having great companions as I've had it happen (mostly?) when playing solo but it can be negatively altered by surly playing partners or by slow play but neither are the fault of the golf course.


I dont have to be playing really well but it helps when I feel enough in control to reasonably attempt the shots I think the course calls for.


I'm not even sure I have to be playing as I've experienced it just walking a course where everything seemed to be in the right place and cosmically aligned but it helps to have that interaction.


I experience this often at my happy place Cobbs Creek even though it's been closed for a few years but walking around watching it being reborn often yields the same inner peace and zen-like satisfaction. 


Difficult to explain but impossible to fake or imitate.

[Charlie Goerges]

I feel like this could be a very fruitful area of exploration. Maybe all of the architects are already thinking deeply about the simple and complex emotions they can engender, but I wonder?


If you spent much time going to beaches as a kid, you know the emotional states that can result from your interaction with the environment. From the quiet and solitude of an early morning start, the hustle and bustle of the busy afternoon, to the melancholy and calm of the sun going down and making your way back home. I could see a lot of that (and much more besides) being applicable to golf architecture and how the architects might wish to affect our emotional states.

[Joe Zucker]

My favorite golf emotion (that comes out more on better courses) is Temptation.  A good hole or course reveals possible outcomes that the player can achieve, but always has some trouble lurking.  I love the feeling of standing in a fairway wanting to hit a shot and battling my inner self.  I recently read George Bahto's CB McDonald book and it is littered with quotes of "Bunkers placed at 180 to challenge the player who thinks he can hit it that far, but only carries it 160". 


Some courses (Stranz and Dye) make the challenge look scarier than it really is, reducing temptation on your first play.  While others (Doak, C&C, golden age) seem to hide the challenges more, luring the player in.  The two most tempting courses I have played are Pinehurst #2 and Royal Melbourne.

This is one of the great pleasures of golf for me. As a sometimes competitive player and someone who spends my working hours doing statistics, the modern game with data has taken a lot of the decision points out of the game.  This makes perfect sense if your goal is to score well over the long term, but it is sad to know most risks are not worth taking on the course.

[Kyle Harris]

Phil Young,

I think I'd want to distill down your great example into "the reveal". Not attempting to minimize the contribution because The Corner on #3/4 at Bethpage Black are the exact kind of visceral moments about which I am referring.

The question of novelty, though... other courses have "reveals" like this.

For me, what makes Bethpage Black's unique is the fact that you're likely feeling pretty good after the first three holes since they are timid. There's a combination of excitement and subsequent dread for first time player when they turn the corner and see, perhaps.

Joe Zucker,

Temptation is certainly another one. I think Pinehurst #2 may offer some unique looks at that as the temptation there isn't based in penalty shots or obvious hazards. The 11th hole shines in this in my opinion.

[Peter Sayegh]

I think this topic is highly personal-and thus highly subjective.
Kyle highlighted 17 at Sawgrass and its effects on a player, before,during, and after experiencing it. That specific hole is a great example but it assumes some prior knowledge of it. Even if someone has not played the course, most golfers are aware of it and it may instill anticipation or fear.
I don't believe any golf architect designed a hole or course to arouse purely an "emotional" response, playing-wise. Taking advantage of beautiful vistas seems an easy way to arouse anyone's emotions.

I'm struggling to find an emotional term for it, but "discovery" brings me joy.

Be it a hole, shot, or putt, new and unique thrills me. It's why I try to visit new courses.

As for specific holes and emotional states, I've yet to meet anyone who does NOT HATE the fourth hole at Pinehurst #9. It's in your head from the first tee. It weighs on you while playing it. On the way to the fifth, it's relief/optimism.

[Stewart Abramson]

First, I've noticed this only happens when I'm walking (not forced to ride) so there's definitely a physical exertion component to it.

As such, I feel a connectedness with the golf course as though I'm part of it.

It doesn't rely on having great companions as I've had it happen (mostly?) when playing solo

Difficult to explain but impossible to fake or imitate.

Mike, The above ingredients are also true in my experience. The Ballyneal example I posted above was walking solo. When I reached the tee on the 4th hole I was in such a high that I had to call Jim Colton, who was by sponsor, back in Chicago. I remember that he was in the car with his wife. He put me on speaker as I described being in a golf Nirvana and that he said to her .. "See, I'm not the only one".


 Another one that popped into my head (also walking, solo) occurred upon reaching the tee on the par 3 7th hole at Western Gailes on my first trip to Scotland. I was is such a state I had to share the feeling, so standing on the tee,  I called a golf /work buddy back at the office in NY and unsuccessfully tried to describe the emotion of the place to him. The photo I took at that moment made in into Vol 1 of the Confidential guide.



Western Gailes #7 (Sea) par 3

[MCirba]

Stewart,


Those are terrific, visceral examples, thanks!   


It sounds as though we had similar experiences at Ballyneal, mine helped by a very experienced caddie who instinctively knew how to keep the good vibes going.   There's almost a spiritual quality, as well, and I'm wondering if this is the emotional state of peace and contentment sought by Hindu and/or Buddhist meditation.

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,

Ditto on Ballyneal.  And I think what makes the place so special is there are so many spots on the course where that zen moment can occur.  The thing that gets my juices flowing is seeing something new.  In addition to the tee on #4, my aha/big smile moments were.

#7) Coming over the little hill and seeing the E Green
#8)  The entire hole, but the green specifically, what a wild ride.
#13)  That tee shot just blew me away with the deep bunkers and wild land movement
#15)  I recall the green and flag being completely blind and thinking "what do I do now" 
#16)  Just a cool little quirky hole where I was bit flummoxed on how/where to hit my 2nd shot given I couldn't reach the green.

[Thomas Dai]

Mr Jones adage regarding the 5 1/2” between the ears comes to mind.
Atb

[Kyle Harris]

Mr Jones adage regarding the 5 1/2” between the ears comes to mind.
Atb

Yes. Mr. Dye's more glib "once you get these guys thinking" line, as well.

Emotional regulation is a key to success in golf, in my opinion. It seems the more detached players, however, are the least popular or more divisive. Prime Duval was a robot. Perhaps he had those constant near misses at Augusta, in part, because of a more emotionally stimulating golf course.

[MCirba]

Kyle,


In his prime, I suspect Nick Faldo had the right competitive balance between robot-like demeanor and calculated precision (think Ash in "Alien") whilst keeping the emotional component under control before breaking down in tears at the conclusion.

[Thomas Dai]

This may be a tall tale but I recall reading somewhere along the lines of Ben Hogan having lots of books on mental conditioning, focused thinking, thought processes etc etc.
Atb

[Ira Fishman]

My choice is appreciative. In several dimensions.


I always admire, respect, and appreciate those who excel at endeavors for which I do not have aptitude. Golf course architects are high on the list. The feeling becomes particularly pronounced on a great course or hole.


Even a mundane golf course has a level of beauty let alone the truly scenic. Golf is one of the few voluntary activities I do outdoors (maybe the only). I appreciate the interaction with nature that comes without it becoming the reason for the activity.


Golf provides laughter and friendship and good spirits. And perhaps I was never closer to my father than the hours we spent together on the course.


And as others have highlighted, I appreciate being in a physical and mental place where I feel completely unburdened from the real world.


Ira

[Tim Martin]

Golf provides laughter and friendship and good spirits. And perhaps I was never closer to my father than the hours we spent together on the course.

Ira-I spent a lot of time with my father on the golf course and feel the same.

[Pete_Pittock]

Two courses in Michigan - Black Forest at Wilderness Valley (RIP) and Black Lake.
Heavily wooded courses and I could imagine settlers and indigenous as they traipsed through the trees hunting for game.  Came to the conclusion that golf course architecture is better when the setting appears natural, and walkers have an inherent advantage through inclusion into terrain.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Whenever I have played Westward Ho! I couldn't wait to stand on the sixth tee. I think it is the most exciting fairway and view in all of golf. If I am alone and the course is uncrowded, I will just drink it in.