The "finished golfer"

[Doug Siebert]

I see this phrase from time to time when reading Golden Age stuff, but the term appears to have fallen into disuse.  Was the idea that a good player was finished with the learning process, or was the term synonymous with 'skilled' back then?

[Daniel Jones]

I interpret the phrase the same way I do "finish carpenter." Though they are often some of the last guys in to "finish" the job, they are also the ones providing the skilled carpentry work on the refined details of a home. Plus, golf has a funny way of ensuring no one is every done with the learning process

[Bill_McBride]

I thought you were talking about me with my bum knee, tight hips and generally worn out body!   

[Jim_Kennedy]

I believe it refers to the first class player, someone whose skills in golf were as polished as those of someone who graduated from one of the "Finishing" schools of the same era.

[Doug Siebert]

Jim, that makes a lot of sense, and may be the reason why that term fell out of favor after everyone who went to a "finishing school" died

[JESII]

...and once people realized a golfer is never "finished" until he is 'finished'...