Hit Down Dammit! Golf Instruction

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

Well, except for all the golf events between now and the Mercedes Championship in January, golf is over for the season. Which means, of course, that it's never really over.

We live in a very busy world now, where nothing is really ever over anymore. Once upon a time, retail shops were closed on Sunday, and religion aside, this signified a defined end to the week, a break in the cycle, and the whole thing started over again on Monday. There was a distinct stop, and then start. Not anymore. We've gone from 52 "cycles" to one really long cycle in a year. And golf is no different. Or any sport for that matter. Sports seasons tend to go longer, playoffs even longer, and seasons seem to start earlier.

Hockey, the quintessential winter sport, has its finals in June now. At our golf club in May and June, Men's Night is affected by whether there is a playoff game on that evening. I do fear the day when the hockey season runs so long that it overlaps the beginning of the next season. Imagine a team failing to defend its title because of all the games it forfeited at the beginning of the season while they were playing playoff games from the season prior!

Baseball is not much different. It already plays an extremely long season and its playoff system is now extended and difficult to schedule. Just ask the Colorado Rockies who, on a hot streak, had to sit and cool for eight days.

While seemingly off on a tangent making you wonder if I know what I am writing about, I haven't forgotten about golf. As I say, sitting here in November, this past weekend saw the unofficial close to the professional season with the PGA's Disney event, the Nationwide Tour Championship, and the Volvo Masters, but the season-beginning Mercedes is only a par five away. Between now and then we have the World Cup team event, and of course what is commonly known as the "silly season" of Skins Games etc. This is not to mention that in other parts of the world summer is approaching, not departing, and thus we have a plethora of professional events around the world just getting rolling. It can be a little overwhelming for a player. Just ask Ernie Els.

Poor Ernie came under fire recently for not competing in last week's Volvo Masters on the European Tour, and for playing in the Singapore Open instead. The fact is - and the media should have known this - he was simply honouring a three year commitment (otherwise known as a "contract") to play in the Singapore event while at the same time the European Tour had changed its dates for the Volvo. A no-brainer decision for Ernie, but still he had to endure the criticism. As did Tiger Woods when he skipped the first event of the FedEx Cup. As did Phil when he skipped the third event. For these players an "event" is not a game on a given day. It is a weeklong commitment replete with practice rounds, pro-ams, press conferences, and then competition.

Golfers in particular are under immense pressure to play, play, play. If there is not a contractual obligation then there is an implied one - to play in all the majors; to play in all four events of the FedEx; to play in all the World Championship events; even to play in the showcase events triggered by wins in other events (Mercedes, PGA Grand Slam etc.). It takes a Tiger Woods - and probably only a Tiger Woods - to say no to something like the PGA Grand Slam which the poor guy keeps winning (putting pressure on him to keep the streak alive) largely because he has a nasty habit of annually winning majors. This year he had to say "enough". (That he said "enough" in Swedish is another matter.)

The pressure to play, play, play is not confined to the elite, either. At the other end of the spectrum the "bubble boys" are under pressure to keep on playing in order to claw their way into the top 125 (to keep their Tour Card) or to prevent dropping out of the top 125. Toughest this year, I think, was the pressure on those ranked 125-144 at the commencement of the FedEx. They'd have been insane not to compete in every event they could qualify for. And when the playoffs were over, there were seven more events - in a row - that they needed to play in either to get into, or stay in, the top 125. And failing that, their early Christmas present is a trip to Q-School. Oi. I'm tired thinking about it.