Golf and the Five Themes of Geography:
Commentary on the Academic Side of Golf
A basic understanding of golf would probably begin with a thorough reading of the rulebook. But a student of the game would hardly end this academic pursuit with a perusal of the rules. This is a game that dates itself to the late 15th century in the highlands of Scotland. The modern game of golf is one steeped in rich traditions, a sturdy reliance on time-tested etiquette and, yes, a healthy dose of geography. While golf can and should be enjoyed as a sport, an examination of its connection to geography can make for an appreciation of geographic principles that are fundamental to the game.
The majority of the people who enjoy the game of golf are not professional golfers, and most certainly not geographers. Often the game is pursued by “weekend golfers” that are known to frequently succumb to the frustrations inherent in hitting a round ball with a slanted stick. Professionals are not exempt from these frustrations but it is the so-called “hackers” who see a golf course from its fringes. The bunkers, the rough, the out-of-bounds and the like are all areas more notoriously visited by the majority of golfers who play the game less frequently. These are the people who learn the true geography of a golf course, albeit in an accidental or unorthodox manner. This is not to say that professionals do not visit these environs, but certainly not at the same frequency as the casual golfer.
The Five Themes of Geography provide a gateway, a portal so to speak, to a more thorough understanding of golf. By internalizing aspects of the themes of geography, a player can come to appreciate the subtleties that make the game of golf unique among sports. The foundation of golf is buried in the physical clutches of geography.
Location
Let us begin with the first theme of geography that realty agencies like to express in the triplet: location, location, location. This theme manifests itself in many ways on a golf course not the least of which is the landing area of a carefully executed golf shot. If we accept the premise that the purpose of golf is to put a golf ball into a cup on a golf green 18 times during one round with the least possible accumulated strokes, then we also accept the premise that the most critical location on a golf course is the bottom of a cup on each golf hole.
Geographers like to classify locations as absolute and relative. Absolute locations are exact locations on the earth’s surface. A golf example would be the cup located on any given green most notably found on each hole marked with a numbered flagstick. A GPS (Global Positioning System) device would even be able to give these locations exact latitude and longitude readings. While these absolute locations are critical at the end of each golf hole, most golf is expressed through relative locations. Relative locations are areas determined by the relative location of the golf ball to other places or landmarks. In golf, this might be a ball located near the third tree on the left-hand side of the fairway. Or a player tells his playing partner that his ball lies approximately 10 yards behind the green. Relative locations give general areas of exactness. Thus, in a generalized sense, it might be suggested that professional golfers deal more with exact locations and casual golfers deal more with relative locations. This would be true in the accuracy of a golf shot in relation to the intended target area.
The theme of location applies in yet another dimension of the game of golf. “Playing it where it lies” is a crucial element of the game. Knowing the rules is, therefore, critical to the application of this facet of golf. Golfers are allowed “relief’ from various obstacles on a golf course such as a sprinkler head or casual water on the fairway. Relief from certain obstacles is a standard practice in golf but knowing what practices apply requires an understanding of the rulebook and any governances peculiar to a given golf course. A casual golfer may get relief using a “foot wedge” kick that doesn’t show up on the scorecard, but such behavior fails overwhelmingly in following etiquette as outlined by the rules of golf.
Place
Place can be defined by a geographer as “what a place is like.” For a golfer, the place that a golfer must navigate is the golf course and each course presents a different set of features and challenges as set forth by the course designer. It is only prudent to know what components make up the physical environment where the golfer will employ his craft.
Trees, grassy fairways, water hazards, and many other physical features make up a typical golf course. Knowing the physical characteristics of a golf course is as crucial to the outcome of the game as any other element that a golfer must address. Golf is one of the few games that establishes its fundamental competition as a contest between the athlete and the physical elements.
Sand traps are routinely placed as hazards on a golf course. It is to a player’s benefit to know their locations or, at a minimum, their mere existence. Golfers will also examine the length of the rough (grass bordering fairways and greens). Knowing where potential problems exist is a basic prerequisite to playing a golf hole.
The weather conditions on a given day of golf will also play into the eventual outcome of a player’s score. Avid players will allow for stiff winds and dense air in making their shots. Casual golfers will be less adept at this. Rain will invariably slow down the speed of a ball rolling on the green. Regardless, weather conditions can and do influence the final score.
Human-Environmental Interaction
Many people view golf as a competition with other players. While this can be true, it is not at the heart of golf. The competition that unfolds is that of a player versus the golf course rather than a direct competition with other participants of a golf outing. Any other competition on the golf course occurs only after the physical elements of each swing and golf shot are completed. In essence, it is a head-to-head match-up with the player contending with the physical obstacles offered by the golf course. Overcoming the physical environment to achieve success in a round of golf is not an easy task.
“Reading the greens” is a phrase often used by golfers in their quest to make a putt on an often less-than-flat surface. Undulations, usually by design, abound on a green and a major task of this sport is to try and predict the line on which a golf ball will roll to end up in the cup. Reading greens takes practice and variations in the green’s surface make this geographical element an essential skill to master in the arsenal of weapons for an aspiring golfer.
The scorecard does not care about the quality of the golf strokes; it just wants to know how many. Every golfer shares the same advantages and disadvantages within the physical environment of a golf course. The ending score for a round of golf lies in the variable of an individual golfer’s unique skills. In facing facts, some players obviously have better golfing skills than others. The result of this disparity will inevitably show up in the final tallies on a scorecard.
Yet the game of golf allows players with all levels of skill an opportunity to achieve success on a given hole. Par can be achieved in many ways on each hole. A poor drive can be offset by a great recovery shot. Bad shots happen. It has been said that the difference between baseball and golf is that in baseball you don’t have to play your foul balls. Golfers know that you must “take your medicine” as dispensed by a sometimes fickle golf course. A reporter once asked a professional golfer how he scored a 14 on a hole. He answered, “I missed the putt for a 13.” There is no need to explain bad shots. They happen to everyone. It is worth repeating, the scorecard does not discriminate in the quality of shots or the number of shots.
Movement
Movement is loosely defined as the movement of people, things and ideas from point A to point B. The theme of movement is most obvious on the golf course in the flight of the ball. But movement occurs in many other ways. Flag pins are moved on a regular basis. Tee boxes are also adjusted to vary the distance to the hole. Pull carts transport clubs. Motorized carts transport people and equipment. A golf course is in a constant state of movement.
The golf swing is a movement that most golfers must take seriously whether they want to or not. The physical mechanics of golf demand a good swing that leaves little room for error. The repetitive nature of the golf swing makes a polished motion the quest of every aspiring golfer. The swing is the essence of a good shot versus a great shot versus the inevitable bad shots that every golfer endures. Honing a polished swing is a time-consuming, effort-demanding process that requires an investment that a casual golfer is rarely willing to make. There are reasons that professionals are professional and the rest of us are mere golfers. The answer lies in time and talent. And for most professionals the abundance of their talent did not happen accidentally. Repeating a good golf stroke literally thousands of times is the only way of ingraining the ability to hit good shots time after time. They say that practice makes perfect but this is only partially true in golf. There is no way of guaranteeing that every golf shot will be a perfect one, even for professionals. Casual golfers push the chances of an errant stroke much higher.
“What club are you shooting here?” is a common question asked of many golf partners. This is the movement of information that helps improve one’s game of golf. “How many yards to the hole?” is another common query. Business meetings on the golf course not withstanding, most golfers will attest that a large proportion of conversation on a golf course will pertain to the game at hand.
Region
Finding areas of a golf course that share one or more similar characteristics is not a difficult task. This is the theme we call regions. Fairways share the lowest mowing of grass apart from the greens. The fairways are regions. The greens themselves are regions. Be it a grove of evergreens, or a row of oak-lined fairways, physical regions of a golf course stand out upon close examination. But what does this mean for the golfer?
In repeatedly playing a golf course, every golfer knows there are places, or regions, to covet or avoid. Consider the following observations: The low marshy area that adjoins the 5th fairway might get a golfer in trouble. From previous experience the golfer might know that it is best to not overshoot the 3rd green in order to stay out of the water. The golfer might also note that the most level part of the 7th fairway is achieved with a drive of 200 yards. These are examples of factoids that avid golfers internalize as they plot strategy for their round. Professional golf caddies fill notebooks with this type of data to help their patron golfers navigate various golf courses.
Conclusion
The Five Themes of Geography could improve your golf game but they are more likely to improve your understanding of golf. Use this knowledge in times of despair as you are totaling a less-than-stellar round of golf on your scorecard.
It would be easy to digress into a discussion of the ethics of scoring in golf. No attempt will be made to plunge into such an open abyss. Non-professional golf is one of the few games where the participant is likely to be the judge and jury of rule enforcement and one’s final score is based on ethical practices that have long been part of the game. Tradition dictates this. The score recorded for each hole comes down to the honesty of the participant and application of the rules of golf. This is done on a personal basis and while acceptable practices in scoring may vary from player to player in the amateur ranks, the integrity of the game depends on honoring the traditions appropriated by the rules of golf.
- Know your golf course. Understand its physical attributes. It may save you several strokes. When deciding whether you can hit a 250 yard shot over open water, always remember, discretion is the better part of valor.
- Golf has a rich and treasured history. Respect it by following the etiquette prescribed by its tradition.
- Compare your golf score with the course first, yourself second, and, in moments of weakness, to other golfers third.
- One golf course does not equal the next. Play each course on its own merits.
- There is no such thing as a “lucky shot.” Remember, you are hitting a round ball with a slanted stick. For me, every shot is lucky.
- Know the rules of golf well. They sometimes come in handy.
- Geography rocks.
The following are some of the basic tenets that the author has come to appreciate about the game of golf. They are included here as final statement on the game of golf by this casual golfer and avid geographer.