Memorable Quotes

Golf has a rich oral history. Unfortunately all we can do with the Trap Five is scratch the surface of golf’s memorable quotes. Often players and famous personalities crystalize our collective thoughts on golf well.

For every group of weekend warriors there are usually a collection of witty golf-isms thrown around. “Does your husband play,” one will say when a put comes up short, “That’s Tiger-right” for a ball way in the woods, and “He’s hit a worm-burner” for anything hit thin. Yes, my partners are so funny.

Let’s check out some quotes actually worth remembering…

Number Five: Hank Aaron
Anyone who’s dedicated to golf understands that you can’t climb Mount Everest in a day. The first thing you need is patience. The second is patience. The third is a good sense of humor. This is especially true for those of us who took up the game after those impressionable childhood years.

I’ve worked hard at learning how to swing a club in recent years and have found that two good words are “baby steps.” Some days, particularly in the early days, involved way too much thrashing of the club.

There have been a lot of athletes from other sports who have taken up the game. The great Hank Aaron had some choice words about golf and I can definitely identify:

It took me seventeen years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.

Number Four: Seve Ballesteros
Every great player in the great game of golf had a killer instinct. Ben Hogan had that stare, competitors could feel Jack Nicklaus coming for you, players often choke up shots when Tiger is in the hunt because he’s going to step on your throat and finish you off. Trevino was one of the most competitive players out there even though he seemed so laid back.

It’s the nature of men and sports. If you’re going to play the game, you might as well play to win. Second place is first loser. Seve Ballesteros was one of those guys who staggered all over the course but was able to perform miracles around the greens. The thing that probably made the biggest difference is that he was hungry for victory.

I look into their eyes, shake their hand, pat their back, and wish them luck, but I am thinking, “I am going to bury you.”

Number Three: Mark Twain
Mark Twain is one of the most celebrated writers in American history. He had a knack for putting things into perspective. But you won’t find many golfers thinking these immortal words of Twain, at least when they’re forced to work on the weekend. There have been plenty of times when the wheels have come off when I’ve wondered what possessed me to take up a game that punishes me so much. Sometimes it doesn’t make much sense.

Most of the time, however, I disagree with the great Twain. Especially when the sun is out, I’ve just made a par or a birdie, and I’m sharing something to eat at the turn with one of my buddies. I know all winter long as the rain has fallen that I would definitely not share Mark Twain’s sentiments.

Golf is a good walk spoiled.

Number Two: Sam Snead
Slammin’ Sammy Snead accumulated 81 PGA Tour victories, the most of any PGA Tour player in history, and had an enviable swipe at the ball. While he didn’t win a ton of majors his 81 victories has assured him a place in golf history.

Snead knew something about fundamentals had enviable tempo. Writer Bill Fields said that Sammy’s swing “used to resemble a Faulkner sentence. It was long, laced with the perfect pause and blessed with a powerful finish.”

The average touring professional has a nice looking swing but Snead’s was that much smoother. He was Els before Els existed.

If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they’d starve to death.

Number One: Lee Trevino
One of the games biggest characters, Trevino is the king of one-liners. Commenter Miles Dowsett recently said at Nine Holes with Lee Trevino that, “He’s a credit to golf; we’re lucky to have him,” and of course he’s right. Trevino is one of those guys who struck that wonderful balance between playing like a pro and remaining one of the Tour’s most likable and accessible players.

There are few who can work the ball like he did. He understood what it took to get a ball up on the putting surface in the most creative ways. He’s also probably one of the most quoted players of all time.

You can talk to a fade but a hook won’t listen.

Your Turn
Got any memorable quotes yourself? Post them in the comments. I look forward to hearing them.

Photo Credits: © MLB.com, Unknown, WXXI.org, Golf Legends.