What Are Your Personal Feelings On Luck?

[westcyderydin]

You win some, you lose some.  When it comes to luck...as a competitor...my mindset is that it evens out for everybody.  Don't worry about being more or less lucky than someone else...or get too down if bad luck strikes often in a short amount of time.  Control what you can control and just take what luck gives you.

I also like the saying, "You make your own luck."  There are a lot of things that can happen in golf...bump on the green, perfect drive lands in a divot, ball hits sprinkler head in front of the green and a perfect shot turns into a tough pitch from behind the green.  Some things you can't control.  But when it comes to getting bounces off of trees, being able or not able to execute harder shots (ball in divot, etc), or getting the ball really close to the hole...there are some things you can control by hitting better shots or being prepared to hit different shots that could get you out of the unlucky situation.

So the total value of luck is neutral.  In the end it will even out for everybody.  Control what you can control and be ready for any situation...

[x129]

Actually doesn't isn't modern physics pretty much based on luck? Granted it is at the subatomic level....

I would guess 99% of us would call this bad luck

This would also be a bad luck as given how the shot was hit the odds of ending up in the water were about 0.

(yes I know the rules but don't ruin the joke).

This isn't bad luck

  Zeph said:

Originally Posted by Zeph

Luck is a result of something that happened outside of our control. A pro golfer got pretty good control of the ball, but not so good that they can literally drop the ball anywhere. Which means there is a pretty big margin of error. Sometimes they miss at the luckiest spot and end up with a great shot.

By the laws of physics, luck can't "exist", but with so many factors playing a part in where a ball lands and stops, I don't have any problem in using the term. You also got the kind of luck you absolutely cannot control.

[allin]

I call it luck because any mention of quantum mechanics, string theory or any thought experiment involving a cat would result in my playing golf alone for the foreseeable, predictable? future.

[Vladimir Puttin']

It's funny, the more I practice, the luckier I get.

[Kieran123]

Luck is something that happens that benefits you - that 99 times out of 100 would not usually happen.

ie. your ball heading for the water bounces off a rock onto the green

Luck happens, flukes don't

[Leftygolfer]

Of course luck or good chance exist.  But the better your choices and in the case of golf shots, the less you depend on it.  I think with putting particularly.  You can hit the exact same putt the same way and one go in the other lip out.

Look at that putt sergio hit on the 72nd hole to win the open.  I thought he hit a perfect putt that didn't go in.  But earlier in that round he putted like a dog and putt himself in the position to get unlucky.

[bluecollar01]

"Luck" as described in this thread seems to be a matter of semantics.  It's likely very few people would describe "luck" as an active/passive force that is quantifiable by physics.  As others have said it's a term used to describe an event/outcome that was unlikely, based on given circumstances.

Good luck is where preparation meets opportunity... or so I've heard.

[Topper]

Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't.  Since "luck" is not something that I can control, I don't dwell on it.  I have no time for superstitions.

[bluecollar01]

I was thinking about the statement I made earlier, about luck not being a quantifiable force, and thought it would be interesting for someone to calculate the "average amount of luck needed to win a major".  Basically, go back though past majors and look to see how many times the eventual winner had a good/bad break, and assign a point system.  Where it could be tricky is do you assign "good" points to the eventual winner when someone challenging for the lead gets a "bad" break?

Too deep a thought for my Saturday morning :)

[The Tin Man]

  Topper said:

Originally Posted by Topper

Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't.  Since "luck" is not something that I can control, I don't dwell on it.  I have no time for superstitions.

I agree - if we can control or influence it - it's not luck.

[Valleygolfer]

  saevel25 said:

Originally Posted by saevel25

Luck is an illusion derived from humans to define something that they can't rationally explain, a lower percentage outcome happening. Its not luck or bad luck, its just a probability that occurs. To name it luck or bad luck is just superficial.

+1 There is no such thing as luck. Only a term that humans use to define something they did not predict in their mind as happening. There is an explanation for all occurrences in life.

[bplewis24]

  jamo said:

Originally Posted by jamo

I think that's what he and others (saevel25, x129, and iacas, mainly) were getting at. Those things that happened were highly, highly unlikely, but "luck" can't break the laws of physics.

Sounds a lot like semantics parsing to me (save the part about physics, which I think most reasonable people already accept).  One person saying "I was incredibly lucky to win the lottery" vs another person countering, "that wasn't luck, it was just highly highly highly highly improbable" isn't really a logical disconnect.

Brandon

[stogiesnbogies]

Luck is indeed the x factor in the game....it comes and goes in both good and bad forms....i.e.  Angel Cabrera in the Masters playoff when his bad shot hit a tree and bounced into the fairway....viola green jacket!  Think Phil at this years masters -hits "safe shot" but clangs off grandstand railing into shrubs-goodbye green jacket....if the ball misses that narrow rail and lands in grandstand he gets a free drop ..and is in the mix down the stretch on sunday at Augusta!

Luck is indeed a fickle mistress....