Christine Brennan writes horrible Masters column about Spieth and Woods for some reason

[skydog]

Jordan Spieth's lack of visible emotion on the course puts him right in the same basket with 90% of the players on Tour today.  The PGA Tour is vanilla, aside from a few like Tiger and Phil who show some emotion or find a way to connect with the fans.  Spieth could win 20 majors and never move golf's popularity meter.  Tiger is still 4 short of Jack and he's an international celebrity.  Spieth is a fantastic player, he may be a wonderful human being, and he may rewrite all of the record books, but unless he gets a personality transplant, he can never take Tiger's place in promoting golf to the masses.

I've got to take issue with pretty much all of this. First off, yes, Spieth will never move the needle like Tiger. No one will. But that doesn't mean he can't be a legitimate superstar in his own right.

Second of all, Spieth shows plenty of emotion on the course. He doesn't frequently curse or slam clubs but he's constantly talking to his ball and for the most part acts like a passionate (but polite and mature) 21 year old kid out there. Third, I don't know where you get this notion that Spieth has no personaility while Tiger is a regular George Clooney.  For most of his career, Tiger showed little to no true personality and hasn't put in much of an effort to connect with fans (some of this has changed recently). His game and intensity generated a natural charisma on the course that will probably never be matched again, but as for his personality and true connection to the fans, there wasn't much of one in his prime.  Jordan is a young, approachable, likeable guy and is playing the best golf on the planet right now- if that's not enough then perhaps we're asking a bit too much of our athletes because I'm not sure what else the dude could do.

Again, I don't support the premise of this article but had to point out some inconsistencies here.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Jordan Spieth's lack of visible emotion on the course puts him right in the same basket with 90% of the players on Tour today.  The PGA Tour is vanilla, aside from a few like Tiger and Phil who show some emotion or find a way to connect with the fans.  Spieth could win 20 majors and never move golf's popularity meter.  Tiger is still 4 short of Jack and he's an international celebrity.  Spieth is a fantastic player, he may be a wonderful human being, and he may rewrite all of the record books, but unless he gets a personality transplant, he can never take Tiger's place in promoting golf to the masses.

I've got to take issue with pretty much all of this. First off, yes, Spieth will never move the needle like Tiger. No one will. But that doesn't mean he can't be a legitimate superstar in his own right.

Second of all, Spieth shows plenty of emotion on the course. He doesn't frequently curse or slam clubs but he's constantly talking to his ball and for the most part acts like a passionate (but polite and mature) 21 year old kid out there. Third, I don't know where you get this notion that Spieth has no personaility while Tiger is a regular George Clooney.  For most of his career, Tiger showed little to no true personality and hasn't put in much of an effort to connect with fans (some of this has changed recently). His game and intensity generated a natural charisma on the course that will probably never be matched again, but as for his personality and true connection to the fans, there wasn't much of one in his prime.  Jordan is a young, approachable, likeable guy and is playing the best golf on the planet right now- if that's not enough then perhaps we're asking a bit too much of our athletes because I'm not sure what else the dude could do.

Again, I don't support the premise of this article but had to point out some inconsistencies here.

I never said anything about personality.  I said "emotion".  The viewer gets instantaneous feedback on Tiger's highs and lows.  With Spieth, the only way you could tell that he hit a bad shot is that he would point to the side he missed on - otherwise his demeanor was dead even, with no real apparent emotion.  Even Phil has that little fist clench that he does.  I guess I just like to watch players who show that they are human while on the course as well as off.  After all, that's when I'm going to see them, and I want some entertainment.  Just watching golf shots alone isn't all that exciting most of the time.  The US Open is one exception where the shots are the show.

[turtleback]

IMO, A Tiger Woods fist pump after making a big putt is the most exciting thing in sports.

OMG, I just got around to watching the Jim Nantz Remembers special about Raymond Floyd.  My goodness, did anyone know that even back in 1976, when Tiger was a few months old, Raymond Floyd was fist pumping?  Pretty vigorously, too, although I am not sure whether it could qualify as uber-fist pumping when uber hadn't even been founded yet.

Just another pathetic,terrible write-up from another terrible,pathetic journalist.

I wish Spieth all the best but let's don't put him up on a pedestal,I'll never understand this trend.

Who does it really benefit?

The very same sportwriters who will shortly be tearing him down.  Haven't we all seen this play before?  A young guy comes in well and we start hearing about mature beyond his ears, good with the media, exemplary family, blah, blah, blah.  Then they turn out to be human and get shredded.

It's not 1950 anymore. It is a falsehood golf is some kind of preservation society for gentlemanly conduct.

Yup.  Once we stopped wearing jackets, ties, and plus-fours it was all downhill.

Golf ettiquette and dropping an f-bomb two different things. Silly things like fist pumping have been brought into this thread as if it's a new thing. More less the same thing Palmer did after winning the open with his visor toss. If you believe what other tor pros say Tiger is beyond considerate taking care to not do things where the gallery following him could disrupt them.

As I said above, just watched Ray Floyd, one of my very favorite golfers, fist pump up a storm at the '76 Masters on the Jim Nantz special.  AND I saw Floyd VERY adversely affected by Arnie's Army when Arnie putted first and made his putt and then Floyd had to putt while the fans flooded to the next hole.

Not really.  Her point of view promotes a fictitious idea of purity in the sport, something which does not and never really has existed at the professional level.  Walter Hagen, probably the first American professional golfer to gain a level of fame, was a notorious gambler and hustler.  That had little to do with sportsmanship on the course.  Tiger shows good sportsmanship, and I've never really seen him do anything that I would consider heinous.  Dropping a club?  Pumping a fist?  This is bad sportsmanship?  Not from where I stand.

What lacked sportsmanship, gentlemanly behavior, and class was not the gambling and hustling and drinking and carousing of Hagen, it was the guys who would not let him into their sacred clubhouse to change his shoes.

[colin007]

just wanted to pop in and say that I am NOT a gentleman.

[dkolo]

just wanted to pop in and say that I am NOT a gentleman.

Harumph

[jbishop15]

Concur.

Sanctimony and self-righteousness? Look in a mirror.

Ooh, really got me there, pal. Way to turn that back around on me.

If you don't think that golf is drowning in sanctimony and self-righteousness, you're really not paying close enough attention. It's always had an element of snobbery that has kept a lot of people away from playing.

[3putter]

Precisely.....absent violating someone else's rights, I just don't understand anyone making judgments about how others act and/or live their lives......I personally think it shows a lack of enlightenment

Couldn't agree more

Golf is a gentleman's game to myself and many others. He has every right to compete in the manner that he sees fit. It very simply makes me, individually, have trouble rooting for him.

He does seem to act like a 13 year old after he hits a poor shot. I'm obviously in the minority with my opinion of him, so I must not be seeing things clearly. I don't know.

edit: the point was to show that even a 13 year old should know how to behave well on the course. He is much older than 13 and struggles with this in my opinion. He can do as he wishes, I'm just giving my perspective on why I have trouble pulling for him. I'm not trying to say that he is a terrible person or bad for golf, he just has immature actions while on the course. I'm sure he doesn't care what I think though, for anyone who was getting ready to remind me. As stated before, I'm just surprised I'm in such a minority.

Nothing personal to you, Sir/Ma'am, but please take the garbage out back. In what planet is golf a game of gentlemen? The racist/sexist gentlemen that pioneered the game, or better yet built the course of the very prestigious masters, or the weekend duffer that curses up a storm? Which gentlemen are you referring to?

I get a bit tired of people falsely romanticizing the game. Golf is a game of people. Some are a$$holes, some are good, but please, save the "golf is a game of gentlemen" quotes for trash day.

TW brought in the non-golf crowd - people who've never touched a club --many who have been football fans, NBA, MLB fans - and they're not aware that golf is a sport where sportsmanship is a key characteristic.  They see nothing wrong w/ poor manners on the golf course.

Is this suppose to be taken seriously? Please don't answer that.

They are people from different eras. Tiger elevated interest in the game; Spieth elevates humility and integrity.

1. Just how does one elevate integrity?

2. Is there a pro player out there that doesn't "elevate integrity"?

3 .Did Speith do something in particular to "elevate integrity" ?

[mmoan2]

TW brought in the non-golf crowd - people who've never touched a club --many who have been football fans, NBA, MLB fans - and they're not aware that golf is a sport where sportsmanship is a key characteristic.  They see nothing wrong w/ poor manners on the golf course.

Harold Ramis was poking out the subtext and utter nonsense of the notion that golf has more overall sportsmanship than other sports in a pop culture studio film in 1980 called Caddyshack. You're probably familiar with this film. Tiger Woods was 5 when it was released.

Rodney: I'll bet you $100 bucks you slice it into the woods.

Ted: Gambling Is illegal at Bushwood, and I never slice...

(slices ball into Woods)

Ted: DAMN IT!!!!

Besides, count me as one of the non-golf crowd TW helped bring to the game. I think I still have one of those sportsmanship awards trophies from high school somewhere around here that I earned as a football/baseball player...

[newtogolf]

Ooh, really got me there, pal. Way to turn that back around on me.

If you don't think that golf is drowning in sanctimony and self-righteousness, you're really not paying close enough attention. It's always had an element of snobbery that has kept a lot of people away from playing.

Sorry but I don't think snobbery is even in the Top 10 reasons why people don't play golf.  It may be why they don't join country clubs but if you go to a muni course there's nothing snobbish about it or the people playing there.

[Dave2512]

I think there may be lingering perception golf is snobby from people with no golf experience but it's entirely due to ignorance and decades old stereotyping. After all there are still things like dress codes. I can see how someone unfamiliar with golf could get that impression considering most dress a certain way to golf. I dress nicer to golf than I do for work. Someone mentioned Caddy Shack and that is really a film mocking the country club set even if there is some truth to it.

[Rick Martin]

I think there may be lingering perception golf is snobby from people with no golf experience but it's entirely due to ignorance and decades old stereotyping. After all there are still things like dress codes. I can see how someone unfamiliar with golf could get that impression considering most dress a certain way to golf. I dress nicer to golf than I do for work. Someone mentioned Caddy Shack and that is really a film mocking the country club set even if there is some truth to it.

Dress code is an excellent example of the "gentleman's sport" that golf continues to be. Most of the golfers I know shake each others' hands when they've completed playing - they also compliment good shots. Golf doesn't require a referee - you call penalties on yourself. Gentleman sport.   So much more to discuss on the subject but it appears that it has fallen on deaf ears - people who likely just picked up the game about 1997 when TW hit the scene and 'anything goes'.......

[ajw426]

Jordan Spieth's lack of visible emotion on the course puts him right in the same basket with 90% of the players on Tour today.  The PGA Tour is vanilla, aside from a few like Tiger and Phil who show some emotion or find a way to connect with the fans.  Spieth could win 20 majors and never move golf's popularity meter.  Tiger is still 4 short of Jack and he's an international celebrity.  Spieth is a fantastic player, he may be a wonderful human being, and he may rewrite all of the record books, but unless he gets a personality transplant, he can never take Tiger's place in promoting golf to the masses. Not really.  Her point of view promotes a fictitious idea of purity in the sport, something which does not and never really has existed at the professional level.  Walter Hagen, probably the first American professional golfer to gain a level of fame, was a notorious gambler and hustler.  That had little to do with sportsmanship on the course.  Tiger shows good sportsmanship, and I've never really seen him do anything that I would consider heinous.  Dropping a club?  Pumping a fist?  This is bad sportsmanship?  Not from where I stand. I respect the game of golf as much as anyone, but I also curse on occasion.  I've never thrown a club, but I've dropped them in disgust, similar to what Tiger dies.  For me respect for the game involves knowing and playing by the rules, using proper etiquette (when I cuss, I don't scream it out - it's usually in a low voice that can't be heard more than 10 feet away - but I still do it).  Most of all it's about showing respect for the course and the players on the course, and an occasional descent in to gutter speech is not bad form if it's kept discreet.  The problem is that Tiger always has a camera crew right on top of him, and often a parabolic mic aimed at him, so we hear his bombs far more than we do any others.  His cursing would probably not be that apparent at the distance separation that players usually have when playing together.   As many here lament, Tiger still gets heavy coverage even when he's playing poorly, so we see him when he's frustrated with his game and with himself.   It's natural that he is more likely to let some words slip that are better not broadcast, but that's the burden of a  live broadcast.  He was essentially an army brat, his dad was a career soldier, so I would suspect that Tiger heard a few choice words growing up.  That would tend make his idea of what is allowable and normal quite different from what the son of a minister might believe.

Very appropriate and well written reply. My only retort to that is that he seems to do them much more frequently (you gave some reasons as to why we may see it more, and those definitely have some merit), and he just seems to be generally whiney to me. I don't care for whiney participants in any sport. These aren't reasons to condemn him (and I don't), but it does surprise me that so so many people just make excuses for every little thing he does. It actually shocks me. You, however, are a person with whom I could have a lengthy and reasonable discussion on the matter. We may be on slightly different sides of the equation, but still in the same ball park. Tiger has been great for golf in more ways than I can count. His actions and behavior on the course is not completely out of hand, but it does definitely leave something to be desired. I do love the fist pumping and excitement on good shots! The dropping of clubs and f-bombs multiple times each round just gets old. The article written in the OP is way over the top. I agree with her to some extent, but on a much much much smaller scale.

[Dave2512]

Dress code is an excellent example of the "gentleman's sport" that golf continues to be. Most of the golfers I know shake each others' hands when they've completed playing - they also compliment good shots. Golf doesn't require a referee - you call penalties on yourself. Gentleman sport.   So much more to discuss on the subject but it appears that it has fallen on deaf ears - people who likely just picked up the game about 1997 when TW hit the scene and 'anything goes'.......

But the dress code is completely unnecessary to the sport. I play the same and treat my playing partners the same wearing a hoodie as I do a polo. Clothes don't make the man.

[newtogolf]

But the dress code is completely unnecessary to the sport. I play the same and treat my playing partners the same wearing a hoodie as I do a polo. Clothes don't make the man.

Again I think it's the country clubs that maintain the stricter dress codes, though my club now allows "neat jeans" for more casual club events, but still prohibits them on the course.  Most public courses are pretty lax in enforcing dress codes.  I've also noticed that the LPGA is pretty lenient with dress code.

[jamo]

Dress code is an excellent example of the "gentleman's sport" that golf continues to be. Most of the golfers I know shake each others' hands when they've completed playing - they also compliment good shots. Golf doesn't require a referee - you call penalties on yourself. Gentleman sport.   So much more to discuss on the subject but it appears that it has fallen on deaf ears - people who likely just picked up the game about 1997 when TW hit the scene and 'anything goes'.......

They do that in hockey too. Who cares?

[Dave2512]

Again I think it's the country clubs that maintain the stricter dress codes, though my club now allows "neat jeans" for more casual club events, but still prohibits them on the course.  Most public courses are pretty lax in enforcing dress codes.  I've also noticed that the LPGA is pretty lenient with dress code.

Even if it isn't enforced we are all aware the dress code policies exist. I play some very relaxed courses but they sell golf clothes in the pro shop not jeans and the scorecard and sign in the shop mentions the dress code.

[Rick Martin]

They do that in hockey too. Who cares?

what else does the game of golf (gentleman's sport) and hockey share?

[legitimatebeef]

USA Today is like the worst newspaper ever, you know and I know it.