In Men at Work, George Will observed that “The history of baseball is littered with stories of failures by players who thought that their natural physical endowments would be sufficient.” The previous assertion was what made Will’s book such a fascinating read. It never occurred to me that the most interesting aspects of baseball were often the unseen strategies at work, and that were crafted by savants in the dugout and on the field. Baseball was so cerebral, and knowing this made it so much more fun.
Will’s classic came to mind quite a lot while reading Michael Arkush’s excellent new book, The Golf 100: A Spirited Ranking of the Greatest Players of All Time. Hale Irwin (#54 on the list), whom Arkush describes as more competitive than Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and even Pete Rose, confirms a la Will with baseball that golf has intensely cerebral qualities. As he put it, “At this level, it’s not about hitting the golf ball. Everyone can do that. It’s about the conversation between your mind and your heart.”
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