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Golf and Behavioral Science

March 31, 2024 by Leave a Comment

Thinking Fast and Slow by the late Daniel Kahneman has been on the New York Times best seller list for 387 weeks! In it, the Nobel Prize winner in economics includes some research on the psychology of putting to illustrate an observation on how golfers react to situations regarding potential gains or losses. I put the observation to verse.

The Psychology of Putting According to Kahneman

A putt for par, no matter how far
Is a cause for concern for a golfer.
His blood pressure rises, he wants no surprises;
If it misses, he’s liable to mutter.

Research reveals for a birdie putt
The pressure more steady and down.
No matter how far, it’s two in for par
So, a miss will at most cause a frown.

Losses are feared more than gains are valued
Say behaviorists who’ve studied the game;
So, next game track your par putts and birdie,
Is the stress that you’re feeling the same?

Leon S White, PhD

Filed Under: golf humor, golf poetry, Golf psychology, poetry Tagged With: , ,
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Looking Back

February 20, 2024 by Leave a Comment

Looking Back

I wish I could still play the game
I’d surely shoot my age;
A lack of balance holds me back,
I’ve had to turn the page.

I came so close, more than once
Not too long ago;
But missed my chance by a putt or two,
One thrill I’ll never know.

I did have luck with a hole-in-one
A wonder to be sure;
Though I didn’t see the ball go in,
It was in the hole secure.

Satchel Paige said don’t look back
With golf it must be done;
The tales that need retelling,
The frustrations and the fun.

I hope that when you’re eighty-eight
Your thoughts like mine, the same;
Recalling many years of joy
For having played the game.

Leon S White, PhD

Filed Under: golf, golf poetry Tagged With: , ,
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My Tiger Hat

January 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment 

MY TIGER HAT

I still wear my Nike Tiger hat,
Though it never improved my score.
Somehow it linked my to Tiger;
Could Nike want anything more.

But now that link has been broken,
What new hat would be opportune?
For me, not any labelled LIV,
At least not anytime soon.

Leon S White, PhD
Filed Under: golf
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Better than Golf Balls

November 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment 

Golf and poetry
Go together
Like a golf umbrella
And heavy weather.

If Golf Balls Could Talk
For a golf club swinger;
As a holiday gift
It's a humdinger.

So don't hesitate
My book's great fun;
Better than golf balls -
It's at Amazon.  
(And now at $6.95)
 
The Author
Filed Under: golf
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Golf Course of Rhymes, which I published in 2011, is still the only book that illustrates aspects of the history of golf using poetry of the time. I spent three years doing research for this book which includes poetry from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Andrew Lang, Charles “Chick” Evans, Jr., Rudyard Kipling, Billy Collins and many other golf poets. I am publishing this note because the book is still available from Barns and Noble at the original price, $9.95. Amazon carries the book, but at a much higher price. Some of the book’s poems are included in entries to this Blog. Still the book as a whole makes a nice gift for an avid golfer.

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The Golfer’s Epitaph

October 30, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I recently found this poem among my golf poetry materials. It appears to be from a book, but I can’t provide a reference.

The Golfer’s Epitaph

When I have played my last stroke through,
When I have putted my last ball down,
Dig my grave ‘neath the sky’s own blue,
Far from the smoke and din of the town.
Plant me beneath the 18th green
With never a tear when I am done,
My epitaph by all men seen;
“Dead to the hole and down in one.”

Filed Under: golf, golf humor, golf poetry Tagged With:
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Have You Met Him

March 15, 2023 by 1 Comment

Thanks for visiting again or for the first time. As you may know (from reading this Blog) I’ve recently published a book called If Golf Balls Could Talk – Collected Golf Poems (available on Amazon). Here is a poem from the book that tells a familiar story:

 HE TALKS A GOOD GAME

He talks a good game

You know the guy

He judges each swing

With a critical eye. 

He talks a good game
Awash with advice

He’s off to the races

When he sees you slice. 

He talks a good game

He studies the pros

He is eager to tell you

All that he knows. 

He talks a good game

Can he turn a phrase

He talks a good game

But it’s not how he plays. 

He talks and he talks
With eyeballs that glisten
But even the duffers
No longer listen. 

If you’ve met this guy, you are welcome to share the experience in the comments section.

Filed Under: golf, golf humor, golf poetry, golf poetry books, humor, poetry, sports poetry, The book "If Golf Balls Could Talk - Collected Golf Poems" Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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Review of my book, “If Golf Balls Could Talk” from Golf Heritage Magazine

January 6, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Filed Under: golf
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A Golf Poem from ChatGBT

December 20, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I asked ChatGBT, OpenAI’s chatbot to offer a guest poem for the website. Here’s what it came up with:

Golf is a game that’s oh so grand,

But sometimes it can get quite bland.

You swing and you swing, and you hope for a hole-in-one,

But often you end up with a missed shot, undone.

The greens are so smooth, and the fairways so wide,

But sometimes the sand traps are where you reside.

So if you’re feeling down, and your game is a mess,

Just remember, golf is just a game, nothing less.

I’m not ready to turn the Blog over to ChatGBT, but it’s a decent effort.

Note: If you need a last minute gift for a golfer, please consider my new book, “lf Golf Balls Could Talk – Collected Golf Poems” available on Amazon.com.

Filed Under: AI poetry, golf Tagged With:
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What do you think?

October 14, 2022 by Leave a Comment

A succinct observation:

Comparing the Tour to LIV

What’s the Tour to LIV?
Maybe a mink to a skunk?
Or if that’s a bit too harsh for you,
Try Classical to Punk.

Leon S White, PhD

Filed Under: golf humor, golf poetry, LIV, The Tour Tagged With: , ,
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