{"id":326,"date":"2009-09-07T09:56:23","date_gmt":"2009-09-07T16:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeffwallach.com\/?p=326"},"modified":"2014-04-01T09:54:05","modified_gmt":"2014-04-01T16:54:05","slug":"test-your-golf-iq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/golf\/instruction\/326\/test-your-golf-iq","title":{"rendered":"IQ Test Now Mandatory for Golfers"},"content":{"rendered":"\"IQ\"<\/a>\n

Intelligence in this game is either a saving grace or causes death by over-thinking.\u00a0 Where you stand and what it means may surprise you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon and you\u2019re enjoying your usual Nassau with your best golf buddy\/nemesis.\u00a0 He\u2019s one up with two to play. No worries, though; you\u2019ve been in this spot before and you\u2019re confident that the match is far from over.<\/p>\n

Seventeen is a narrow, tricky par five that\u2019s reachable with two perfect shots.\u00a0 When your opponent grabs his driver, you think Bingo! I\u2019m gonna win again.<\/em> And the reason? Because<\/em>, you say to yourself: I am so much smarter than him<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The intelligent play would be for your opponent to hit four-iron off the tee, lay up, punch a wedge to the green, then two putt for par.\u00a0 All he needs to do is match you shot for shot without stumbling.\u00a0 But<\/em>, you think, as he takes a swoopy, confident swing with his driver, he\u2019s too stupid for that.<\/em><\/p>\n

On the other hand, he\u2019s also just dumb enough to swing out of his shoes and rip a 300-yarder dead center, laser a three-iron to within kicking distance of the pin, and dunk an eagle.\u00a0 But that has nothing to do with intelligence.<\/p>\n

Or does it?<\/p>\n

The answer is yes.\u00a0 Or no.\u00a0 Given the nature of golf as a non-reactive sport our research indicates that the best golfers are extremely intelligent.\u00a0 Or, really really dumb.\u00a0\u00a0 Or really smart AND really dumb.\u00a0 Okay, we\u2019ll explain.\u00a0 And we\u2019ll speak slowly for those of you who may be long drive competitors.<\/p>\n

Really smart golfers are able to use their well-trained analytical minds to learn essential skills and then, when appropriate, remove their thinking caps, eliminating clutter and letting a more instinctive intelligence take over– much like athletes in other sports who don\u2019t have to think too long before blocking a jump shot or checking a right wing into the boards.<\/p>\n

Really dumb golfers don\u2019t have much intellectual clutter to begin with.\u00a0 Their minds are free of confusing thoughts; in fact, they may be free of any thoughts at all, which can be a gift in a game where many players get in their own way by thinking too much.\u00a0 As PGA and Champions Tour player Peter Jacobsen says, \u201cI\u2019ve seen guys whose IQs could freeze water win golf tournaments.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if a guy got straight As or can solve Rubik\u2019s Cube but if he can get it in the hole in the fewest number of strokes and play in perspective, he\u2019s an intelligent golfer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brainiacs and simpletons\u00a0 are often fine golfers.\u00a0 It\u2019s folks in the middle who have the toughest time.\u00a0 Those of us who are sharp enough to know a few things about swing mechanics or the physics of spin often aren\u2019t smart enough to stop pondering these things while we\u2019re trying to hit a touch shot to a well-bunkered green.\u00a0 And just because your opponent in that $2 Nassau can\u2019t identify the capital of Vermont doesn\u2019t exclude his possessing a more physical or kinesthetic kind of intelligence that allows him to extract some capital from your wallet.<\/p>\n

But the question of how intelligence affects an athlete\u2019s performance in sports in general and in golf in particular is not so simple.\u00a0 That\u2019s because researchers and academics can\u2019t agree on what intelligence even means<\/em>, let alone apply it to an activity as complex as a sport, where both physical and mental abilities work in harmony to achieve the greatest results.\u00a0 Current debates about intelligence can be organized into two major theories:<\/p>\n

One mind<\/h1>\n

The first, developed a century ago, suggests that we are each genetically predisposed to a general intelligence (so-called \u201cg\u201d), which can be measured by standardized tests and represented by a number\u2014an intelligence quotient or IQ.<\/p>\n

Many minds<\/h1>\n

In the 1980s, Harvard Professor Howard Gardner developed an alternative theory, suggesting that there are actually a variety of intelligences of very different sorts, including linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and bodily\/kinesthetic\u2014 the last of which probably applies most closely to performance in sports.\u00a0 Which might explain how an athlete who can\u2019t read anything more complex than a book of matches can consistently read the offense in a sport such as football or basketball and prove successful at picking off passes.<\/p>\n

How the twain meet<\/h1>\n

Steve Sailer, a science journalist who has been writing about IQ for a decade says, \u201cBoth \u2018g\u2019 and multiple intelligences are true.\u00a0 They\u2019re just two ways of looking at different cognitive skills being correlated more than randomly but less than perfectly.\u201d\u00a0 Still, he points out that \u201cthe \u2018g\u2019 men have more data on their side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using Tour players to explain these theories, Sailer says, \u201cTo help people distinguish between \u201cg\u201d and Gardner\u2019s multiple intelligences, you might compare \u2018g\u2019 to general athleticism.\u00a0 Hale Irwin has a lot of general athleticism\u2014he was a fine defensive back at Colorado\u2014while Tom Kite does not.\u00a0 Some pro golfer said that when he saw Kite trying to play basketball, he was ashamed for his profession.\u00a0 But Kite has some excellent specific golf talents and golf smarts and worked hard to develop them.\u00a0 Another comparison might be the general athleticism of Greg Norman against John Daly\u2019s almost freakish golf skills.\u00a0 A lot of people have wondered if Norman, a magnificent specimen of masculinity, might have been even better in some other sport, like Australian football.\u00a0 In contrast, Daly\u2019s body (but not his brain) and its incredible flexibility combined with a weight problem, would only work in golf.\u00a0 Irwin and Norman would appear to have a lot of \u2018general athleticism\u2019 that could have allowed them to do well in a lot of sports.\u00a0 They\u2019ve channeled their general athleticism into golf.\u00a0 In contrast, overweight, chain-smoking John Daly would be lousy at most sports but he is (at least physically) freakishly gifted for playing golf.\u00a0 Kite has little general athleticism, a reasonable amount of specific golf athleticism, and huge amounts of self-discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n

How they apply on the course<\/h1>\n

Let\u2019s say that you\u2019re willing to believe that there are both general and more specific and varied forms of intelligence (and lacks thereof), and that each might provide a potential advantage in golf.\u00a0 But exactly how<\/em> does one or the other really apply to a person\u2019s ability to deliver a ball of 1.68 inches in diameter into a 4.25-inch-wide cup some 500 yards away\u2014across terrain characterized by narrow platforms of grass surrounded by trees, water, sand, and other obstacles\u2014by whacking it with a metal stick?\u00a0 Which, when you think about it, doesn\u2019t seem like all that intelligent an activity to begin with.<\/p>\n

To answer this we turned to iconoclastic golf educator Chuck Hogan, who turns the discussion toward a distinction between intellect and intelligence.\u00a0 Intellect (which may correlate more closely with \u201cg\u201d), Hogan explains, is the analytical part of the mind necessary for first learning basic skills that must become habituated\u2014the way walking or tying your shoes or following through is habituated\u2014so that a person can act intelligently, i.e. instinctively, and perform without thinking about it.\u00a0 \u201cIntelligence itself is spontaneous,\u201d Hogan asserts.\u00a0 \u201cIt flows.\u00a0 It is<\/em> instinct.\u00a0 Intelligence is where a person is operating from when he\u2019s in the zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hogan backs up the hypothesis that deep thinking is only an advantage in sports (especially golf) if you\u2019re smart enough to stop thinking when necessary.\u00a0 He agrees that intellect has its purpose, especially when learning a new skill.\u00a0 But he adds, \u201cIntellect can\u2019t do anything but figure out intellect.\u00a0 It\u2019s the property of words.\u00a0 If you take words away you don\u2019t have intellect.\u00a0 I\u2019ve asked golf professionals all over the world what it\u2019s like to be in the zone.\u00a0 When people are in the zone they perform at peak level with the greatest of ease. Everybody says: \u2018I wasn\u2019t even thinking.\u2019\u00a0 There\u2019s an absence of internal dialogue.\u00a0 Intellect, which is verbally based, is arduously slow.\u00a0 Intelligence, which is imagery based, is fast as lightning.\u00a0 It\u2019s the absence of analytical thought and verbalization.\u00a0 So in golf, ignorance is bliss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tour player Joe Durant puts it even more simply, \u201cSometimes golf intelligence would mean being dumb as a rock at the right time, because sometimes you over-think on the course.\u00a0 Sometimes you need to be really stupid and not think at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Test Your Golf IQ<\/h1>\n

Are you smart enough (or dumb enough) to be great?<\/p>\n

1. Which would you prefer<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

A. Longer drives, wherever they go\u2014you\u2019ll work on accuracy later<\/p>\n

B. Shorter drives, more fairways hit<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Fail-safe line that wins you date with cart girl every time<\/p>\n

D. Ability to recover from trouble<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 GOLF Magazine Top 100 Instructor Dr. David Wright, who defines intelligence in golf as emotional intelligence, suggests that recovering from trees or rough, for example, or making birdies from missed fairways is an indication of high intelligence because it demonstrates calmness and control under pressure.<\/p>\n

2. Which is a clear sign that you\u2019re a few clubs short of a full bag?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 Locked keys in car again.\u00a0 While it was running.<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 You\u2019re short on approaches to six greens, long on ten others<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Assessed penalty for reaching across hole with putter to tap in 6-incher.<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 All of the above.<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 Remind the guy from AAA that you\u2019re going to need gas, too.\u00a0 Science writer Steve Sailer suggests that misclubbing is a mark of less intelligent life forms.\u00a0 And knowing the basic rules of golf is one of the most important parts of the game.<\/p>\n

3. Who do you think is the most intelligent golfer of the following?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 Shivas Irons<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 John Daly<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Bruce Lietzke<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 Ben Hogan<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Shivas Irons is a fictional character (So is the Easter Bunny.\u00a0 Sorry.)<\/p>\n

As Steve Sailer says, \u201cYou can see John Daly making numerous bad decisions on the golf course, just as he makes bad decisions in his choice of wives, in the casino, and so forth.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think Daly would be offended if somebody said he\u2019d be more successful if he had higher general intelligence\u2014he\u2019s said much the same thing himself.\u00a0 On the other hand, Daly\u2019s often excellent putting and chipping shows that he likely has a very good mental capability for 3D analysis, which is a specific mental capacity that does not correlate as closely with \u201cg\u201d as most others.<\/p>\n

According to Chuck Hogan, \u201cBruce Lietzke is as good as it gets.\u00a0 Lietzke says, \u2018My swing is my swing.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have to practice it.\u00a0 I go home and do other things.\u2019\u00a0 That is the trust of intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n

And in spite of all the books you\u2019ve seen about him lately, Ben Hogan is quite dead.<\/p>\n

4. You\u2019ve got 240 yards into an elevated green off a flat lie on a reachable par five.\u00a0 You . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 Hit your longest club and try to get to the green; eagles are worth the risk<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 Hit three iron to get as close as possible while minimizing risk<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Hit nine iron to set up a comfortable wedge to the green because you\u2019re Rambo-deadly with your wedge<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t matter what club you shank<\/p>\n

C. \u00a0According to Paul Azinger, \u201cCourse management is<\/em> intelligence in golf.\u201d\u00a0 Fellow TOUR player John Riegger agrees, adding, \u201cGolf intelligence is a guy knowing what he\u2019s capable of and playing within those capabilities.\u00a0 Tiger can hit a two-iron from 270 off a downhill lie; I can\u2019t do that, and if I tried to, it wouldn\u2019t be very smart.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. You need a double-breaking fifteen-footer to win the club championship.\u00a0 To help read the putt you . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 Plumb bob<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 Plumb Bill<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Walk the line of the putt in both directions\u2014from ball to hole and from hole back to ball\u2014 and make sure that the line formed by your feet is parallel to the putter head when you set up<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 Visualize the ball rolling along the green like a streak of golden light and falling into the cup<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 Chuck Hogan says, \u201cUsing real intelligence, a golfer reads a green virtually at first glance.\u00a0 Intelligence knows<\/em> until intellect intercedes.\u00a0 All golfers have a day on which they can just see<\/em> the break.\u00a0 That\u2019s intelligence at play vs. intellect at work, which just gets in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. Your most frequent swing thought is<\/strong> . . .<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 Sweep the club through the ball<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 Shoulder turn, load the wrists, shift weight<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Cheeseburger, medium rare, crispy fries\u2014no, wait, turkey club sandwich, speaking of club, what club am I hitting? Should\u2019ve had my wedge regripped, did I turn off the stove?<\/p>\n

D. \u00a0Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa.<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 As Ty Webb has remarked, \u201cA flute without holes, is not a flute. A donut without a hole, is a Danish.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. If you could be granted one golf super-power, which would you choose?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 Megawatt drives<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 Short game wizardry<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Magical equipment<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 X-ray vision.\u00a0 And tickets to an LPGA event.<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 Dr. David Wright also believes that short game prowess is a sign of intelligent life on Tour and elsewhere.\u00a0 Seeing lines and visualizing shots requires a quiet mind, which is a hallmark of emotional intelligence.\u00a0 Wright believes that chipping, pitching, and bunker shots all require a high level of intelligence.<\/p>\n

8. Tomorrow is your last day at St. Andrews and you haven\u2019t been chosen by the lottery for a tee time on the Old Course. You wake up at 5 a.m. to reach the course before the sun rises over the Firth of Forth and do the following<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 Camp out at the starter\u2019s shack, beg for a slot<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 Offer some local codger $500 for his tee time<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Pretend you\u2019re a caddie<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 Pretend you\u2019re Dick Cheney<\/p>\n

You should know there\u2019s always a trick question on these quizzes, Copernicus.\u00a0 Last time we checked, the sun rose in the east.\u00a0 But give yourself half a point if you chose E: Sleep till 11, enjoy a deep-fried Mars bar and a pint of ale for breaky.<\/p>\n

9. You\u2019ve already figured yardage, wind speed and direction, turf conditions, and other factors in deciding to hit a particular club.\u00a0 Once you\u2019ve got the club in your hand and are addressing the ball you<\/strong> . . .<\/p>\n

A. Think about where you want the shot to land<\/p>\n

B. Shut up and swing<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Check in with yourself as to whether your club selection seems comfortable<\/p>\n

D. Check wind speed again to make sure there\u2019s been no change or gusts<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0 TOUR player John Riegger says. \u201cThe more you can make golf a reaction sport the better off you are.\u00a0 If you\u2019re out there thinking when you\u2019re standing over the shot then you\u2019re done.\u00a0 You do all your thinking before you even take the club out of the bag.\u00a0 Once you pull the club out, if you can make it a reaction, you\u2019re halfway there.\u201d<\/p>\n

10. After missing a two-foot putt for par you are most likely to<\/strong> . . .<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 Look up at leaves glittering on trees<\/p>\n

B. \u00a0Attack a squirrel in the bunker for mocking you with his little squirrel eyes<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0 Gently toss club in mock anger<\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 Curse under your breath in real anger but NEVER throw a club<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0 According to Dr. David Wright, when players are in the zone \u201cthere\u2019s not a lot of elation or club throwing.\u00a0 There\u2019s a monotone aura and the player is just playing well, without effort.\u00a0 In the zone, highs and lows don\u2019t exist.\u00a0 Players who are struggling throw clubs and mutter and complain.\u00a0 That\u2019s not emotional intelligence, which is seamless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wright adds that \u201cThe best players cycle in and out of emotional intelligence.\u00a0 It requires as much practice as the golf swing, though the best players are in it most of the time.\u00a0 The Tour requires a combination of skill and emotional intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n

How\u2019d you do, Einstein?<\/strong><\/p>\n

0-3 correct.\u00a0 Congratulations, you\u2019re dumb as a rake.\u00a0 We\u2019ll take you as a two-man best ball partner any time, as long as you can figure out where the first tee is and remember to take off your club head covers before hitting.\u00a0 Your game is all over the place and you have no idea why.\u00a0 But when you get on a roll, you\u2019re unstoppable.\u00a0 And you can be coached.<\/p>\n

4-7 correct.\u00a0 Like most of us, you\u2019re of average golf intelligence.\u00a0 Your game is probably characterized by moments of brilliance, rage-producing inconsistency, a sense every now and again that you\u2019ve finally got things figured out, and some great rounds interrupted by some really high numbers.<\/p>\n

8-10 correct.\u00a0 You are smart and dumb, which makes you even smarter.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got a mind capable of performing at a high level on the golf course (which is to say you trust yourself and don\u2019t have to intellectualize every shot) and your game is probably very consistent. You play with a Zen-like calmness, and you enjoy yourself even when you\u2019re blowing up a little.\u00a0 If you have the physical skills to match your mental ones, you\u2019re probably a stick.<\/p>\n

Brawn vs. Brains<\/strong><\/p>\n

Physical abilities diminish with age.\u00a0 Conversely, intelligence (or at least learning\/experience) can make us smarter as we get older.\u00a0 By looking at the optimum ages for performance in a variety of sports we can extrapolate that if the peak age for one sport is higher than in another, optimum performance in that sport relies less on physical than on intellectual characteristics.\u00a0 As Steve Sailer says, \u201cGolf is toward the high end, suggesting physique is less important than the mental side than in, say, tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sport<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong>Optimal Age for Peak Performance<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Tennis: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 25<\/p>\n

Baseball:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 27<\/p>\n

Golf: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a031<\/p>\n

Chess: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 36<\/p>\n

Dr. David Wright might correlate this with emotional intelligence, which he believes is learned.\u00a0 He cites research with golfers, marksmen, and expert archers that shows a shift in one of the hemispheres of their brains and a decrease in heart rate 3-7 seconds before execution of a shot.\u00a0 These athletes have trained themselves to be smart\u2014so smart that they can control their own autonomous motor functions to benefit their performances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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