Capelle On Golf

In the March issue of Golf Digest a reader posed the question so many of golf’s “new fans” keeping asking: “Why do golf pros insist on complete silence when they play.”

The Grillroom expert went into a harangue about how a lady player in the 1920s ignored a train while holing a putt to win a championship. He then referenced Tiger Woods’ legendary training regimen during which his dad dipped into his bag of dirty tricks in an attempt to disrupt Tiger’s concentration. Too bad he didn’t carry a camera around with him as the sound of their motors continues to drive him nuts.

The expert concluded by talking about the concentration golf requires and the games tradition of silence. But he missed perhaps the biggest single argument against cheering and taunting from the fans: it would simply be unfair.

The games the new fans cherish are played in stadiums and arenas where there is constant screaming and heckling, so the players are used to noise. In golf, some players would be unaffected for at least the first two or three rounds as they worked their way onto the leaderboard in obscurity. Players like Woods, Mickelson, Garcia would have to earn their spot in the final groups on Sunday while under a constant barrage of distractions.

The only time the contest would be even close to fair would be on the back nine on Sunday for the leaders when those who have a chance to win are being bombarded with gallery noise.  But who wants to see a player lose on the 72nd hole because a heckler caused him to miss a makeable putt?

Besides, the quiet before the thunder, as we witnessed at the 72nd hole at the 2008 US Open, is one of golf’s greatest treats. So let’s put this ill founded argument to rest once and for all – and let the quiet before the storm live on.