PUBLIC ENEMY NO 1, A.K.A COVID-19, HAS PUT AN END TO YET ANOTHER TRADITION; THIS TIME IT IS ONE OF THE BEST AND MOST RESPECTFUL OF PLAYER INTERACTIONS
Golf is centuries old and heavily steeped in tradition. Luckily, as an institution, it has been reasonably agile on its feet. The game has managed to stay abreast with the rapidly evolving world.
Timely introduction of new rules and amendments has improved the game. Quite the opposite to being unyielding fuddy-duddies, the current crop of PGA and R&A rulemakers have proven to be commendably forward-thinking.
As you may know, an unintentional double hit now does not incur a stroke penalty. Likewise since 2019 we can in good conscience remove stones and other loose impediments from bunkers. Small changes that have made the game a lot fairer and more enjoyable.
On the other hand, it’s also good that some of golf’s most visible traditions should remain unchanged. Carved in stone as it were. Well, carved in silver and sourced from the best sheep at least. The inimitable Claret Jug can only mean The Open and has been presented to every champion since Walter Hagen won in 1928. The Masters’ champion Green Jacket is equally historic. Every three-button, single-breasted, tropical-weight wool dyed in pantone 342 masterpiece has been hand-crafted by the Hamilton Tailoring Co of Cincinnati since 1967.
And then there’s the ‘beautiful’ tradition of doffing one’s cap and shaking hands with your flightmates after a game. This seems likely to disappear in the post-Covid-19 era. It’s a great pity. From Scotland to Saigon, to Singapore and on to Sydney, that bit of tradition was so universally ingrained it had become second nature everywhere golf is played.
In a nutshell it encapsulated the very essence of golf … the ‘sport of gentlemen’. There’s no shortage of excellent athletes in sport today … but there really aren’t enough gentlemen, not by a long shot.
Certainly I am not alone in thinking that the modern breed of professional badminton player for example ought to show a lot more respect for their opponents and shake hands with them first before going nuts and celebrating wildly with their coaches and supporters. But I guess the point is moot now. Health and safety concerns in the aftermath of Covid-19 has put an end to almost all after-game interactions.
Yes, some are now doing ‘air’ high-fives, ‘air’ fist bumps and more, but the Thai ‘wai’ greeting with a slight nodding of one’s head and where one’s palms are pressed together in a prayer-like fashion seems to be gaining traction as the post-game gesture of choice. That’s good. Perhaps a silver lining too. If widely adopted, it would aptly represent the vast international audience and participation golf has enjoyed in the time gone by since it was first played mainly on Scottish moors and by small handfuls of homesick expats abroad.
Drive long and prosper.
