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Music and golf: Hit Me With Your Best Shot!

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Except for the par-3, 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale where the pros play in a coliseum-like setting with 20,000 fans chanting, singing, cheering, and even booing, golf is mostly a game of respectful quiet.

No one talks when a guy in your group is standing about to hit his shot. On the tee, in the rough or fairway, or putting, there’s usually dead silence as we play any meaningful stroke. Oh, of course, in between shots people give each other the needle, but for hundreds of years, etiquette has demanded and custom has dictated quiet immediately before and during the strike.

This time-honored tradition is changing though. Slowly building like the chorus of “Hey Jude,” this trend is led by mostly younger golfers (more on that later) who increasingly are bringing music with them to the course.

“I guess ‘playing through’ has a new meaning,” one of my playing partners said recently during a round at Black Gold.

“Yeah, playing through your dumb-a** playlist,” teased his cart-riding companion. “Put some Marley on, man. Let me get into the groove.”

Played through easily portable wireless speakers, or at a smart phone’s full volume, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and iTunes now provide a digitally connected soundtrack for golf.

[quote_box_center]“I think it’s a millennial thing,” said Jimmy, a soccer coach from Pasadena, playing at Empire Lakes.[/quote_box_center]

And yet his choice of musical accompaniment was classic rock tracks from the 1960s and 70s. And even I must admit that there’s nothing in my previous golfing experience like standing on the first tee ready to hit my opening drive while Mick and the boys work through, “Start Me Up.”

And yes, I did hit a good drive: thanks Keith.

Mike from Mojave, an aerospace engineer who helps design civilian spacecraft – really, that’s what he said and why would I doubt him? This is Southern California, after all – Mike was listening to Avenger on Pandora.

[quote_box_center]“Sometimes I listen to salsa while golfing, sometimes to classic rock. But I think the last few holes have me in the mood for something a little heavier. AC/DC or Offspring sometimes,” he said as he gripped his driver with tattooed hands.[/quote_box_center]

And then he crushed it.

“There isn’t any song I wouldn’t want to hear while I’m playing,” said Kyle from Apple Valley. “It’s my playlist so there’s nothing on it I don’t like.”

“Well, you’ve got some twangy country on there…” said C.J., who obviously doesn’t appreciate how “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die“ relates to golf.

“Does anyone ever complain?” I asked Mike.

“I keep it low, or turn it off if I think it’ll bother someone,” he answered. “But I did have a guy one time who blamed the music when he hit a bad shot. I think he was just looking for an excuse because he’d parred the two holes before that with Zeppelin playing.”

“Give me something with a beat and a good bass line,” said Renn at Oak Quarry. “Or sometimes I listen to jazz, something without any words to distract me.”

“Music never distracts me,” said C.J. “But then again I went to clown school in Florida, so I’m used to a lot going on at the same time.” Honest, he said this while balancing a driver on his chin for about 12 seconds!

In Long Beach I played with Greg from Redondo. He never listens to music on the golf course, never heard of that. “What, are they doing that now?” He did allow that one time he played with a guy who listened to Rush Limbaugh on the front nine.

[quote_box_center]“I pushed every drive out to the right all day.”[/quote_box_center]

And if what you hear really does influence how you play, then wouldn’t listening to upbeat, positive songs help, maybe in some minimal subliminal way? Hopefully, while it still matters on the front nine.

“Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” maybe? Or Simon & Garfunkel’s swing advice, “Slow down, you move too fast.”

As a golfer on the back nine of the music-on-the-golf-course demographic, I accept it, even if I don’t join the chorus and sing along. Not for tournaments or serious golf, but for casual play. Maybe someday carts will have iPhone docks and built-in speakers that automatically lower volume when you approach a green? As long as the tunes are only loud enough to be heard within the group who like it, who cares, right? Let the music play.

I have just one request: when I’m standing over the ball, don’t put on Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.”

Tom Hill is a 9.7 handicap, author and former radio reporter. Hill is the author of the recently released fiction novel, A Perfect Lie – The Hole Truth, a humorous golf saga of one player’s unexpected attempt to shoot a score he never before thought possible. Kirkus Reviews raved about A Perfect Lie, (It) “has the immediacy of a memoir…it’s no gimme but Hill nails it square.” (kirkusreviews.com). A Perfect Lie is available as an ebook or paperback through 7-ironpress.com and the first three chapters are available online to sample. Hill is a dedicated golfer who has played more than 2,000 rounds in the past 30 years and had a one-time personal best handicap of 5.5. As a freelance radio reporter, Hill covered more than 60 PGA and LPGA tournaments working for CBS Radio, ABC Radio, AP Audio, The Mutual Broadcasting System and individual radio stations around the country. “Few knew my name and no one saw my face,” he says, “but millions heard my voice.” Hill is the father of three sons and lives with his wife, Arava Talve, in southern California where he chases after a little white ball as often as he can.

45 Comments

45 Comments

  1. Double Mocha Man

    Mar 18, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, Third Movement, can put you in the mood for a string of birdies.

  2. Jeremy

    Mar 18, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    Quiet, sounds of nature only should be the default, but there’s room for music in the game as well. From an etiquette standpoint, seems simple enough: on your own, do what you want, just keep it reasonably quiet so as not to disturb other groups. With your friends where everyone’s cool, same deal. With strangers, just don’t, or if it’s really you’re thing then ask if they’re okay with it.

    Overall, just have fun and enjoy the day. Let others do the same. Be conscious of what you’re actually playing for. If it’s a massive putt to win a really big prize, by all means insist on rigid silence. But chances are you’re just doing it for the fun, the exercise, the peace of mind. There’s no reason to let being within earshot of a song you hate for 30 seconds ruin your day.

  3. chunner

    Mar 18, 2015 at 5:04 pm

    Steely Dan on the course all the way! I’m 100% for music. Got paired up with a couple of old timers, asked them if the music was okay and they loved it. The super hot cart girl loved the Rolling Stones jam that was on. Music fuels the soul. People try to ‘play’ golf way to seriously…keep it loose and and swing!

    • chunner

      Mar 18, 2015 at 5:08 pm

      ***I am an Acushnet employee, but am not an Acushnet spokesperson. This posting is my individual opinion only.

    • Philip

      Mar 18, 2015 at 6:30 pm

      Could dig that – as long as everyone is in agreement and if asked to turn it down by others, one respects that they are not alone on the course (usually).

  4. Rich

    Mar 18, 2015 at 3:31 pm

    I can’t stand music on the course. And I’m 32. For those of you who love playing music, I ask you this:

    If you went to fire up the bluetooth speaker, would you be cool with someone else in the foursome controlling the entire playlist?

    I would love to hear my favorite songs all day every day. But it’s disrespectful to think that anyone else in the world wants to. And most people are too courteous to tell others to turn off their music on the course. Don’t make people tell you that they don’t want to hear your music.

    Assume that if they aren’t playing it themselves, they’re either respectful of their playing partners, or don’t want to hear music on the course.

    • Double Mocha Man

      Mar 18, 2015 at 8:06 pm

      I’m fine with music on the course. Did it myself, alone, using earbuds, with “A Little Bit is Better than Nada” to keep me in the golf mood. “Tin Cup” reference. But it’s not very conducive to good golf camaraderie and banter when playing with friends. And please, don’t be the guy in the car with his music cranked up because he thinks everyone else will think he has great taste in music. He doesn’t. He’s just egotistical. And his playlist only works for him and his cookie-cutter friends.

      • Rich

        Mar 19, 2015 at 10:56 am

        Very much agreed with all of this. Ear buds shouldn’t even be an issue. Can’t imagine why anyone would have a problem with someone else using headphones when they play golf.

        I’d much rather play with someone wearing ear buds than have them ask me if it’s ok if they play music on their bluetooth speaker.

  5. Tupac

    Mar 17, 2015 at 9:31 pm

    If you need music on the golf course it’s not your sport. oh and your probably a hack!

    • Keith

      Mar 18, 2015 at 10:11 am

      That’s incredibly stupid…

      • rgb

        Mar 18, 2015 at 12:05 pm

        You misspelled ‘accurate’.

        HTH.

        • Keith

          Mar 18, 2015 at 12:48 pm

          Thanks…but my plus index disagrees. Now if you’ll excuse me, gotta crank the jawbone up before I hit this tee shot.

          • Taylor

            Mar 21, 2015 at 1:07 pm

            Jawbone ftw…dropped 5 strokes when I put it in the bag

        • Brad

          Mar 18, 2015 at 1:29 pm

          Also, I believe it should be you’re…. not your. Spelling hack.

          • BAA

            Mar 18, 2015 at 2:57 pm

            Do you even english? “Your” is the correct usage.
            “You’re” is an abbreviation for “you are”.

            • JJ

              Mar 18, 2015 at 4:13 pm

              @BAA…you might want to re-read the entire excerpt.

              Brad is correct in his analysis of @Tupac’s word usage.

              Damn, I love it when one is wrong when trying to correct another.

              • Philip

                Mar 18, 2015 at 4:37 pm

                Actually they are both correct – “your sport” is correct, “your probably” s/b “you’re probably” – as usual, depends on the context, as does music on a golf course or in the office.

                • Jeremy

                  Mar 18, 2015 at 6:32 pm

                  No it doesn’t. The context is “you are,” which should be “you’re.”

                • Philip

                  Mar 19, 2015 at 12:11 am

                  what doesn’t? The context I was relating to was which “your” was being referred to. The first was used correctly, the second wasn’t …

                • Jeremy

                  Mar 19, 2015 at 8:07 pm

                  Yup, I get it now. Hard to decipher punctuation when the reply only gets 4 words per line. Carry on!

              • BAA

                Mar 18, 2015 at 10:48 pm

                Yep, my bad. I was looking at the wrong “your”.

                • RG

                  Mar 21, 2015 at 5:27 am

                  This is why people hate golfers.

    • Jeff

      Mar 21, 2015 at 2:56 pm

      Your sport: correct usage. your proably a hack: should be you’re.

  6. other paul

    Mar 17, 2015 at 7:26 pm

    I played a round with my bro and we listened to the music from the group ahead for the whole round. It wasn’t to loud, it just carries forever on our flat courses. You can be a 550 yard par 5 away and hear it clear as day around here. So I am not a fan so far.

    • Philip

      Mar 18, 2015 at 11:42 am

      That’s the only thing about it. The design of course courses would make it almost impossible to properly isolate the music from each group. So if one group is listening to hip hop and the other country, there is no way a battle of the louder music will not erupt eventually. We think we sometimes have problems on courses with tempers now and slow play – it could get way worse when someone gets so annoyed they take a wedge to another groups boom box …

  7. Beacher50

    Mar 17, 2015 at 7:10 pm

    Why does everyone always have to be listening to music, I like music, but not in a golf setting. And I deplore it when people use it as a means (with ear buds) to prohibt talking with others. On the driving range, standing in line or whereever. Its just plain rude. They call the new generation the connected generation, to me they’re disconnected.

    • Keith

      Mar 18, 2015 at 10:14 am

      Maybe I don’t want you talking to me on the driving range while I’m in my practice routine. I could call your invasiveness rude.

      Goes both ways…

      • talljohn777

        Mar 18, 2015 at 12:59 pm

        Golf is a social sport. Being anti-social is not really the point…

        • rer4136

          Mar 18, 2015 at 1:57 pm

          Being social means you get to do what you want?

        • Mark

          Mar 18, 2015 at 8:41 pm

          Golf is an individual sport. While competition may be social, practice is usually not really all that social.

          I could count the number of times I’ve had a practice partner on the range or practice green on one hand. If I want to go through my routine with earphones on and music playing, I don’t want to be interrupted.

  8. Shallowface

    Mar 17, 2015 at 6:54 pm

    I feel the same way about music on the golf course as I do hearing it blasting out of cars. Keep your lack of taste to yourself.
    Most communities have “disturbing the peace” ordinances on the books, so if it gets too bad on the golf course I might have to see what the police can do about it.

    .

    • Keith

      Mar 18, 2015 at 12:58 pm

      Wow…really? Already threatening to call the police, huh? That would be an interesting conversation to hear. “Those whippersnappers won’t turn down their Snoopy Dog while I’m trying to make this putt to win a dime off of Bob over here.”

      My advice…turn down your hearing aids.

      • Brad

        Mar 18, 2015 at 1:31 pm

        Classic. LMAO

      • Brad

        Mar 18, 2015 at 1:36 pm

        HAHA…. Classic..

      • HackerDad31

        Mar 19, 2015 at 1:26 pm

        Phenomenal! And we wonder why no one is taking up the game. Because curmudgeons are threatening to call the f-ing police over music. This like Footloose, only lamer. That’s no small feat.

  9. Philip

    Mar 17, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    I see two things that can go wrong with music. the first is that people are always competitive and I can see different groups eventually cranking the tunes, which is of course, totally dissing everyone else on the course. Also, what are the odds everyone in the group is in the mood for the same genre of music for that round.

    The second thing is – how am I supposed to even make a swing – as a music lover and musician, there is no way I could maintain my natural rhythm without the rhythm of the music changing my walk, pace, swing – everything.

    Now, can I play with music blasting at rock concert levels – oh yea baby – had no choice. The course I joined for the last three years is part of a ski mountain resort and during the summer they have downhill bike races, carnivals, concerts, conferences and lots of other festivities – and all you hear is crowds and blasting music (heavy rock, hip hop, rap – not classical of course) along with the DJ and race announcer, along with trying no to hit groups of people who think the golf course is a park to stroll in.

    You’ll be surprised how much you can tune it all out to make that putt :o)

  10. RoscoDog

    Mar 17, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    Bluetooth Headphones. I don’t want to hear your music and I don’t expect anyone to listen to mine. Or sometimes I use a bluetooth headset, that way I get music in one ear but I can still hear out of the other ear.

  11. Sean

    Mar 17, 2015 at 3:40 pm

    I like music, but not on the golf course. The only sounds I want to hear are those provided by nature.

  12. Keith

    Mar 17, 2015 at 2:54 pm

    I listen to the Dre/Snoop channel on Pandora and check my email and texts constantly. Different people have different ideas of what disconnecting or unplugging is. Mine is getting out of the office, but my job requires me to be accessible and responsive. I keep the music low and make sure it’s not turned up so as to be respectful. But if we want this game to grow, it’s needs to feel inviting to millennials, not like a stuffy coat and tie dinner.

    • Philip

      Mar 18, 2015 at 1:48 pm

      Just curious, do you listen through headphones? When the course is slow I try to chit chat, but my groups tend to play opposite corners of the fairways so I can enjoy the view and sounds for only so long before it just becomes boring waiting all the time, but maybe I’ll bring a tiny player with headphones so that I forget how long i am waiting. I can listen to mediation music I guess, because if I try something with more of a beat I’ll end up strutting down the fairways to the beat. Of course, I could always provide the entertainment and give a pulse to the group – lol

  13. MJS2

    Mar 17, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    I do not think its a situation where we cant unplug. I do not belong to Facebook and rarely check my phone throughout the day, but I have been brining my portable speakers on the course for a year or so now. I think the idea of golf is to go out, test your limitations, and enjoy some time with your buddies or make new ones. I fail to see how music (which is incorporated in every other sport out there) deters from this.

    I always ask the group if they mind or if they want to listen to something in particular (when not playing with my regular 4some). It is never loud, just faintly playing in the background, and I always keep my distance from the person hitting (unless its my cart mate). I find it takes off the edge, especially when you are waiting 5+ minutes on a saturday afternoon in-between each shot because the groups ahead of you are slow.

    Ive yet to play with someone that this really bothers, however, if i do i will gladly turn it off and wait in silence.

    • rer4136

      Mar 18, 2015 at 1:54 pm

      If the music is not a bother to you then wear headphones. If noise is not a distraction then why does Tiger Woods (and former caddie Stevie) go gimp when a photographer clicks a camera during his swing. I promise you my focus isn’t even close to Tiger’s. I would guess that most of your playing partners hate the music but won’t say so.

      • MJS2

        Mar 18, 2015 at 2:28 pm

        Where in my above post does it state that noise is NOT a distraction, ill wait while you re-read…

        …great.

        If I wear headphones, then i surely can’t hear the multiple FOURS that are yelled during a Sat-Sun afternoon round and certainly put me and my groups safety in grave danger and nobody would want that. And unfortunately, you would have guessed wrong, it was my playing partners who first starting bringing music to the course.

        If the birds chirping, frogs gulping, wind howling and tress rustling (all of which constitutes as noise) is that distracting to, maybe you should try a nice song faintly playing in the background one day, it may help you drown those sounds out and focus.

        HIT ‘EM STRAIGHT!

  14. Joe

    Mar 17, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    Im in favor of a quiet peaceful round except for the boys jawing one another. Fully agree its a time to unplug from everything. How annoying is it when one of your crew has to check their phone every few minutes etc.

  15. rer4136

    Mar 17, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    Seems like more of a situation where we can’t unplug from some sort of media or the other. I kind of think that the idea of golf is to detach from the constant stream of media. Does all the media have to intrude into every part of our existence. It’s a noisy world already and I guess it is going to get worse. The problem I have with this is, as a paying customer at a golf course why should I have someone else impose their music on me? There are wireless headphones that sync with your phone, so wear those and listen to your hearts content. Better yet relax!

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Opinion & Analysis

The 2 primary challenges golf equipment companies face

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As the editor-in-chief of this website and an observer of the GolfWRX forums and other online golf equipment discourse for over a decade, I’m pretty well attuned to the grunts and grumbles of a significant portion of the golf equipment purchasing spectrum. And before you accuse me of lording above all in some digital ivory tower, I’d like to offer that I worked at golf courses (public and private) for years prior to picking up my pen, so I’m well-versed in the non-degenerate golf equipment consumers out there. I touched (green)grass (retail)!

Complaints about the ills of and related to the OEMs usually follow some version of: Product cycles are too short for real innovation, tour equipment isn’t the same as retail (which is largely not true, by the way), too much is invested in marketing and not enough in R&D, top staffer X hasn’t even put the new driver in play, so it’s obviously not superior to the previous generation, prices are too high, and on and on.

Without digging into the merits of any of these claims, which I believe are mostly red herrings, I’d like to bring into view of our rangefinder what I believe to be the two primary difficulties golf equipment companies face.

One: As Terry Koehler, back when he was the CEO of Ben Hogan, told me at the time of the Ft Worth irons launch, if you can’t regularly hit the golf ball in a coin-sized area in the middle of the face, there’s not a ton that iron technology can do for you. Now, this is less true now with respect to irons than when he said it, and is less and less true by degrees as the clubs get larger (utilities, fairways, hybrids, drivers), but there remains a great deal of golf equipment truth in that statement. Think about it — which is to say, in TL;DR fashion, get lessons from a qualified instructor who will teach you about the fundamentals of repeatable impact and how the golf swing works, not just offer band-aid fixes. If you can’t repeatably deliver the golf club to the golf ball in something resembling the manner it was designed for, how can you expect to be getting the most out of the club — put another way, the maximum value from your investment?

Similarly, game improvement equipment can only improve your game if you game it. In other words, get fit for the clubs you ought to be playing rather than filling the bag with the ones you wish you could hit or used to be able to hit. Of course, don’t do this if you don’t care about performance and just want to hit a forged blade while playing off an 18 handicap. That’s absolutely fine. There were plenty of members in clubs back in the day playing Hogan Apex or Mizuno MP-32 irons who had no business doing so from a ballstriking standpoint, but they enjoyed their look, feel, and complementary qualities to their Gatsby hats and cashmere sweaters. Do what brings you a measure of joy in this maddening game.

Now, the second issue. This is not a plea for non-conforming equipment; rather, it is a statement of fact. USGA/R&A limits on every facet of golf equipment are detrimental to golf equipment manufacturers. Sure, you know this, but do you think about it as it applies to almost every element of equipment? A 500cc driver would be inherently more forgiving than a 460cc, as one with a COR measurement in excess of 0.83. 50-inch shafts. Box grooves. And on and on.

Would fewer regulations be objectively bad for the game? Would this erode its soul? Fortunately, that’s beside the point of this exercise, which is merely to point out the facts. The fact, in this case, is that equipment restrictions and regulations are the slaughterbench of an abundance of innovation in the golf equipment space. Is this for the best? Well, now I’ve asked the question twice and might as well give a partial response, I guess my answer to that would be, “It depends on what type of golf you’re playing and who you’re playing it with.”

For my part, I don’t mind embarrassing myself with vintage blades and persimmons chasing after the quasi-spiritual elevation of a well-struck shot, but that’s just me. Plenty of folks don’t give a damn if their grooves are conforming. Plenty of folks think the folks in Liberty Corner ought to add a prison to the museum for such offences. And those are just a few of the considerations for the amateur game — which doesn’t get inside the gallery ropes of the pro game…

Different strokes in the game of golf, in my humble opinion.

Anyway, I believe equipment company engineers are genuinely trying to build better equipment year over year. The marketing departments are trying to find ways to make this equipment appeal to the broadest segment of the golf market possible. All of this against (1) the backdrop of — at least for now — firm product cycles. And golfers who, with their ~15 average handicap (men), for the most part, are not striping the golf ball like Tiger in his prime and seem to have less and less time year over year to practice and improve. (2) Regulations that massively restrict what they’re able to do…

That’s the landscape as I see it and the real headwinds for golf equipment companies. No doubt, there’s more I haven’t considered, but I think the previous is a better — and better faith — point of departure when formulating any serious commentary on the golf equipment world than some of the more cynical and conspiratorial takes I hear.

Agree? Disagree? Think I’m worthy of an Adam Hadwin-esque security guard tackle? Let me know in the comments.

@golfoncbs The infamous Adam Hadwin tackle ? #golf #fyp #canada #pgatour #adamhadwin ? Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic

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Podcasts

Fore Love of Golf: Introducing a new club concept

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Episode #16 brings us Cliff McKinney. Cliff is the founder of Old Charlie Golf Club, a new club, and concept, to be built in the Florida panhandle. The model is quite interesting and aims to make great, private golf more affordable. We hope you enjoy the show!

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Opinion & Analysis

On Scottie Scheffler wondering ‘What’s the point of winning?’

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Last week, I came across a reel from BBC Sport on Instagram featuring Scottie Scheffler speaking to the media ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. In it, he shared that he often wonders what the point is of wanting to win tournaments so badly — especially when he knows, deep down, that it doesn’t lead to a truly fulfilling life.

 

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“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said. “To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”

Ironically — or perhaps perfectly — he went on to win the claret jug.

That question — what’s the point of winning? — cuts straight to the heart of the human journey.

As someone who’s spent over two decades in the trenches of professional golf, and in deep study of the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the game, I see Scottie’s inner conflict as a sign of soul evolution in motion.

I came to golf late. I wasn’t a junior standout or college All-American. At 27, I left a steady corporate job to see if I could be on the PGA Tour starting as a 14-handicap, average-length hitter. Over the years, my journey has been defined less by trophies and more by the relentless effort to navigate the deeply inequitable and gated system of professional golf — an effort that ultimately turned inward and helped me evolve as both a golfer and a person.

One perspective that helped me make sense of this inner dissonance around competition and our culture’s tendency to overvalue winning is the idea of soul evolution.

The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies has done extensive research on reincarnation, and Netflix’s Surviving Death (Episode 6) explores the topic, too. Whether you take it literally or metaphorically, the idea that we’re on a long arc of growth — from beginner to sage elder — offers a profound perspective.

If you accept the premise literally, then terms like “young soul” and “old soul” start to hold meaning. However, even if we set the word “soul” aside, it’s easy to see that different levels of life experience produce different worldviews.

Newer souls — or people in earlier stages of their development — may be curious and kind but still lack discernment or depth. There is a naivety, and they don’t yet question as deeply, tending to see things in black and white, partly because certainty feels safer than confronting the unknown.

As we gain more experience, we begin to experiment. We test limits. We chase extreme external goals — sometimes at the expense of health, relationships, or inner peace — still operating from hunger, ambition, and the fragility of the ego.

It’s a necessary stage, but often a turbulent and unfulfilling one.

David Duval fell off the map after reaching World No. 1. Bubba Watson had his own “Is this it?” moment with his caddie, Ted Scott, after winning the Masters.

In Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl win, Rodgers said:

“Now I’ve accomplished the only thing that I really, really wanted to do in my life. Now what? I was like, ‘Did I aim at the wrong thing? Did I spend too much time thinking about stuff that ultimately doesn’t give you true happiness?’”

Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

Eventually, though, something shifts.

We begin to see in shades of gray. Winning, dominating, accumulating—these pursuits lose their shine. The rewards feel more fleeting. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight makes us feel alive, yes, but not happy and joyful.

Compassion begins to replace ambition. Love, presence, and gratitude become more fulfilling than status, profits, or trophies. We crave balance over burnout. Collaboration over competition. Meaning over metrics.

Interestingly, if we zoom out, we can apply this same model to nations and cultures. Countries, like people, have a collective “soul stage” made up of the individuals within them.

Take the United States, for example. I’d place it as a mid-level soul: highly competitive and deeply driven, but still learning emotional maturity. Still uncomfortable with nuance. Still believing that more is always better. Despite its global wins, the U.S. currently ranks just 23rd in happiness (as of 2025). You might liken it to a gifted teenager—bold, eager, and ambitious, but angsty and still figuring out how to live well and in balance. As much as a parent wants to protect their child, sometimes the child has to make their own mistakes to truly grow.

So when Scottie Scheffler wonders what the point of winning is, I don’t see someone losing strength.

I see someone evolving.

He’s beginning to look beyond the leaderboard. Beyond metrics of success that carry a lower vibration. And yet, in a poetic twist, Scheffler did go on to win The Open. But that only reinforces the point: even at the pinnacle, the question remains. And if more of us in the golf and sports world — and in U.S. culture at large — started asking similar questions, we might discover that the more meaningful trophy isn’t about accumulating or beating others at all costs.

It’s about awakening and evolving to something more than winning could ever promise.

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