billiard ball can be understood in terms of physical principles. Similarly a golfer is not likely to carry an anemometer, a barometer, surveying instruments, and the necessarily more complicated computing equipment to the golf course. In billiards the player looks over his shot, and thereby feeds into his brain the necessary information to make a reasonable decision on what must be done in his particular shot. I do not understand and I doubt that anyone understands just what the brain does in this process. We cover up our ignorance by simply stating that the player uses his judgment. Similarly in golf the player looks over his shot. He considers the slope and condition of the ground where he intends to have the shot land. He picks this area with the intention of making the next shot easier. He considers the strength and direction of the wind. He may pick a little grass and drop it to watch it drift in the wind. He evaluates possible hazards. He may even consider, in view of the current scores, the psychological atmosphere of the match. With all of the possible information available, he uses his judgment and hits the shot. His judgment rests on his experience with similar shots in the past. If the shot does not come off as expected, the experienced golfer will maintain that if he were to have a second try he would attempt exactly the same shot. The inexperienced golfer would bemoan the fact that he had not thought the shot through as he should have and that on a second try, which of course he never has, he would make the correct shot. I think a thorough understanding of the physical principles underlying the various aspects of the flight of the golf ball will help the golfer to make the correct judgments and thereby improve his game. ...
