What’s in a Name?
What’s in a Name?
by Dr. T. J. Tomasi
Keiser University College of Golf Senior Faculty and Director of Research
I’ve seen it happen many times: Golfers who learn accuracy first fail to become long hitters.
They grip it and guide it rather than grip it and rip it.It’s like the game of bridge: Most beginners underbid their hands for fear of failure, while good bridge players know the rules favor aggressive bidding.
I want my students to learn to hit the ball hard first and learn control later.This is one reason I use a net in the early stages of learning, because the student learns to free-wheel it through the ball without fear of the consequences.
In an attempt to guide the ball to the target, a major power leak occurs when you fail to keep your back shoulder moving through impact.
I call this mistake “running out of right arm.”
This leads to a position after impact where the right arm is bent at the elbow, causing the clubhead to flip past the hands in a weak, slapping motion.
BEST NAME EVER FOR A GOLFER
I am always keeping an eye out for names that perfectly frame the bearer — names like those found in novels by Charles Dickens: Mr. Gusher who talked too much; the harsh money lender Arthur Gride, and most famous, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge, who was as unpleasant as his name.
Here are some examples of names that are meant to be more than just calling cards: The PGA Senior Tour changed its name in 2003 to the Champions Tour because the name change “appeals to a broader base of fans.”
A number of years ago, to do its part to stem a crime wave, the NBA franchise in Washington changed its name from the Bullets to the Wizards.
And changing the Department of War to the Department of Defense after WWII didn’t deter our enemies —
proof to our politicians that it takes more than words to defend our country.
Of course, it is not unusual for real people, in an attempt to portray a certain persona, to change their given name: Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili became Joseph Stalin, “Stalin” meaning “man of steel”; Cary Grant was born Archibald Leach, not a good name for a heartthrob; and revolutionary Che Guevara was Ernesto to his friends and family — but who wants a T-shirt with a radical hero named Ernie on it?
If you’re a really big deal, your name can reflect your accomplishments.
Before the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Duke of Normandy was known as William the Bastard, a derogatory reference to his pedigree, but after he defeated England, he received a major upgrade to William the Conqueror.
This is all to say that the answer to “What’s in a name?” is “It can be a lot.”
So it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the next great golf name — Seamus Power. He’s a 29-year-old who plays the PGA Tour and represented Ireland in the Olympics.
And yes, Power, as his name implies, has mega-power. He stands 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 200 pounds and averaged just over 315 yards on the PGA Tour in 2016.
While you can’t get any more Dickensian than a player with a seamless stream of power whose name is Seamus Power, I still think the best golf name ever is Tiger Woods.
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