Can Buddha Help Your Short Game?

Some Say the Religion's Tenets Can Help Players Master Golf's Finer Points; Keeping Bugs Alive

By HANNAH KARP

When Tiger Woods finally emerged from his trip through the wilderness of marital infidelity, he vowed to make some life changes. One of them was to reconnect to Buddhism, the religion of his youth.

It's fair to say Buddhism could make him a better person. But here's a scary notion for the rest of the PGA Tour: There's a reasonable chance it could make him a better golfer, too.

A growing number of golfers and golf coaches all over the world are warming up to the idea that the ancient religion, which teaches followers to let go of their egos, attachments and desires in order to attain enlightenment, could be the faith most suited to making somebody a holy terror on the links.

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Tiger Woods wearing what he said was a Buddhist bracelet during the final round of this month's Masters in Augusta, Ga.

Thanks to the growing ranks of players from Asia, new Asian tour events and a handful of coaches who have been introducing elements of Eastern philosophy to Western players, golfers from a range of religious backgrounds are tinkering with everything from daily meditation and Buddhist breathing techniques to pilgrimages to Buddhist monasteries in Thailand.

The basic idea: to alleviate suffering on the golf course by cultivating inner peace, self-awareness and a sense of responsibility for one's actions. "It puts you in a peaceful plane," Vijay Singh told reporters while visiting a Buddhist abbot in a Thai temple several years ago. "It's pretty rough out there on the PGA Tour."

Adherents include Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, who ranks 44th in the world and finished tied for ninth place in the weekend's Ballantine's Championship in South Korea, and Y.E. Yang, who became the first Asian to win a major last year when he beat Tiger Woods in the PGA Championship and who was near the top of the leaderboard for much of this month's Masters. Mr. Singh, who has earned more money than any golfer on the current Tour except Mr. Woods, has befriended Buddhist leaders and appreciates the philosophy, although he says he considers his personal religious beliefs private.

There are nine Asian players on the PGA Tour this year, and 59 on the LPGA circuit, up from a total of five Asians on the two tours 15 years ago. The LPGA Tour's 45 South Koreans include devout Buddhist and World Golf Hall-of-Famer Se Ri Pak, who joined the women's tour in 1998. Among Westerners, 12-time LPGA tour winner Cristie Kerr and Tim Petrovic both recently hired Joseph Parent, the author of the book "Zen Golf," to help them incorporate Buddhist techniques into their games, while English golfer Justin Rose rose to sixth in the world in 2007 after spending two years meditating nightly with Buddhist former swing coach Nick Bradley.

Though Buddhism has been growing steadily in America in the past 30 years, the religion is still a bit far out for American golf, a relatively conservative, country-club sport where the commentators find it shocking when players neglect to wear socks. (Fred Couples is still drawing flak for doing that at this month's Masters.) Apart from weekly Bible-study sessions long hosted by players including two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen, most top tour players have avoided talking much about religion, not wanting to appear "off-center," says Greg Norman's longtime manager Bart Collins.

Still, because Buddhism doesn't attempt to broach the subject of God (Buddha was a human being born in Nepal more than 2,000 years ago, and his teachings suggest neither the presence, nor the absence, of a higher deity) the philosophy has been able to take hold even among some of the tours' Christians, who can incorporate the religion's practical teachings without having to renounce their own beliefs. K.J. Choi, a Christian who grew up in South Korea and now resides in Texas, says Buddhism "may help some players because they may feel inner peace," though Mr. Choi says he's at peace with his belief that God is by his side for every shot.

So what exactly does Buddhism do for golfers? Adherents say it helps them see their mind as an ally instead of an enemy, and helps them see how they may be getting in their own way on the course. (Buddhist golf coaches say a player's ego can be particularly detrimental to a long game.) Ms. Kerr says she finds it helpful to be reminded by her Zen instructor that she's controlling the ball rather than the other way around. Discipline is also an important tenet. As Mr. Woods told Reuters in a 2008 interview: "It is all about what you do and you get out of it what you put into it."

Mr. Woods's representatives didn't respond to requests for comment.

Three years ago, Chapchai Nirat of Thailand was struggling to control his temper on the course. Then in the summer of 2007, he spent three weeks living with monks in a Buddhist monastery with "nothing to think about" but "keeping the temple tidy." Shortly after, the now 26-year-old won the Vietnam Masters, and last year he set a record low score of 32-under-par at the SAIL Open in India. He returned to that monastery for a three-day stay with other pro golfers in December.

Mr. Yang, who was raised Buddhist, says his religious practice has been crucial to his success in golf. The Korean even does his best to stop other players from killing bugs on the course, believing that helps increase his "good Karma."

Buddhist monks aren't exactly fixtures on the world's putting greens, but many leaders in the Buddhist community see parallels between golf and the religion. Marvin Harada, a reverend at the Orange County Buddhist Church in Southern California, frequently waxes poetic about his passion for golf in newsletters to his church members. And in Northern California, there's even a prominent Tibetan monk who frequents the fairways in his yellow robes, though he rarely keeps score. As the high priest Kunga Rinpoche put it to Golf Digest in 2002: "I would like to be reincarnated as a better golfer some day."

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Newly elected Board of Directors of R. B. Men's Executive Golf Club

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These men are the newly elected Board of Directors of the R.B. Men's Executive Golf Club for 2010 - 2011. They serve without pay, and put in lots of time. We can thank them for volunteering.

It is worth noting that Rune Johanson, Secretary of the Board, has just won the Low Gross Club Championship with a score of 136!

R.B. Men's Executive Golf Club 2010 Club Championship Tournament results

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Under the able leadership of Mike Huffman, who serves on the R.B. Men's Executive Golf Club Board of Directors as Tournament Chairman, this year's Championship Tournament Championship was carried out in fine fashion. The above photo shows the tournament results. Kudos to Mike!

I was unable to attend the Awards Luncheon, and, did not obtain photos of the winners. I used to have a great photo of Rune Johanson, who won the Low Gross Club Championship, but have been unable to find it in my archives. Luckily, I did have a photo of John Brinkley, who won Low Net in the A Flight with a score of 58, and it appears in the posting below.

John Brinkley, Low Net Winner of A Flight

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This is John Brinkley, one of the nicest men playing at Oaks North Golf Course. He won Low Net in the A Flight with a net score of 58. John is a good-humored neighbor of mine in Oaks North Marbella HOA, and is probably the best golfer there. Smooth swinging "Lefty" has given me several good golfing tips when we played together. He likes to walk when he plays, and is very fit.

While in the U. S. Navy, John skippered a boat during the Vietnam War, operating in the Mekong Delta in the region of southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea.

Milton Hirsch receives trophy for Hole-in-One!

Al Dahlvig (left), outgoing President of the RB Men's Executive Golf Club Board of Directors presenting a trophy to Milton Hirsch for shooting a Hole-in-One

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In Milton's own words: "As best I can tell you: I miraculously had a hole in one on February 4, 2010, on Hole No. 4, North Course. That day it was approximately 138 yards, used a five wood; hit it to left side of green, but with good roll to the right, it fell in hole. In the foursome were Bob Polich, Frank Cambou, and Peter Bagood."

For Milton, one of the club's several retired dentists, it must have been better than pulling teeth!

United States Golf Register: The official hole-in-one golf register

Official Hole-in-One Historic Register Launched

(See: http://www.usgolfregister.org/press.asp)

United States Golf Register, the nation's first historical registry of hole-in-ones, has been formed to officially document and archive hole-in-ones. The fully trademarked, U.S. Golf Register is dedicated to identifying, registering and archiving hole in ones, and to distinguish those who have achieved this extraordinary event. There are no fees for registration and no dues.

It is estimated that the odds of hitting a hole in one are anywhere from one in 20,000 to one in 33,000. These are guesstimates based on estimated rounds played and estimated hole-in-ones. Until now, no single group has sought out or officially documented hole-in-ones to be recorded for a national historic register.

US Golf Register was born when golf enthusiast, James Bowen, discovered that there existed no official national registry devoted to recording and archiving the extraordinary feat of a hole-in-one. Fascinated by the odds, and determined that the achievement merited recognition, Bowen set out to establish an official register and historical record for all hole-in-ones, past and present.

All registrations are recorded and archived for historical purposes. US Golf Register's current operations are located in Shreveport, LA.

For more information, contact US Golf Register at 888-508-USGR (8747), write @ U.S.Golf Register, 4830 Line Avenue, #315, Shreveport, LA 71106, or visit our website www.usgolfregister.org