Players in every sport have good days and bad. In an attempt to do away with “bad vibes” and make use of good energy, players tend to resort to strange habits and superstitions, ranging from performing a specific ritual before every game to considering a certain item to be lucky. Like every sport, golf too has its unique, quirky superstitions. Even the most successful pro golfers in the world fall into such routines which they believe will help them be in a favorable position to win every time. Here are some of them:
1. Birdie balls
Ernie Els, who is a South African golfer, has a superstition that he can afford only because he is a pro golfer and has access to uncountable high-quality balls. Every time he birdies a hole, he discards that particular ball and uses a new ball for the next hole. He believes that once you birdie, the ball loses all of its good mojo and is kind of useless to continue to play with it.
2. Three coins in the pocket
It looks like ever the most talented players can’t help harboring superstitions. Jack William Niklaus aka The Golden Boy would never tee off unless he had three coins in his pocket. Three coins exactly, no matter the denomination. It could be pennies, nickels or dimes.
3. No red tees
Many players refuse to play if there are red tees in the tee box. That is because red is considered the color of aggression and stress – two things golfers don’t want to deal with when they need to channel all of their focus on starting the hole.
4. Don’t wash the ball
Having a great streak on the greens? Well, try to not wash the ball. It is a widely believed superstition among golfers that washing the ball means cleaning away its magical powers. So much for talent and practice!
While these superstitions and rituals may seem weird and funny, they do help the players stay calm and focused during the game. Do you know of more such superstitions? Do you believe in any? Let us know!
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