Golf with Shanks - Latest Comments on Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

Norman [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

Norman [Visitor] — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 19:11:08 +0000

Matt took over for that week. We hadn't actually heard form George for a little while, so I thought he might be handing over the job.

In any case I think George has taken the job back, and Matt has jumped to the Wie-warrier camp. We still haven't got his membership money though.

James COULTHARD [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

James COULTHARD [Visitor] — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 00:22:08 +0000

GOLF and TRACK AND FIELD

Babe Didricksen was a great trak and field star and Olympic champion in the 1930s. But it was later after she switched to golf that she was able to compete with the top men in a sport. She had a respectable performance on the PGA.

NORMAN Are you sure it is Matt and not George who is the resident Wie Bashing Chairman?

Norman [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

Norman [Visitor] — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 22:30:33 +0000

Many thanks to John Zedella. It is always obvious when a person feels that they have lost an argument so they try to shift the focus away from the subject matter.

I'm glad you have seen fit to stop comparing golf with super fit athletes and tennis players. Hopefully you have learned something here.

John Zedella [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

John Zedella [Visitor] — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 17:41:23 +0000

Norman, I left in that "lean and hungry" Jason Gore allusion just for your edification. You liked that one, eh? Concerning what appears to be your fawning adulation of Michelle Wie, my belief is that you are either a person who enjoys playing "devil's advocate" and thus your pseudo-chauvinistic defense of all things MW, or you have drunk too heavily of the aforementioned MW Kool-aid and thus you have morphed into a groveling MW sycophant. You may have even OD'd on the dreaded Kool-aid. If my latter assessment is true, my advice is to quit "cold turkey" before the MW fever becomes terminal.

matt [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

matt [Visitor] — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 06:59:35 +0000

I actually agree with Norman that brute strength is not the primary advantage men have over women in golf the advantages are a bit more subtle---the fast twitch muscles in the hands, affecting the short game, and the ability to hit the ball higher with more spin(Annika's real disadvantage). My contention all along has been that this is a pointless argument--Michelle Wie may make a cut someday in a men's tour event, she may even finish in the top 30 of said event, but she will never compete to win certainly not in a full field PGA Tour event and there is nothing wrong with that. She will, however win an LPGA tour event one day soon and that should be her focus, because without those validating wins she is nothing more than an overmarketed hype machine.

Norman [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

Norman [Visitor] — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 03:47:28 +0000

John, I just want to emphasise that I respect your opinion.
We both agree that men are much stronger.
We both agree that women will never compete with men for running times.
We both agree that women will never compete with men in tennis (involves speed and power).
We both agree that women will never compete with men where strengh or speed is important.

So what do we disagree on?
The definition of golf.
I think all we actually disagree on, is how much, "strength is a factor" in golf.

Norman [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

Norman [Visitor] — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 03:41:40 +0000

John, Matt is our resident self proclaimed Wie Bashing Chairman. If she were to win the Master's (which she almost definetely won't), he would say she was useless because other people have won multiple green jackets.

Now, for humour, just you including Gore in the "LEAN" gang, that was hilarious. I know it's just a slip, you don't really mean it.

I'm glad you mentioned your track and field as an example, because that really satisfied my point in my mind.
You said: that top class women would not be able to compete with high school boys.

To compare this to golf, that would translate that the best women golfers shouldn't be able to compete with high-school boys.
In fact a teenage girl, who has many years of maturing to do, both physically and particularly mentally is considered better than any boy her age.

So your athletes in their peak arn't as good as high school boys (far from their peak), yet Michelle is ahead of those boys with many years of maturing left ....
and in fact able to compete with the very best in the world if she:
1. improved her putting.
2. improved her nerve, coming down the stretch.
(neither of these have anything to do with physical strength or agility).

John, I have no doubt that you have immense knowledge of track and field, but I think you are overestimating the importance of brute strength in golf.

No need for you to verify your track and field stats, I believe you completely, because I agree that men are much stronger, and faster than women.
However golf involves, a long walk (as slowly as you want) and swinging a club to hit a ball.

matt [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie still has some growing up to do

matt [Visitor] — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 22:45:26 +0000

John--Don't bother discussing Michelle Wie with Norman. If Michelle wie were to retire today Norman would formulate an argument that she was the greatest golfer ever to live. He is in love with the thought of her, the potential, the ideal that he believes she represents. Sadly, she is all just potential, on the shoulders of a gawky, spindly teen norman has rested the weight of the future of golf. sad really.