Of all the games, pro and amateur, in the very history of the world, the gentleman's game of golf has to rank high as the most superstitious.
From clothing to rituals to lucky charms, golfers have it all.
Tiger Wood wears red shirts on Sundays.
Jack Nicklaus always has three coins in his pocket.
Ernie Els gets rid of every ball he sinks for a birdie because there's only one birdie per ball.
Oh yes, other sports have voodoo, too. Sports are full of superstitions.
According to the Psychological Science journal, superstitions are valued by millions of people–despite being dismissed by most as worthless and foolhardy.
In fact, these notions are particularly prevalent in the world of sports.
Dr. Gregg Steinberg, a sports psychologist who works with PGA, LPGA, NFL and NBA players, says he noticed as a collegiate athlete himself that the best players appeared to have an unusually firm grip on their emotions. And for some of them, he discovered, their explanations were apparently irrational reasons such as good luck charms and repetitive routines.
According to Steinberg, athletes never really know how they'll perform. As a result, he says, when one of them does something superstitious–like wearing a trinket or conducting a brief ritual–experiments have since shown that the action creates a higher sense of control.
As for the 27 million other golfers in the U.S.?
PGA.com reached out to its followers on PGA Facebook Nation. Among the responses:
"Spearmint gum opens the lungs and helps clear the head. At least 3-4 strokes off right there."
"Ball marker and divot repair tool in the left pocket, tees in the right, small towel in the back right pocket if available. Otherwise, in the waistband."
"Clubs in the same order in the bag every time."
"Can't use ball washers. Only wet towel."
"Always walk up the left side of the fairways and greens."
"Mark my ball with a JFK half dollar. JFK's always looking at the hole."
"No talking about current score until the round is done. I know if I'm playing good or bad."
"Pre-round hacky sack, sprinting, and Ninja moves. Controlling the club is much easier when it's Ninja-fied."
"Absolutely zero superstitions. Makes the game less stressful."
