"Is it really me who is swinging?"
“I think, therefore I am” – in the 17th century, Descartes launched modern philosophy with these words. However, on the golf course of the 21st century, a paradoxical question quietly emerges. “Am I really controlling this shot that I think I am hitting?” A great shot is born from the “unconscious”, and a mistake occurs when “consciousness” is too involved. If that’s the case, then who is the master of the swing? People have the “sense of moving their body”, but in reality, many movements are controlled by the autonomic nervous system and latent motor memory that are beyond the reach of consciousness. In other words, in the act of golf, “consciousness = me” may not be the “subject that controls” but rather “merely an observer”.
People don’t realize when things go well
Many professional golfers talk about the mysterious feeling they get when they get into the “zone.” It’s a state where they’re not thinking, and it’s also the moment when their body moves on its own. This phenomenon has also attracted attention in neuroscience, and some research suggests that motor commands are issued from the brain before conscious judgment. In other words, it’s even possible that consciousness is delayed in swinging. This leads to the hypothesis that consciousness is not playing, but rather that consciousness is simply observing the play. So who is the “player”? It is unconscious patterns, past memories, and immediate relationships with the environment – “the flow itself of reacting to the situation.”
Golf is a sport that challenges the separation of body and mind
The direction you want to hit the ball, the trajectory you have in mind, the ideal tempo – you understand it all in your head, but your body moves in a completely different way. This isn’t limited to beginners. Even top professionals make mistakes when they think too much. This phenomenon brings to the surface the reality that “thought” and “movement” do not always coincide. This is where Descartes’ “rationalism” is shaken. Golf makes this known not through words, but through actual experience. In other words, golf is a device that allows you to let go of the illusion that “consciousness controls the body” and “consciousness becomes aware of the continuity between the body and the environment.”
A world where "observation" takes precedence over "thinking"
In recent years, the interest in mindfulness and meditation has grown due to the realization that “thinking too much is the cause of failure.” Golf is a practical example of this. If you think too much and tense up, you will make mistakes. Conversely, if you “just observe” and let your body take over, you will be able to hit the ball surprisingly smoothly. In this paradox, people are forced to redefine the “role of consciousness.” Consciousness is not a controller. More precisely, isn’t “consciousness neither thinking nor judging, but simply a presence that observes?” Golf confronts you with every shot.
From "I think" to "I feel"
If modern times were an age where emphasis was placed on “thinking,” perhaps the coming age will return to “feeling.” Golf is a sport at the forefront of this paradigm shift. The consciousness that has separated itself from the world by “thinking” is reconnected to the world by “feeling.” The sound of the wind, the texture of the grass, the flow of gravity, the rhythm of the heartbeat – the moment we “capture these things with resonance rather than thought,” golf is no longer just a sport, but a “re-education of consciousness.” We are not the ones swinging. We are simply watching the phenomenon of swinging. When we come to this realization, golf becomes not a game but a “meditation.” And then we finally realize that “consciousness is the player.”