In this breathless modern age of relentless scrutiny, knee-jerk hysteria and rampant, rapid-fire reaction, you’ll probably struggle to find much level-headed middle ground.
A couple of dodgy holes from Rory McIlroy at the Genesis Invitational last Sunday, for instance, had violently volatile pundits and punters switching from gushing adoration to withering cynicism like a hyperactive imbecile tugging on a pullcord bathroom light.
And as for Tiger Woods finishing last? The internet is still being soldered back together as we speak.
Pressure and expectation tend to be par for the course at the top end of this game. But those pressures and expectations are hardly new inventions.
When the great Mickey Wright, who passed away at the age of 85 on Monday night, was in her imperious pomp, the demands that came with her pursuit of golfing prosperity and perfection became a hefty burden to bear.
“We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Mickey Wright. We lost a legend, but we may also have lost the best swing in golf history today. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.” - @LPGACommish Michael Whan
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 17, 2020
MORE ⬇️ https://t.co/cNreBbUXDX
In total, Californian girl Wright won 82 LPGA Tour titles including 13 majors which was just two short of the record accumulation set by Patty Berg.
Between 1961 and 1964, she won 44 times with a remarkable double-digit haul in each of those four seasons. It was a hugely fulfilling, if fatiguing period of plunder.
“It was a lot of pressure to be in contention week after week for five or six years,” Wright would say in an interview with Golf World some 20 years ago. “I guess they call it burnout now, but it wore me out. Unless you’re a golfer, you can’t understand the tension and pressure of tournament play.
“And it was the expectations. It was always, ‘what’s wrong with your game? ‘Are you coming apart?’ Second or third isn’t bad, but it feels bad when you’ve won 44 tournaments in four years.”
Golfing giants Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson would always say that Wright’s swing was the best they had ever witnessed.
READ MORE: Nick Rodger's golf column
Wright herself would maintain that she “treated hitting a golf ball as an art form.” The power and precision she mustered came from a swing that was as flawless as the Mona Lisa’s cheeks.
“She was the best I’ve ever seen, man or woman,” suggested Kathy Whitworth, who remains the LPGA Tour’s record winner with 88 titles.
“I’ve had the privilege of playing with Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and all of them. And some of our ladies had wonderful swings.
“But nobody hit it like Mickey, just nobody. She had 82 wins, but she would have won over 100 with no trouble if she had stayed on tour.”
She didn’t, of course. The esteemed, grand slam-winning Bobby Jones once said of championship golf that is was “something like a cage. First you are expected to get into it and then you are expected to stay there. But of course, nobody can stay there.”
Jones retired at just 28. Wright would call it a day at 34. “Quitting golf is like quitting cigarettes,” she reasoned. “It ain’t easy.”
Wright achieved her dreams and she did so with great drive, dignity and diligence.
In a furiously fickle game, which can be subjected to all sorts of pesky meddlings from those mischievous gods, Wright chose “not to blame the greens for bad putting, the caddie for bad club selection or the fates for a bad day.”
There’s a lesson in there for all walks of golfing life.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here