Rory - natural talent

[Swinger]

One common theme in all these "Rory" posts of late,and that seems to be trying to belittle and/or discredit his win on Sunday.Maybe if he was English he'd get more credit for the win ?

No, what some people are doing are belittling what others are doing and have done.

I've not seen anyone say Rory should have won, didn't deserve to or it was a fluke.

Like I said many times, Rory played great golf for 4 days and he deserved to win. Rory the golfing god will not be saving me, not by a long way yet.

 

[muttleee]

IMO the parents genes have nothing to do with it - there was an experiment carried out years ago on this very topic. Nature v nurture and nurture won everytime, a hungarian guy had 3 daughters all of whom become world chess champions and neither he nor his wife could even play the game before they conducted the experiment, purely because he pushed them into spending every spare moment they had doing chess stuff

Actually the father was a renowned chess expert and author of chess books...which suggests that genes could actually have a lot to do with it.

 

[EZprophet]

Rory had a headstart in that his dad plays (or at least played) off a handicap of 1, so there's a fair chance that at least some level of athletic ability/coordination was passed on in the genes. Tiger's dad was also a very good player so perhaps the same applies to him. In both cases, that innate ability was obviously nurtured to its full potential. I wonder if either Rory or Tiger would have reached the heights they have if their fathers had been 24 handicappers?

The fact that Rory and Tigers dads played golf is relevant but not because they passed on some sort of genetic skill at the game. It is relevant because they started their children playing the game from a very young age and motivated them to play a lot. Surely no one can argue that having a 1 handicap somehow mutates the genes that you pass down to your children and makes them have a natural talent for golf...

If Tiger Woods' son doesn't touch a golf club until the age of 18 and then suddenly takes up golf, do you really think he would be magically gifted at the game?

 

[muttleee]

No one is saying that 'golfing ability' is magically passed on in the genes but maybe general athleticism/hand-eye coordination are. It's also perfectly possible that Tiger would still have been a great player if he hadn't taken the game up until adulthood. Apparently Greg Norman only started playing at 16 (and was scratch within a year) and YE Yang only started playing at 19. Starting a bit later doesn't seem to have done them any harm. According to Wikipedia, Greg's mother was a single-figure handicapper, btw.

 

[Simbo]

IMO the parents genes have nothing to do with it - there was an experiment carried out years ago on this very topic. Nature v nurture and nurture won everytime, a hungarian guy had 3 daughters all of whom become world chess champions and neither he nor his wife could even play the game before they conducted the experiment, purely because he pushed them into spending every spare moment they had doing chess stuff

Actually the father was a renowned chess expert and author of chess books...which suggests that genes could actually have a lot to do with it.

his 1st chess book was written in 1994, by which time his youngest daughter would have been around 18 and already a world champion.
he ahd earlier written a book called "bringing up genuis" in which he said he beleived that outstanding success was acheived by hard work and not genes and his kids were the proof. When he had kids he was only a mediocre chess player while the mother couldnt play at all.
the above was taken from the book called talent is overrated

 

[muttleee]

Interesting...I didn't know that. I suppose you could still argue that to get that good, the father must have had a talent for it even if he didn't know it. On the other hand, maybe it was just hard work. I know there is a theory that anyone can become very good at anything if they work hard enough but I can't help thinking that people do have natural gifts in certain areas. Some people have an ear for music...some don't. Some can draw amazing pictures effortlessly, some can't. I don't think those qualities can be put down to hard work.

 

[Simbo]

i agree, some kids are better at hitting golf balls or playing football than others, then it takes a very special type of person to do the one thing ALL the time whether it be football, chess, golf or whatever. those are the ones that go on to greatness

 

[RGDave]

Some people have an ear for music...some don't. Some can draw amazing pictures effortlessly, some can't. I don't think those qualities can be put down to hard work.

I could sing and play tunes on the Piano before I'd had any instruction at all.

My Mum bought me a Violin.
My Dad bought me a cricket bat.

My Grandad gave me some Golf bats, I wish he'd done it before my parents had their own ideas.

 

[0]

One word - Seve

...and Lee Trevino