Self-Handicappers

Abstract

In 1984, at a point that many felt was the twilight of his golf career, Lee Trevino found himself leading the PGA Championship after the first round. Trevino had not won a tournament since 1981. At the age of 44, he was leading one of the premier events in his sport, a tournament that he would win three days later. When asked to explain his resurgence he replied that he had quit practicing, at his doctor's orders. Trevino, who had been suffering from chronic back problems, was instructed by his physician to give up his career-long habit of hitting 600 practice shots a day. Trevino cited an unanticipated benefit of his new regimen that was adding to the enjoyment he found in golf; ``if I have a bad round, I say, `What the hell, my doctor won't let me practice' '' (Fowler, 1984, p. D1).