Comments on: Linked Pursuits: Writing and Golf http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/ Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:20:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Luke http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33787 Luke Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:37:13 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33787 Eurocentrism alert!  The World Cup is in South Africa in 2010... the European Championships are happening now, and the Dutch are looking fantastic.  <br /> Eurocentrism alert!  The World Cup is in South Africa in 2010… the European Championships are happening now, and the Dutch are looking fantastic. 

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]]> By: Agnieszka http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33770 Agnieszka Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:45:49 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33770 Oy caramba, how can we even think about golf when the FIFA World Cup is going on. The World Cup people! That's football. That’s right, football, not soccer. I said it! Poland is playing Croatia on the 16th. It is very hard to be writing while your team is on:)  But how about this writing analogy: unlike in  solitary golf, it is the team that matters here. Success in writing depends on the “team “ as well.  Think of it  that way: peer review, multiple edits by many people, many hours spend with a helpful communication fellow. And in a longer view: good writers are made by the “team” assembled through your life: the teachers which cared about your writing, the authors you love, whose books are like family members, writing mentors, etc.Ultimately though, one thing that matters the most is being able to yell: “Gooooaaaaaaaallllll Oy caramba, how can we even think about golf when the FIFA World Cup is going on. The World Cup people! That’s football. That’s right, football, not soccer. I said it! Poland is playing Croatia on the 16th. It is very hard to be writing while your team is on:)  But how about this writing analogy: unlike in  solitary golf, it is the team that matters here. Success in writing depends on the “team “ as well.  Think of it  that way: peer review, multiple edits by many people, many hours spend with a helpful communication fellow. And in a longer view: good writers are made by the “team” assembled through your life: the teachers which cared about your writing, the authors you love, whose books are like family members, writing mentors, etc.Ultimately though, one thing that matters the most is being able to yell: “Gooooaaaaaaaallllll

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]]> By: Tom http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33720 Tom Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:28:40 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33720 I will be playing a round of Father's Day golf this Sunday, during which time I plan to conduct careful research on the questions raised in this conversation. Thanks, Ryan, for introducing this perceptive analogy. I just hope my golf game doesn't rub off on my writing technique--if so, my dissertation is in big trouble. I will be playing a round of Father’s Day golf this Sunday, during which time I plan to conduct careful research on the questions raised in this conversation. Thanks, Ryan, for introducing this perceptive analogy. I just hope my golf game doesn’t rub off on my writing technique–if so, my dissertation is in big trouble.

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]]> By: Ryan http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33713 Ryan Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:41:10 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33713 Great idea Yukiko! Mikhail...? <a href="http://www.americangolf.com/weddingevents/dykerbeach/" rel="nofollow">Here's the link to a course in Bklyn that accepts events</a>. Great idea Yukiko!

Mikhail…? Here's the link to a course in Bklyn that accepts events.

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]]> By: Yukiko http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33710 Yukiko Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:43:36 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33710 So when is the first annual BLSCI summer golf tournament? ;-) So when is the first annual BLSCI summer golf tournament? ;-)

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]]> By: Suzanne http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33709 Suzanne Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:30:44 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33709 So instead of Elitist I could say something else, which I wonder, would it have gotten as much of a response...? So instead of Elitist I could say something else, which I wonder, would it have gotten as much of a response…?

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]]> By: Ryan http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33708 Ryan Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:25:29 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33708 Thank you Luke, I pride myself on being at one with the language of the people. Seriously though, I'm glad that Suzanne (and Mikhail) mentioned the elitist question about golf. It's a common perception, but only partly true. In the movies all the courses are beautiful country clubs where people are dressed expensively, are white as the driven snow, have black caddies, are all male and mostly rich. Golf, is, compared to some other sports -- say, playing soccer in a yard -- relatively expensive. So it's fair to say that if you're poor you will have less opportunity to play. Also, golf is in many respects a strange bastion of old-school sexism -- hearing something like "$%^&*! I'm hitting the ball like a woman today!" is totally unremarkable on a golf course; a putt you leave short will get you called "Alice." But in other respects golf is impressively integrated and accessible. If you play on a public course in NY (the vast majority of golfers everywhere play on public courses for $15-40 per round) you will encounter firemen, plumbers, school teachers, bartenders, lawyers, retired military men, bouncers, freelance writers, computer geeks, insurance men and young people on summer vacation -- all in every variety of skin color, nationality, even language. Go to a golf course anywhere and you'll get a pretty decent cross section (though, again, not gender-wise) of the town or city you're in. Thank you Luke, I pride myself on being at one with the language of the people.

Seriously though, I'm glad that Suzanne (and Mikhail) mentioned the elitist question about golf. It's a common perception, but only partly true. In the movies all the courses are beautiful country clubs where people are dressed expensively, are white as the driven snow, have black caddies, are all male and mostly rich. Golf, is, compared to some other sports — say, playing soccer in a yard — relatively expensive. So it's fair to say that if you're poor you will have less opportunity to play. Also, golf is in many respects a strange bastion of old-school sexism — hearing something like "$%^&*! I'm hitting the ball like a woman today!" is totally unremarkable on a golf course; a putt you leave short will get you called "Alice." But in other respects golf is impressively integrated and accessible. If you play on a public course in NY (the vast majority of golfers everywhere play on public courses for $15-40 per round) you will encounter firemen, plumbers, school teachers, bartenders, lawyers, retired military men, bouncers, freelance writers, computer geeks, insurance men and young people on summer vacation — all in every variety of skin color, nationality, even language. Go to a golf course anywhere and you'll get a pretty decent cross section (though, again, not gender-wise) of the town or city you're in.

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]]> By: Luke http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33707 Luke Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:19:50 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33707 It was ungentlemanly for the author to reference the trials and tribulations of my game, for which there is a poetic nickname: Long and Wrong.   I'll just respond to Suzanne's comment by noting that there's absolutely nothing elite about Ryan's swing, or the language he uses on the course.  It was ungentlemanly for the author to reference the trials and tribulations of my game, for which there is a poetic nickname: Long and Wrong.   I'll just respond to Suzanne's comment by noting that there's absolutely nothing elite about Ryan's swing, or the language he uses on the course. 

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]]> By: Mikhail http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33706 Mikhail Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:08:37 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33706 No one is saying it's not elitist. :) great post, Ryan. Let's add golf to the list of useful metaphors. I've found that asking students come up with metaphors for writing and flesh them out a bit is a very good exercise towards demystifying writing. I have never heard golf before though cooking, baking, and sculpting show up often. No one is saying it's not elitist. :)
great post, Ryan. Let's add golf to the list of useful metaphors. I've found that asking students come up with metaphors for writing and flesh them out a bit is a very good exercise towards demystifying writing. I have never heard golf before though cooking, baking, and sculpting show up often.

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]]> By: Suzanne http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/comment-page-1/#comment-33705 Suzanne Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:53:54 +0000 http://cac.ophony.org/2008/06/10/linked-pursuits-writing-and-golf/#comment-33705 I truly had never thought of Golf as akin to writing. But Ryan you have begun to change my perception of what I originally thought of as a boring and rather elitist past time. I truly had never thought of Golf as akin to writing. But Ryan you have begun to change my perception of what I originally thought of as a boring and rather elitist past time.

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