Which Personality Types Play The Best Golf

I spend a lot of time watching golf, both on TV and in the flesh. I also play more than my fair share of this wonderful game.

And the point? You get to see a lot of golfers of all abilities, very different characters with a huge mix of personalities. I am fascinated by our sport and, more especially, those who play it.

So which personalities make the best golfers? That is the $64,000 question. And the harsh reality is that there is no easy answer.

Nick Faldo won six majors and did so by being utterly single-minded. It is fair to say that during his playing days he was not universally popular among his peers. The Englishman was a man who played without showing any emotion. A rare exception was when he overturned a five-shot deficit to crush Greg Norman in the final round of The Masters in 1996. At the end of it all, Faldo warmly embraced the Australian on the final green and said: "Greg, I don’t know what to say." He genuinely felt his rival’s pain.

Jon Rahm is one of the world’s best golfers. He has won two majors and a host of tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. He is the antithesis of Faldo. Temper tantrums are commonplace after poor shots, and then there is THAT stare. He is an angry man. But by the time he gets to the ball to play his next shot, it is forgotten.

Tyrrell Hatton is even worse. If you are watching him play then you know that at some stage the commentators are going to be apologising for his language. He was one of the most-fined golfers on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour before defecting to LIV. No golfers slams more clubs into the ground - and then looks up to see his ball nestling 10 feet from the hole. 

Colin Montgomerie won the Order of Merit eight times in Europe. He did this despite somehow being able to lose his focus if he heard a bird sing or a butterfly flap its wings. He argued with fans and photographers on a regular basis and his poor bagmen suffered more than their fair share of verbal abuse. He famously never won a major or a PGA Tour event in America. This may have had something to do with the fact that American crowds took great delight in baiting him. And, of course, Monty went for it hook, line and sinker. Every single time.

Tom Weiskopf, one of the most gifted golfers of his generation, was known as Towering Inferno. It is self-explanatory. Weiskopf’s only major success came at The Open. Unlike Rahm, Hatton and Montgomerie, Weiskopf struggled to control his temper and it cost him countless tournaments.

John Daly routinely broke clubs, threw them in lakes and ran out of golf balls. It is fair to say that despite winning two majors, the American failed to find a way to cope without making a fool of himself.

When Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson were going head to head for The Open at Turnberry in 1977, Nicklaus turned to Watson and said: "Tom, it just doesn’t get any better than this, does it?" Nicklaus won 18 majors but missed out on many more. However, he took it all in his stride. He was and remains a gentleman. Early in his career there were times when he lost his temper on the course but he quickly realised that he had a role to play. If you followed his career, can you ever recall a time when you saw the Golden Bear lose his temper?

I recall Nicklaus conceding THAT putt to Tony Jacklin at the 1969 Ryder Cup. It later emerged that Nicklaus said to Jacklin of the putt that would tie the match: "You wouldn’t have missed it but I was never going to give you the opportunity to do so."

And then there is Watson, possibly the most universally liked man in the entire world of professional golf. Again, he was a man who suffered more his fair share of disappointments but his demeanour never changed. Everybody loves Watson.

Lee Trevino, one of the most gifted ball strikers I have ever had the privilege of watching in the flesh, was a ball of nervous energy. He could only play at his best by constantly chattering - to himself, to his fellow players, to his caddie and to the gallery. The only time he stopped talking was when he hit the ball.

Bernhard Langer has been a winning machine on the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and Champions Tour. No golfer has suffered more on the greens than the German but the long putter saved his career. The thing with Langer is that this was all played out in front of the cameras and never once did anybody see Langer lose his cool. His was - and still is - the perfect temperament.

The conclusion to all of this is that at the top level there is no perfect temperament. It’s all about talent, dedication and what is between the ears at the moment of impact and if you can control all of that then it probably doesn’t matter whether they are calm or as volatile as an active volcano.

But then there is the club game, and that is different.

I see many club golfers whose shoulders slump when they hit a bad shot. You just know that they are still dwelling on it when they are standing over the next one - and that usually goes wrong too. They thump clubs into the ground, they swear, they curse their bad luck - and they wonder why they never get any better. 

The best club players are the ones who take everything in their stride, who employ some strategy - and, most importantly, who actually look as though they are enjoying themselves. I keep coming back to this - golf is a game and it is meant to be enjoyed. 

If it isn’t any fun for you, find something else to do with your spare time.

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