In a recent episode of the Par 3 Podcast, Charley Hull was asked who her dream foursome would be. She included Albert Einstein in her group. The “dream foursome” question has been asked of tour pros many times. But Einstein isn’t often chosen as a playing partner. Hull, who says she left school at 11 years old, has maintained a high level of intellectual curiosity throughout her life.
“I’ve always been obsessed with science, history, and geography,” Hull said in a press conference at the Kroger Queen City Championship. “I may not be the best at like spelling and everything, but I’m quite knowledgeable in certain aspects of life. It’s quite interesting. I just love stuff like that, though. I find it fascinating.”
She went on to say that her next intellectual pursuit is in philosophy
“I just ordered a book actually, about the Stoics, Stoicism, and stuff,” Hull said in Ohio. “I find stuff like that amazing. Like, how if it’s not in your control you don’t really have to worry about it. I feel like a lot of people should be more like that because they’ll be a lot happier in life.”
Stoicism, a philosophy that dates back to the ancient Greeks, focuses on accepting whatever is happening in the present moment and being clear about what we can and what we cannot control. It leans heavily on being rational, instead of emotional. First used by ancient philosophers and kings, it has become popular in the present day amongst high performers in sports and business. For many, it’s an effective tool for managing stress and setbacks.
Hull isn’t the first professional golfer to lean into Stoicism. Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay have spoken about having read a classic Stoic text, Marcus Aeurilius’ “Meditations.” McIlroy has said that the book has helped him focus on controlling his response to what happens on the golf course, because that is one of the few things he can control.
Even golfers who don’t specifically reference Stoicism exhibit the key traits in their games. I reference a few of them in this story I wrote about Mel Robbins’ best-selling book, “The Let Them Theory,” which is a modern take on Stoicism.
Whenever a player talks about not being attached to their score, when they talk about being OK with the outcome as long as they put their best effort forward, these are all examples of practicing Stoicism on the golf course.
It’s not surprising that Stoicism is interesting to people who play a game where you can get, for lack of a better term, utterly screwed for no reason, at any moment. You can hit a perfect drive, and end up in a divot. A random gust of wind can come up just as you hit, sending your ball into a pond. You can play the round of your life, and whoever you’re playing in a match against can edge you by a stroke. Everywhere on the golf course, scenarios are happening that are out of your control. Imagine how much energy you’re wasting by reacting to every bad break? Stoicism says to accept that unfair things happen, to not waste your energy being upset about it, and to instead put your mind toward what you can control.
It’s worked for other golfers; it’ll probably resonate with Hull, too.
