Peter Thomson was a complex man who preferred a simple approach to playing golf. When asked about practice he said: "They are people who can't practise now without being videoed. Their are also those who insist in making golf a science and insisting that we study it, they get the feeling this game is difficult. Whereas really, they should consider it easy because it is. It's just whacking a ball, for goodness sake."
The Australian, who passed away recently, was the thinking man's golfer and his clean brisk game was based on cold logic. He had a gift for reducing things to their simple essentials. The path he took to his many victories around the world seemed a remarkably straight line. He taught himself the game, and it was never about the mechanics of the swing, only the numbers on the scorecard.
When Peter started out he was overwhelmed and somewhat intimidated by the famous players he was paired with. He thought that he was not as good as these guys, but he knew he could shoot the same score. "I always felt that playing golf seriously is about scoring. It's not about hitting it further or even closer. It's about getting it round in 68. That's all l did, really -- and four 68s would stand him in good stead on any leaderboard in the world".
Always his own man, Peter was invariably puzzled by the modern obsession with swing coaches.
He insisted that to get to the top you have to be totally self-reliant. "If you need to call someone up and say, 'l can't hit my wedges,' you won't solve the problem. It's absurd that the world's greatest golfers take lessons. A pro should puzzle it out for himself. The young players need another system."
Out of Bounds: Peter Thomson was known for his impatience for those wishing to make the game complicated. When asked if he had any putting secrets, he replied: "Aim at the hole and hit it."
