Has a quiver of surfboards become synonymous with a bag of golf clubs? Aren`t wave riding and surfcraft design infinitely more creative and free?
Yes. However surfing seems to be heading that way, sadly.
The feedom we have is when to use the clubs. If you live in a “one-board-for- every-3’-feet-of-wave” world then you are no different than a guy 275 yards from the hole. (from 150 yards in though there is a fair bit of creativity in chosing a club) But as a surfer, you don’t have to live in that world. I choose my vehicle more on how I want to feel on a wave. I can have as much fun (or even more) riding something that is ill suited for the conditions. It’s more of a challenge and I get a little more personal satisfaction of knowing both the board and the waves in a little different way than the rest of the flotsam and jetsom.
It takes a naive person to buy into the idea that surfing, or even dancing, is a form of self expression. Surfing, like dancing, is like sex, we do it because it makes us feel good. We do it differently because we are different. We use different boards cause we have to choose a board, and one of them jazzes us for today’s surf. -this is me holding my own hand and chanting your mantra while a white shark leafs through my notes ons interpecies diversity awareness.
sunshine- I disagree. Besides, what if self-expression and individuality ‘feels good’ to some people? If anything I consider myself cynical; I don’t see naivety as a factor in the acknowledgment of personal self-expression. Maybe there is in thinking others actually give a fu9k about your self-expression, though! Yesterday, for kicks, I tried out my 6-0 single with one of rich’s mentals at minus tide pp. Everyone was on clone thrusters. With guys eyeing and craving every set, I made sure to make the first one. Well later on, on a late drop, I ate it at the bottom pretty good. I remember this bearded guy (an older, better, and more experienced surfer than I) who was getting deep smiled and said “heh, I saw that one, that was pretty late” with an obvious appreciation of the difficulty of the wide-tailed low rockered single in the conditions. With no words (and little intent, I was trying to make the drop) my surfing and choice of surfcraft (I did go in and get my thruster, eventually) was a clear form of expression and communication to this stranger. Maybe your statement of “it just feels good” is the goal, but it applies better to surfing alone in desolation; not the crowded (and unfortunately ultra voyeuristic, ultra competitive) reefs and points of densely populated areas such as southern california. Just some thoughts.
if not self expression, then what is it???
So you custom build your own clubs? Me? Im different. I equate a set of golf clubs with a quiver of Surftechs. I mean how many golfers can afford to have a set made just for them? So you have the best mass-produced golf clubs designed by a legendary golfer? Theyre the same basic thing as a quiver of Surftechs by a legendary shaper.
Twenty years ago I might have agreed with you. However, today most good clubs are very customized, even more customized than a surfboard. When you order a custom board I’m guessing most will tell their shaper the length they want, how many fins and maybe tell them where they usually surf. The shaper takes this minimal amount of info (most of it is probably bravado anyway) and cranks out a nice compromize. The same guy wants a set of custom clubs will spend at least an hour in front of a television camera and strobe measuring his swing from three different directions, at least 4 different measurements of arm length, waist, wrist to ground. Then its off to the driving range to see ball flight. Several weeks later the clubs (custom length, shaft stiffness, grip, heads, toe angles, offsets, weight) are ready and he gets to try them out. You don’t like; you don’t buy. And no, the custom clubs are not unreasonably priced, especially when you consider they are good for 10-15 years. I would guess that the percentage of custom club buyers is very close to the percentage of custom surfboard buyers. I often customize my clubs on any given day by adding or subtracting weight, moving the grips around pretty much like changing fins. I might be wrong, but I don’t think this is the tack that Dale was taking…
If a game or so-called sport, activity, what ever you want to call it suits you then it can become a primary mode of expression. If you’re fortunate enough to find something where you can be creative it will make you very happy: Comparing golf and surfing is an interesting choice. It applies to me quite well. Frankly golf doesn’t suit my temperament. I was my dad’s game. He’s not volatile at all and always seems to be in complete control of his emotions. Speed, or flying were never of any importance to him. A long walk on the course, a good rowboat or a little cricket boat suited him fine. He won the open class sailboat race around the island of Atlantic City in a 16 footer back in the 20’s, but the win wasn’t about speed it was about tactics. As a result the game of golf suited him perfectly. He built custom golf clubs for 25 years in his basement back in Indiana and did some very creative things. I helped some and it was educational. Technology has changed all that and custom golf club making can’t be done this way any more. I learned who I wasn’t by playing golf. He was free there I wasn’t. He saw things there I didn’t. Surfing suits me. Designing and building boards and fins and being involved with surfboard performance works for me because unlike my father I need calming down and love speed and like him I love working with my mind and hands. Everyone finds challenges in different places. When I see someone surf and see what they surf it tells me a lot about how adventuresome they are and how they like to express themselves. Some surfers don’t want to go fast. I figure if I can go fast and have lots of control I’ll be able to do lots of things that I couldn’t otherwise do. But something is that fast in one set of wave conditions isn’t simply won’t work all in other conditions. So being able to choose a board that suits the wave conditions and who I am that day makes each session a form of self-expression IMHO. When there’s a old carp on the beach like there was for Vaga to reflect on what happened, because of his experience it makes the whole picture complete. This sort of special thing seldom happens. Good-on-ya Vaga. Hope the fin helps turn the board on. So find out who you are or aren’t. Go Surfin’! Back to work, Rich
Golf reminds people of surfing because of compliance. You discipline your actions to fit a physical model so that you can lock into the sport. Your being becomes your tool, a piece in the board game. That’s where you find the rush. Next time you look over your peak-side shoulder while flipping out the next-to-last stroke, to plan your drop-turn-throttle, think about it.
Those are some nice words, strung well together.
“Next time you look over your peak-side shoulder while flipping out the next-to-last stroke, to plan your drop-turn-throttle, think about it.” Oops. Of course that would be your off-peak shoulder. It’s become so mechanical that I forgot what I do. Ballet dancing and figure skating would be considered among the purest forms of self expression. Has anybody noticed how figure skating competitions have become a circus of tricks? Skaters can perform back flips and quad jumps, but for “self expression” they’re looking more like cr@p every day. The reason? Part of each figure skating competition once included school figures. Skaters had to spend hours every day practicing school figure “edges” where they trained their bodies to match the model through successive maneuvers. Skaters complained that school figures were stifling their self expression, so school figure requirements were dropped from skating competitions. Michelle Kwon represents the last of the old school of skaters trained in edges. Years ago Mikhail Barishnakov became the last of the great Bolshoi dancers. Why? Because he was the last classically trained dancer, the last dancer forced to repeat exercises for years to mold his body to the model. Barishnakov left the Bolshoi for the freedom of “self expression”. Now all dancers are trained in “self expression”, but they all s*ck compared to the old masters. I wonder if Barishnakov or Kwon ever came to realize that the ability to express themselves only came inside, and as a result of exacting compliance with the model.
I believe that it’s all up to the individual, he or she will make up their own mind as to whether something feels or looks good and it is hard to sway them from their mind set, some people like the aggressive swing of Tiger Woods and some prefer the effortless approach of Ernie Els, I myself have always enjoyed the “make it look easy” approach because it is the way that I would like to be percieved but it does’nt mean that I don’t appreciate other forms of expression, and this is what they all are “forms of expression” be it golf, surfing, shaping, writting,talking, everything. Sunshine believes that he is right in his expression of what its all about and some agree, and others agree with someone else. The longer we can keep our individual choices of expression alive the longer it will take for them to turn us all into clones. KR
how do you know sunshine is a “he”? seems to know alot about ballet and figure skating. would a guy want to be referred to as “sunshine”? i don’t really care, was kinda just wondering…
can i use UV resin when making custom clubs!
Hey LeeV. You might concider looking through a book called “The Physics of Golf”. It’s an incredible book, with a lot on balancing clubs. I found it interesting.
In the martial arts creative freedom is only achieved through strict training of one`s instincts. Golf (as other sports) is artificial legalism. But the act of surfing derives its unwritten code from nature. Is surfing about the dance, the dancer, the device? All three? Perhaps that may be the wrong question. I say it is none of them at all. They are merely the ends to the means. The most sublime beauty is harmonmious movement of rider, wave and device. The movement across a wave can become something higher than its separate parts. That is the best to me. Why worship only a part?
Comparing all these activities does not seem to take into consideration the fact that an ocean wave is a one-of entity, moving and changing it’s form in infinite ways. Sure there are perfect spots with perfect and sometimes almost mechanical precision, but each one is different and each person rides it differently. I’ve never, ever seen the same guy ride the same wave twice, let alone ride it exactly the same way. Surfing is unique and always will be.
Geee, you guys put way too much thought on this. It’s all about the fun. If it’s not fun, quit. regards, Håvard
Don’t worry Havard, I really enjoy surfing and watching other guys surf. I don’t like the way surfers take golf too seriously.