---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I see things written about the golf swing…"
description: "\"I see things written about the golf swing that I can't believe will work except by accident .\" — Harvey Penick"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/harvey-penick-22919_accident_i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swin_1968677.png"
---

#  I see things written about the golf swing that I can't…

![“I see things written about the golf swing that I can't believe will work except by accident .” quote by Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/harvey-penick-22919_accident_i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swin_1968677.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/harvey-penick-22919_accident_i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swin_1968677.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/harvey-penick-22919_accident_i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swin_1968677.png)

> “I see things written about the golf swing that I can't believe will work except by accident .”

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Golf instruction often relies on intuition, but many techniques lack scientific proof and may work only by luck.

**In simple terms:** Golf tips can be unproven and accidental.

Key Takeaway

Test methods critically before trusting them.

Themes

golf learning skepticism

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

advice instruction

When to use this quote

- training sessions
- coaching clinics
- personal practice
- equipment testing

Key Concepts

motor learning practice randomness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify a swing tip's effectiveness?
- When should you trust tradition over evidence?

A Different Perspective

Reliance on anecdotal advice can hinder skill development.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf/) [Golf swing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf-swing/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Swing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swing/) [Swing Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swing-believe-3293615/) [Swings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swings/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [Written Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-golf-3293614/)

## Related quotes

> [The golf swing is among the most stressful and unnatural acts in sports, short of cheering for the Yankees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-faxon/the-golf-swing-is-among-the-most-stressful-and-unnatural-acts-in/)

[Brad Faxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-faxon/)

> [My swing is so bad I look like a caveman killing his lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-trevino/my-swing-is-so-bad-i-look-like-a-caveman-killing-his-lunch/)

[Lee Trevino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-trevino/)

> [I don't believe there is anything like a natural golf swing. A golf swing is an unnatural thing, and it has to be developed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hogan/i-don-t-believe-there-is-anything-like-a-natural-golf-swing-a-golf/)

[Ben Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hogan/)

> [Tempo is the glue that sticks all elements of the golf swing together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-faldo/tempo-is-the-glue-that-sticks-all-elements-of-the-golf-swing-together/)

[Nick Faldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-faldo/)

> [I think the golf swing is all about rotation, all about trying to keep the club on plane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/i-think-the-golf-swing-is-all-about-rotation-all-about-trying-to-keep/)

[Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/)

> [My golf swing is a bit like ironing a shirt. You get one side smoothed out, turn it over and there is a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-watson/my-golf-swing-is-a-bit-like-ironing-a-shirt-you-get-one-side-smoothed/)

[Tom Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-watson/)

> [Forget the last shot. It takes so long to accept that you can't always replicate your swing. The only thing you can control is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mccumber/forget-the-last-shot-it-takes-so-long-to-accept-that-you-can-t-always/)

[Mark McCumber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mccumber/)

> [A lot of times guys have the tendency to try to kick it too hard or over-kick it. Just like a golf swing, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/a-lot-of-times-guys-have-the-tendency-to-try-to-kick-it-too-hard-or/)

[Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/)

> [The funny thing about the golf swing is that you try to alter it and end up with the same faults as you've had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-corbett/the-funny-thing-about-the-golf-swing-is-that-you-try-to-alter-it-and/)

[Ronnie Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-corbett/)

> [In golf, you swing smooth and let the club do the work for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-janikowski/in-golf-you-swing-smooth-and-let-the-club-do-the-work-for-you/)

[Sebastian Janikowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-janikowski/)

> [When I golf, I swing hard. I've got to slow down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-janikowski/when-i-golf-i-swing-hard-i-ve-got-to-slow-down/)

[Sebastian Janikowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-janikowski/)

> [I guess I've always been a fan of Dustin Johnson's golf swing, because I have a lot of similar things to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-hovland/i-guess-i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-dustin-johnson-s-golf-swing-because/)

[Viktor Hovland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-hovland/)

> [The golf swing is a violent swing. You twist, and your spine is under continual stress when you're making a golf swing. Your neck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-watson/the-golf-swing-is-a-violent-swing-you-twist-and-your-spine-is-under/)

[Tom Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-watson/)

> [I practice my golf swing naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-practice-my-golf-swing-naked/)

[Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/)

> [My golf swing is probably the most horrendous you've ever seen. I look like I'm trying to attack the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ophelia-lovibond/my-golf-swing-is-probably-the-most-horrendous-you-ve-ever-seen-i-look/)

[Ophelia Lovibond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ophelia-lovibond/)

## More by Harvey Penick

> [A golfer rarely needs to hit a spectacular shot until the one that preceded it was pretty bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/a-golfer-rarely-needs-to-hit-a-spectacular-shot-until-the-one-that/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [All seasoned players know, or at least have felt, that when you are playing your best, you are much the same as in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/all-seasoned-players-know-or-at-least-have-felt-that-when-you-are/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [If you play golf, you are my friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/if-you-play-golf-you-are-my-friend/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [A good putter is a match for anyone. A bad putter is a match for no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/a-good-putter-is-a-match-for-anyone-a-bad-putter-is-a-match-for-no-one/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [“Just as I do, Bill was always telling pupils to relax their elbows, since the elbow is the most important joint we have in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/just-as-i-do-bill-was-always-telling-pupils-to-relax-their-elbows/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [You don't lose your swing between the ninth green and the tenth tee, and you don't lose your swing from one day to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/you-don-t-lose-your-swing-between-the-ninth-green-and-the-tenth-tee/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [I don't care how good you play, you can find somebody who can beat you, and I don't care how bad you play, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/i-don-t-care-how-good-you-play-you-can-find-somebody-who-can-beat-you/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [Lessons are not to take the place of practice, but to make practice worthwhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/lessons-are-not-to-take-the-place-of-practice-but-to-make-practice/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [Be yourself. Play within yourself. Play your own game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/be-yourself-play-within-yourself-play-your-own-game/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [Go out and have fun. Golf is a game for everyone, not just for the talented few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/go-out-and-have-fun-golf-is-a-game-for-everyone-not-just-for-the/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [If you play poorly one day, forget it. If you play poorly the next time out, review your fundamentals of grip, stance, aim and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/if-you-play-poorly-one-day-forget-it-if-you-play-poorly-the-next-time/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [I compare the pressure of a golf shot with making an extra point in basketball. The player starts from a full stop, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/i-compare-the-pressure-of-a-golf-shot-with-making-an-extra-point-in/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [Make a game out of practice, you're still a child at heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/make-a-game-out-of-practice-you-re-still-a-child-at-heart/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [Looking up is the biggest alibi ever invented to explain a terrible shot. By the time you look up, you've already made the mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/looking-up-is-the-biggest-alibi-ever-invented-to-explain-a-terrible/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

> [The woods are full of long drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/the-woods-are-full-of-long-drivers/)

[Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

[Explore all 26 Harvey Penick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/)

## More Accident quotes

> [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/)

[Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/)

> [“The accident in your rearview mirror already happened. The one in front of you is still preventable. Pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nakia-r-laushaul/the-accident-in-your-rearview-mirror-already-happened-the-one-in/)

[Nakia R. Laushaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nakia-r-laushaul/)

> [People dont get married by accident and they dont get divorced by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/people-dont-get-married-by-accident-and-they-dont-get-divorced-by/)

[Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/)

> [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/)

[KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/)

> [A tragic car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes and dreams for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/a-tragic-car-accident-put-me-in-a-wheelchair-and-dashed-my-hopes-and/)

[Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/)

> [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/)

[Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/)

> [The spirit in the body is like wine in a glass; when it spills, it seeps into air and earth and light….It’s a mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/the-spirit-in-the-body-is-like-wine-in-a-glass-when-it-spills-it/)

[Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/)

> [accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/accident-ruled-every-corner-of-the-universe-except-the-chambers-of/)

[David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/)

> [There is a French expression that says: to be exposed to an accident, to cross a street without looking at the cars means exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/there-is-a-french-expression-that-says-to-be-exposed-to-an-accident/)

[Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/)

> [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/)

[Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/)

> [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/)

[Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/)

> [“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-i-was-in-a-speed-reading-accident-i/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [However, I met with a horrible accident while riding my bike in Sangla Valley. The accident was a wakeup call for me stop getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhinav-shukla/however-i-met-with-a-horrible-accident-while-riding-my-bike-in-sangla/)

[Abhinav Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhinav-shukla/)

> [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 922 Accident quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I see things written about the golf swing that I can't believe will work except by accident .",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Harvey Penick"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swing-that-i-can-t-believe-will/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accident"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swing-that-i-can-t-believe-will/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/harvey-penick-22919_accident_i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swin_1968677.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/harvey-penick-22919_accident_i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swin_1968677.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/harvey-penick-22919_accident_i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swin_1968677.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I see things written about the golf swing that I can't believe will work except by accident .” — Harvey Penick",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Harvey Penick",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I see things written about the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swing-that-i-can-t-believe-will/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/i-see-things-written-about-the-golf-swing-that-i-can-t-believe-will/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
