---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The other sad truth about golf…"
description: "\"The other sad truth about golf spectatorship is that for today's pros it all comes down to the putting, and that the difference between a putt that dro..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/john-updike-396_cups_the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectator_2919476.jpg"
---

#  The other sad truth about golf spectatorship is that for…

![“The other sad truth about golf spectatorship is that for today's pros it all comes down to the putting, and that the difference between a putt that drops and one that rims the cup, though teleologically enormous, is intellectually negligeable.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/john-updike-396_cups_the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectator_2919476.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/john-updike-396_cups_the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectator_2919476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/john-updike-396_cups_the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectator_2919476.jpg)

> “The other sad truth about golf spectatorship is that for today's pros it all comes down to the putting, and that the difference between a putt that drops and one that rims the cup, though teleologically enormous, is intellectually negligeable.”

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

## About This Quote

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

Golf’s outcome hinges on a tiny skill, making the sport’s success seem both crucial and trivial.

**In simple terms:** Small details decide big results, yet they feel insignificant.

Key Takeaway

Focus on mastering fundamentals.

Themes

sports precision mindset detail effort

Mood

analytical reflective

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- professional tournaments
- practice sessions
- coaching clinics

Key Concepts

skill acquisition psychology of performance risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- What other aspects of golf deserve attention?
- How does this view affect player confidence?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on one skill can ignore overall game strategy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comes Putting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-putting-3436360/) [Cups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cups/) [Difference Putt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-putt-4246894/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Enormous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enormous/) [Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf/) [Golf Spectatorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf-spectatorship-4246893/) [Intellectually Negligeable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectually-negligeable-4246895/) [Putt Drops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putt-drops-4246892/) [Rims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rims/) [Sad truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad-truth/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [You get no points for style when it comes to putting. It's getting the ball to drop into the cup that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-auchterlonie/you-get-no-points-for-style-when-it-comes-to-putting-it-s-getting-the/)

[Laurie Auchterlonie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-auchterlonie/)

> [If each day falls inside each night, there exists a well where clarity is imprisoned. We need to sit on the rim of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/if-each-day-falls-inside-each-night-there-exists-a-well-where-clarity/)

[Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/)

> [A basketball diameter is 10 inches and a rim is 18 inches so I made a 14-inch rim I put in to practice on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-schayes/a-basketball-diameter-is-10-inches-and-a-rim-is-18-inches-so-i-made-a/)

[Dolph Schayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-schayes/)

> [Murray sounds like a blindfolded man riding a unicycle on the rim of the pit of doom, the men actually facing the danger are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/murray-sounds-like-a-blindfolded-man-riding-a-unicycle-on-the-rim-of/)

[Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/)

> [And o'er the hills, and far away Beyond their utmost purple rim, Beyond the night, across the day, Thro' all the world she follow'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/and-o-er-the-hills-and-far-away-beyond-their-utmost-purple-rim-beyond/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [If animals are no longer quite outside the moral sphere, they are still in a special section near the outer rim. Their interests are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/if-animals-are-no-longer-quite-outside-the-moral-sphere-they-are/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [When our cup runs over, we let others drink the drops that fall, but not a drop from within the rim, and call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/when-our-cup-runs-over-we-let-others-drink-the-drops-that-fall-but/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [A long time ago a very powerful race of Indians lived here. They were from another cycle; their being was of another composition. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-long-time-ago-a-very-powerful-race-of-indians-lived-here-they-were/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I took it upon myself to be more aggressive. I wanted the ball. Coach gave me the ball and I just tried to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwyane-wade/i-took-it-upon-myself-to-be-more-aggressive-i-wanted-the-ball-coach/)

[Dwyane Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwyane-wade/)

> [The sun's rim dips; the stars rush out: At one stride comes the dark; With far-heard whisper o'er the sea, Off shot the spectre-bark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-sun-s-rim-dips-the-stars-rush-out-at-one-stride-comes-the-dark/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [If I ventured in the slipstream between the viaducts of your dreams, where immobile steel rims crack and the ditch in the back roads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/if-i-ventured-in-the-slipstream-between-the-viaducts-of-your-dreams/)

[Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/)

> [The afternoon is bright, with spring in the air, a mild March afternoon, with the breath of April stirring, I am alone in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-machado/the-afternoon-is-bright-with-spring-in-the-air-a-mild-march-afternoon/)

[Antonio Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-machado/)

> [The grossest form of this injury of the body to ornament it, is in tattooing. Next, the piercing the ear all around its rim,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/the-grossest-form-of-this-injury-of-the-body-to-ornament-it-is-in/)

[Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/)

> [Got my rims from Afghanistan. Bout to wrap it up, Pakistan. Might jump ship with 400 grand. I can cop some ice, avalanche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/got-my-rims-from-afghanistan-bout-to-wrap-it-up-pakistan-might-jump/)

[Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/)

> [ \[Apple and RIM\] are probably restricted, in some sense, to a certain maximum. ... If you want to reach more people than that, you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/apple-and-rim-are-probably-restricted-in-some-sense-to-a-certain/)

[Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/)

## More by John Updike

> [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

[Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

## More Cups quotes

> [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [I put hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I have. It's sweet, sexy, and cleansing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-put-hibiscus-flower-in-every-cup-of-tea-i-have-it-s-sweet-sexy-and/)

[Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/)

> [Nobody can have your psychedelic experience for you; you just have to screw your courage up and raise the cup to your lips or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-mckenna/nobody-can-have-your-psychedelic-experience-for-you-you-just-have-to/)

[Dennis McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-mckenna/)

> [Youre always going to have some individual incidents that arent going to show off the Ryder Cup in the true form and spirit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kite/youre-always-going-to-have-some-individual-incidents-that-arent-going/)

[Tom Kite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kite/)

> [I wasn’t like, boo hoo, Bin Laden’s dead, but I wasn’t jumping. America’s a very nationalistic country, and in episodes like that of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/i-wasn-t-like-boo-hoo-bin-laden-s-dead-but-i-wasn-t-jumping-america-s/)

[Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/)

> [As a sports fan, the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup makes me feel very alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/five-for-fighting/as-a-sports-fan-the-los-angeles-kings-winning-the-stanley-cup-makes/)

[Five for Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/five-for-fighting/)

> [Better the fragrant herb of wit and a little cream of affability than all the pretty cups in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-wyck-brooks/better-the-fragrant-herb-of-wit-and-a-little-cream-of-affability-than/)

[Van Wyck Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-wyck-brooks/)

> [The divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hernando-cortes/the-divine-drink-which-builds-up-resistance-and-fights-fatigue-a-cup/)

[Hernando Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hernando-cortes/)

> [If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-a-sudden-jar-can-cause-me-to-speak-an-impatient-unloving-word-then/)

[Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/)

> [In England you probably have too many cups with the Champions League as it is now. You have the FA Cup and another cup;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianluca-vialli/in-england-you-probably-have-too-many-cups-with-the-champions-league/)

[Gianluca Vialli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianluca-vialli/)

> [If you're at the sink washing the cup, wash the cup. Don't worry about everything else. ... We forget to appreciate the simplest moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/if-you-re-at-the-sink-washing-the-cup-wash-the-cup-don-t-worry-about/)

[Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/)

> [How much more of the mosque, of prayer and fasting? Better go drunk and begging round the taverns. Khayyam, drink wine, for soon this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/how-much-more-of-the-mosque-of-prayer-and-fasting-better-go-drunk-and/)

[Omar Khayyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/)

> [We put suffocation warnings on all the - on every piece of plastic film manufactured in the United States or for sale with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/we-put-suffocation-warnings-on-all-the-on-every-piece-of-plastic-film/)

[Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/)

> [The Son of God goes forth to war,A kingly crown to gain;His blood red banner streams afar:Who follows in His train?Who best can drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-heber/the-son-of-god-goes-forth-to-war-a-kingly-crown-to-gain-his-blood-red/)

[Reginald Heber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-heber/)

> [As for the (Ballon d'Or) criteria, I'm not really sure how it works. Sometimes it's a World Cup year, sometimes it isn't. Let them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-villa/as-for-the-ballon-d-or-criteria-i-m-not-really-sure-how-it-works/)

[David Villa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-villa/)

[Browse all 1,509 Cups quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cups/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The other sad truth about golf spectatorship is that for today's pros it all comes down to the putting, and that the difference between a putt that drops and one that rims the cup, though teleologically enormous, is intellectually negligeable.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Updike"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectatorship-is-that-for-today-s-pros/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cups"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectatorship-is-that-for-today-s-pros/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/john-updike-396_cups_the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectator_2919476.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/john-updike-396_cups_the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectator_2919476.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/john-updike-396_cups_the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectator_2919476.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The other sad truth about golf spectatorship is that for today's pros it all comes down to the putting, and…” — John Updike",
                "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": "John Updike",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The other sad truth about golf...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectatorship-is-that-for-today-s-pros/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-other-sad-truth-about-golf-spectatorship-is-that-for-today-s-pros/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
