Golf is a craft when it is played at a higher level. I don't just mean at the professional level. What I mean is that when the golfer can play golf with no or at least very little mechanical process golf becomes a craft.
The pianist plays with no thought of the mechanics, the dancer doesn't have to stop and do a pre leap she just leaps. What allows the best to become the best is their ability to intrinsically know their craft.
Mark Twain quipped "golf is a good walk spoiled." What if a round of golf could be just as easy as a good walk? No thought about how to walk, just thoughts about where to go and how to get there. All the while enjoying the process, the scenery and the company.
So how does one become a golf craftsman? I imagine it's the same as becoming any other kind of craftsman. I have been watching and enjoying the Foo Fighters HBO documentary "Sonic Streets" about how musicians in 6 different cities honed their musical crafts. They saw what was going on musically around the world, payed closer attention to what was happening locally then personalized it to make it their own. Drummers knew the mechanics of drumming but it became a craft when they did it their way.
Baking a cake doesn't make you a baker.
I would like to believe that the craftsman golfer would outshine the mechanical golfer every time. I think most of the golfers on TV are mechanical golfers. Not Bubba Watson, not Fred Couples and certainly not Jim Furyk. I also believe that any artist or athlete that has the rare moment of inspired performance is not mechanical. Watching any of the top golfers when they are at their best is watching a craftsman.
So to become a craftsman you first must truly know your craft and yourself. Know how it's done by the masters, know how the golfers you play alongside get the job done. Practice your swing, your golf decision making, get the right tools and learn how to use them. Then answer the question, "how do I make this swing my own?"
