Golf is about knowledge, and studying another player - more than

Hear the words of Vijay Singh, the master of the fairways, who declared: “Golf is about knowledge, and studying another player—more than listening to a teacher—is the best way to get it.” This saying is not confined to the green fields of sport, but is a wisdom that touches every art, every craft, every walk of life. For Singh, a man forged in the heat of competition, saw that wisdom lies not always in instruction handed down by word, but in the living example of those who strive before our eyes.

For golf, like life itself, is not mastered by theory alone. The teacher may describe the arc of the swing, the stillness of the head, the timing of the strike, but words dissolve like mist in the morning sun. The body must learn, the eyes must see, and the heart must feel. And so Singh tells us: watch another player, watch their posture, their rhythm, their patience, their mistakes. There lies the knowledge that cannot be written on parchment nor spoken in lessons, but only caught like fire from another flame.

This truth is ancient. The craftsmen of old learned not by scrolls or lectures, but by standing at the side of the master, observing every movement of hand and tool. The young apprentice in the forge learned more by watching the smith strike the iron than by hearing a thousand explanations. So, too, the philosopher walking with his teacher learned by observing his conduct, not merely by hearing his arguments. For the eye and the soul together drink a deeper wisdom than the ear alone.

Think of young Ben Hogan, who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest to ever hold a club. Hogan did not rise by teachers alone, for his family could not afford such luxury. Instead, he stood for hours watching others play, studying their stance, their grip, their choices under pressure. From this quiet observation, he built a game that would one day dazzle the world. His greatness came not from words spoken to him, but from the knowledge he drew in silence from those before him.

But the lesson is broader still: in every pursuit of life, studying another who walks the path will teach you what no sermon can. To watch how a leader bears the weight of failure, to see how a parent soothes a child, to observe how an artist confronts the blank canvas—this is wisdom. For the essence of mastery is often revealed not in triumph but in the small choices, the steady habits, the unseen endurance that words cannot capture.

What then must you do, O seeker of truth? Do not despise instruction, but do not stop at it. Seek out those whose deeds inspire you. Stand near them if you can, or study them from afar. Watch not only their victories, but their struggles, their errors, their recoveries. Let their lives be your living scroll, their actions your true scripture. For in observing them, you will see the living rhythm of the art you seek.

Therefore, take this counsel to heart: knowledge is not only spoken, it is lived. A teacher may guide, but the greatest lessons dwell in the example of another’s striving. Whether in golf, in work, or in the journey of the spirit, learn as Singh counsels—by watching with care, by studying with patience, and by drawing wisdom from the living demonstration of those who walk ahead. Thus shall you advance not only with words in your mind, but with truth in your hands and strength in your soul.