Hacker Cinema
Tin Cup
1996 · Film · 135 min
Directed by Ron Shelton
A washed up golf pro working at a driving range tries to qualify for the US Open in order to win the heart of his succesful rival's girlfriend.
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7 comments on Hacker News
> Neither Boeing nor Ford have put a car into a trans-Martian Solar orbit
Good?
This reminds me of the scene from the film "Tin Cup" where he asks "You ever shoot par with a 7 iron?" and his rival replies "Hell Roy, it never even occurred to me to try." (The backstory being that Tin Cup and his caddy broke all of his other golf clubs in a childish argument.)
Since we're talking movies, I'll throw in a handful of movie titles that I find inspirational and /or uplifting as well:
Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa
Vision Quest
Tin Cup
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Social Network
Rad
Hackers
Wargames
Iron Man
The Man Who Knew Infinity - based on the book of the same name, which I also recommend.
If I remember the movie Tin Cup correctly, anyone can qualify for the US Open. Win that and you'd probably be on an easy path to a professional golf career.
it's always interesting how a single sample (in this case Kermit Washington) can be extrapolated to a general trend. it reminds me of the movie Tin Cup where the Kevin Costner character gets a golf doctor and starts winning and then everyone wants his doctor to achieve the same results. perhaps it was just random chance?
The player takes the bet and launches the ball a solid distance down the field. The aide waits for a maintenance cart to drive past. He tosses the ball into the back of the cart and watches as it rolls past the player's ball.
There's a similar sequence in the movie "Tin Cup" where two golfers make a bet about who can hit a ball the farthest. One hits his ball actually onto the golf course where lands in some grass, rolls a foot or two and stops. The other guy hits his ball onto the highway where it lands on the asphalt and rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls...
The player assumed that winning the game depended on his arm alone when the truth was many things had to align with that arm to win games. The vantage point from the turf isn't the only one.
Indeed. Having something like that to break one out of one's tunnel vision and preconceived notions can be a powerful thing.
I'm reminded of a scene from the movie Tin Cup. Kevin Costner challenges Don Johnson by saying something lime "have you ever won a tournament with just your 7 iron?"
Don replies with "why it never occurred to me to try".
This is exactly how I feel when I read something like this.
Most of the answers you'll probably get are pretty cliched, but that's OK... they're popular answers for a reason. So, might as well get it out of the way:
Figure out what you like doing, and find ways to spend more time doing that.
Ok, that said... in real-life, sometimes we have conflicting desires and tradeoffs have to be made. If I like doing "X" and "B" but "B" pays way better, and I also want "Y" which requires money, then maybe "B" is the better choice, even if I actually like "X" a little more. Or not. The point is, there are no perfect decisions... life is a series of trade-offs, learning experiences and opportunities to re-evaluate things. If I have any useful advise to give, I'd say something like:
1. Above all, stay true to yourself vis-a-vis principles and values. Don't compromise on who you are or what you believe in, just to make a buck or whatever.
2. Try to avoid decisions that lock you too firmly onto one path. While it's true - after a fashion - that it's "never too late to $FOO", inertia and lock-in are powerful forces. Sometimes you have to pick, jobs, locations to live, significant others, etc., but try to always keep an eye towards keeping your options open.
3. All of that said, read "Hero With A Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces Watch the movie "Vision Quest" Think about what you want your purpose, your quest, your defining goal to be. Pursue it whole-heartedly. Watch that old Kevin Costner movie "Tin Cup" as well. It's silly, but there's some great wisdom there.
4. Realize that the old saw about "Winners never quit and Quitters never win" is true but represents a double-edged sword of sorts. Read "Moby Dick" and imagine Captain Ahab muttering to himself "Winners never quit, winners never quit..." There's a fine line between determination and obsession. Unfortunately you might not recognize it until you cross it. Some lessons you just have to learn through experience.
5. On the sexual frustration thing... I'm hesitant to say this, because it can open a big can of worms for some people and lead to more obsession, but... If you're not good at connecting with women, there is useful knowledge to be found in the "PUA community" (or "Seduction Community" if you like). There's a lot of BS as well, but some people do gain from getting involved in that. http://www.fastseduction.com