"It's still a tremendous place to develop an imagination"

Steve Elling contemplates reasons for the rise of Irish golfers in recent years and includes some interesting comments, including this about imagination from David Feherty.

Just like when you are lost, it's best to ask a local for directions. Preferably one with a sense of humor and off-center point of view.

"I think you have to think about Ireland in general, the whole island," said Feherty, a former Ryder Cupper and now a television analyst. "It's the first place the rain hits when it comes across 3,000 miles of ocean and people spend a lot of time indoors more than pretty much any other place in Europe. Because when there's foul weather elsewhere, there's snow and fun stuff to do. There's not much to do in the mud, except drink. And read."

Indeed, the island has produced poets like Yeats and Shaw, and authors such as Joyce, Wilde and Swift. Creativity is certainly not lacking.

"The pubs over there, it's not the same atmosphere as here where everyone is looking at ESPN and whatever is on," Feherty said. "Conversation is still alive. It's still a tremendous place to develop an imagination, which is probably why we have so many writers, poets, musicians and artists in general. When you think about it in those terms, maybe it transfers over to sports in those that require a lot of time in between shots or whatever. We have had some great snooker players.

"Golf is one of those things where you have to think about what is going to happen and feel it in your head and imagine what it's going to feel like. You can see Rory McIlroy, that's what he is doing, visualizing the shot and he has a keen sense of how he wants it to feel and he goes ahead and swings and lets the ball get in the way."