Lee Buck Trevino is an American retired professional golfer who became an immediate success after he joined the Professional Golfers Association of America. Later on, he went on to become one of the finest players in golf history.
A Mexican-American of descent, Trevino received a grade school education. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and did do many odd-man jobs. He worked as an assistant professional at the golf courses in Texas. In 1967, surprisingly, he came fifth in the U.S. Open. He won that tournament in 1968 and 1971 and the British Open in 1971 and even 1972. After winning multiple tournaments, he became the first to win the U.S., British, and the Canadians open in a single year.
After he won the championship in 1974, he was struck by lightning and suffered minor injuries to his arm and back. He underwent surgery to remove the damaged spinal disc. After suffering from chronic back pain, he started controlling his play. Later on, he competed in only a few tournaments but served as a regular television sports commentator. But later on, in 1984, he did play to win the PGA Championship, and in 1985 he did win the British Masters. This was the last regular tour win for him. From 1983 to 1989, he worked for PGA Tour coverage on NBC Television.
After feeling uncomfortable at the Augusta National, he decided not to play at the Masters as he felt that the course did not suit him. He did not accept any invitations to the Masters in 1970, 1971, and even in 1974. He did complain that as he was not qualified as a player, the club would not let him onto the grounds except through the kitchen. But later on, he described his boycott at Augusta as his biggest career mistake and called Augusta National the eighth wonder of the world.
During his entire career, he was known as someone who was approachable and quite a humorous person. He did prank Nicklaus by throwing a rubber snake that his daughter had put in his bag. The throw earned a scream from the nearby woman and a hearty laugh from Nicklaus. At one of his tournaments, he did pair up with Tony Jacklin, where he said that he did not want to talk today. At that instant, Trevino replied that he didn't want him to talk but only listen to him. He did make a cameo appearance in the comedy Happy Gilmore. He is often known for turning things into humorous ones.
Now let us look into some of the famous Lee Trevino Quotes on Golf and Life.
I never think of yesterday. Can't do anything about it.
Yesterday is a day where is your past. A past which you can only think but cannot change a bit. It is something that can only stay in your memory. A day which can be revised even if we want to.
Trevino says that he never reflects what had already happened. Yesterday is a day that has already become your past. It is something which cannot be replaced even if you have to. As there is no use of sitting and brooding over the past, he advises us that we should also stop pondering about what has already been done.
Past is something that was present at a time, but after you spent it, it can only stay as your memory; instead of thinking about what went wrong, start exploring what you can do to make this new day yours.
Therefore, rather than cribbing about yesterday, live today as it takes certain minutes to become a memory.
You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere.
The idea is a thought or a suggestion that can be put into action when we wish to. It is an aim or purpose to get certain things done in life.
This quote says that anyone can have vivid ideas in their life. But if all those ideas cannot get you somewhere, then surely all those are pretty waste. If those plans do not come into your mind when you need to, then those goals are serious of no use.
Even though there may be dozens of ideas but if you cannot make people even a single one, that idea holds no value. It is a piece of line that has no existence. Therefore, when an idea struck your head, you should try to put it to use.
I keep lot of my opinions to myself.
The opinion is a belief or an understanding that falls short of certainty and even knowledge. It can be considered a conclusion that certain ideas or facts are true or are likely to prove.
Trevino says that he doesn't give an opinion on each and everything as opinions are something which is very personal and something which can be very straightforward. They are something that can hurt a person if it turns out to be too blunt.
Rather than imposing his opinions on others, he says that it is better to keep a lot of opinions to ourselves. Sometimes giving opinions can also be considered as poking nose into others business. Therefore, instead of giving out opinions, learn to keep some of them with you.
You can talk to a fade but a hook won't listen.
Both hook and fade are the shots that are used to play in the game of golf. A fade is nothing but a golf shot that generally travels slightly from left to right. In almost every case, it is the best shot to control.
A hook or a hook shot is a shot that results in a right to the left curve of the golf ball's flight. It is something that is often played intentionally in a game or is a shot that a miss causes.
This quote says that one can control the fade shot as it is simple. But the hook shot is is something that is complicated to hit. So, he says that the fade shot can once be hit if we want to, but the hook is something that doesn't listen to the way we want it to.
Therefore, it is of no use of talking to people who lend their ear to what you say.
There are two things you can do with your head down - play golf and pray.
Golf is a club and ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit the balls into a chain of holes in a few strokes as possible. It is generally called a gentleman's game as you have to be truly gentle enough to win the game.
When we pray, we have a habit of bowing down our heads while we pray. It is because we show our admiration and respect to the almighty. It is because it symbolizes that we humble our self to God.
Trevino says that there are two things that we can do with our heads down. They are both golf and when we pray. We generally have to bow down while playing golf to ensure that we hit it at the right spot. It also helps us to ensure to make a proper shot. It means that there are only two times where he shows his respect for and out of which one is his passion and the other is almighty.
Therefore, be humble only when you have to, or else you will lose your self-respect
Continue reading some of the best Lee Trevino Quotes....
The older I get the better I used to be!
This quote is something that we people realize as time progresses. There is sure a change as we start to age. Everything starts to change, and sometimes we do become a different person altogether.
When we get older, we become more stable, agreeable, and emotional. They start to value each thing and become more responsible as time goes by. We understand the importance of time and start to find happiness in small moments. Even though there will be small changes in some people, there will still be an overall development in a person, which increases as we start to age.
The older we old, the better we become as we know what we want from this life. We understand what life is all about. Thus, with age, we become a better version of ourselves.
A hungry dog hunts best.
This quote is what applies to all creatures on this earth. Only when there is a situation that cannot be ignored do we start searching for solutions. This is what leads to major problems which may sometimes cause pain.
Trevino says that a hungry dog is the one that hunts down its prey at its best. It needs food to survive. And to stay alive, he needs to eat, and for that, he will try all he can. One of the major things in this universe is to breathe.
It is the same case for us, humans, as we start looking for answers only when the situation gets worse. Only when we need to survive, we start looking for ways to stay alive. Only when we are hungry enough, our survival instinct starts to kick in.
Therefore, be hungry enough so that you can achieve anything you want.
If it wasn't for golf, I don't know what I'd be doing. If my IQ had been two points lower, I'd have been a plant somewhere.
Trevino is a person who loves golf more than anything else in his life. Rather than considering it as a profession, it was his passion. It was something he admired and adored in his life.
He says that he would not know where he would reach if he did not play golf in his life. It is something that made him what he is today. Golf is what he cherishes in his life. He finds it difficult to differentiate his life from the game.
If his intelligence quotient were two points lower, then he would be a plant somewhere in his life. He considers his life insignificant without the game as it is what has given him the courage to face any situation in his life.
Therefore, work should be something that you love to do.
You can't teach passion. You can teach everything else.
Passion is something that is a strong feeling or an emotion that you feel towards a person or a thing. It is an admiration that you show when you like that thing.
Trevino says that one cannot make a person learn a certain passion. It is something that you need to do on your own. When you love something that you do, you do it from your heart. No matter how hard the task gets, if you love it, then it becomes the simplest one.
Everything else can be taught except passion. So, one should have a passion of their own. A thing that makes us forget the world. Therefore, there should be a passion that makes us alive.
No one who ever had lessons would have a swing like mine.
The lesson is an activity that you do to learn something. It can also be termed as something which is taught or something that you learn from your own experience.
Trevino is one of the finest golf players you can find. He is a man who has learned from his own experiences. He is someone who won his first match unexpectedly but later on did practice it with all his soul into it.
He says that no matter whatever lessons take in his life, he cannot swing the ball as Trevino does. His style belongs only to him and the one which cannot be imitated. Even if a person tries, it is impossible as it is something that he can only do.
Therefore, have something which only belongs to you as it will stay forever.
Some more Lee Trevino Quotes....
Pressure is playing for ten dollars when you don't have a dime in your pocket.
The pressure is when you force a person to do something. It can even be for his good, but it can be termed as pressure when you persuade that person.
In this quote, the pressure is mainly compared with golf. Trevino says that you can call it to pressure when you start playing for ten dollars, and you do not have a single cent coin. In this situation, you have to win the match, or else it will be trouble for you. And to win it, you start putting in all the efforts.
It becomes a situation of doing or die. No matter what happens, you will have to win the match as it is also a matter of pride. So, in this situation, we do push ourselves so that we can make it our day.
Therefore, sometimes you need to pressurize yourself as at times you can get better results.
If I could do anything over, I'd have spent more time with my first set of children. I would have taken more quality time with them, for sure.
Humans are generally are the most difficult ones in the entire universe. Even though we have the power to think and react we still are the complicated being among others in this world.
People often regret the chances we do not choose. But at times, we cannot change it. No matter what we do, it will never be the same. Trevino is a person who loved playing golf. So when we were playing golf, he had to give up on his personal life and caused many differences.
Trevino says that if there is a thing that he wants to start over again, he would have given more of his time to his children. He has missed his growth as a parent. Their presence in his life is what he wishes for. He says that if given a chance, he would spend his quality time with them, and that is for sure.
Therefore, take chances when life does provide as no one is given a second chance in life.
When it comes to the game of life, I figure I've played the whole course.
Life is often something that you do not realize until it goes wrong. It is the most unpredictable thing you can find. One moment there will be happiness, and the other second you will be in despair.
In this quote, life is compared to a game. The one which you do not realize until you start breaking some of the rules. This quote says that when it comes to the game called as a life, he feels like he has played it all. As he has experienced every small thing, he believes that he has already completed it.
In his life, there have been many moments that did shatter him, but his love for golf gave him the courage to move forward in his life. And so, after encountering that entire unexpected situation, he concluded that he had already played it on the whole.
Therefore, handle your life, or else it will outdo you.
I'm not saying my golf game went bad, but if I grew tomatoes, they'd come up sliced.
Trevino is always known for his humor. He is known for the way he perceives things in his life. In this quote, a piece of humor is what can be seen clearly.
He is a person who is known for his golf skills and is considered one of the finest players in the world. He does criticize his own game of golf, and when something goes wrong, it surely paves the way for humor.
He says that he is not finding faults in the game he played, but if he grew tomatoes, it would surely be sliced. It means that he should have played the game with more caution. Only when you play it with patience and be gentle only then you can hit a shot.
Therefore, do everything with effort or else do not even try.
I'm not a real smart guy. But I've got enough brains to realize that when I'm 60 years old and play a sport, that it's downhill.
Hard work and smart work is what you need to get success in life. Even though you cannot be smart in every situation, you still need to realize things when the time comes.
Trevino says that he is not a smart guy but has enough brain to understand what you need to do. He says that he has enough knowledge to know what works best for him. He says he has the common sense to know that he should stop playing when his health does not support him.
One should understand oneself more than anything. If the time has come to a stop doing certain things, one should do it without any hesitation. Only when we realize things, we do grow as a person. So, he says that he is good enough to know when he should stop playing or else it will affect the sport.
Therefore, understand things before the situation gets worse.
I still swing the way I used to, but when I look up the ball is going in a different direction.
Swing is the action by which the players hit the ball in the game of golf. This quote is about the way he played his game.
Trevino is a person who gave more importance to golf than any other thing in his life. He considers it as a hobby in which there will never be a retirement. He says that he still swings the way he used to, but the ball does not listen to him when he looks up.
When people start to age there will surely be health issues and problems that may affect your work. So, when the time comes, you need to understand and start finding other ways to keep yourself entertaining.
Who can say I have a bad swing? The only thing that matters in golf is the score you put on the board. You don't have to look pretty out there, you have to win. Look at my record and tell me who has a better swing than mine.
Trevino often used to say that he looked bad when he played the game of golf. But the game is what important and not the way a person looks. He was often teased for the way he looked when he played the game.
In this quote, he says that no one has a right to say that he swings the ball in a bad way. The only thing that matters in golf is the score you get on the board. Golf is all about the score and not the appearance. Appearance is something that holds no place in this sport.
The important thing is to keep winning even when you do not look pretty. All his records are way better than and he surely is one of the best players. So, he says that when you look at his record, you really will not find a reason to nag him. He says that his records are proof that his swing is way better than everyone out there.
Therefore, before finding faults in others, start looking within you.
There is no such thing as a natural golfer but you become one by hitting thousands of balls.
Trevino was a person who did win his first game unexpectedly, but later on, with much effort and practice, he did learn the game. And it sure is the hard work that made him one of the excellent players.
He says that no one is a natural player in golf. Before becoming a player you need to learn to hit the ball. As the game of golf is all about swinging the ball in the right direction. And for knowing the direction, you need to keep on hitting until it gets done perfectly.
To get the perfect shot, you need to hit the ball until you get the one perfect strike. You need to keep on hitting even if you hit a thousand balls, as only practice can give you that one hit, which can surely change your life. Therefore, keep hitting until you become a natural golfer.
I'm a golfaholic, no question about that. Counseling wouldn't help me. They'd have to put me in prison, and then I'd talk the warden into building a hole or two and teach him how to play.
This quote is all about his love for the game of golf. It had become an addiction for which he even ignored his family. It is what he loves and will continue to love.
Trevino says that there is no doubt whether he loves golf; he sure is addict to this game. He calls him a golfaholic, and there is no question about it. Nothing can cure this addiction, not even counseling as it is connected deeply within him.
He humorously quotes that they will have to put him in prison. But that will surely not cure his craving instead, he will talk with the warden and make arrangements for it. He will ask the warden to build a hole or two. To avoid other problems, he will teach the warden the game and will start playing the game.
Thus, it means that golf is something which is something which will stay with him forever.
I adore the game of golf. I won't ever retire.
Even though quotes show love for his game, this quote is surely stood among all others. It shows what the game means to him.
Trevino says that even though he is a professional player, the game is his passion. It is what he lives for. He cherishes the game more than his own life. The place golf hold in his life can never be replaced with anything else.
When a person is passionate about something in his life, he puts his entire soul into it. The same way is Trevino; he to admired the game. He says he is never going to retire as he does not consider it as a profession instead, it is what he lives for.
Hence, his dedication to this game is truly something that today's generation should look up to.
Life is something where you always hope for the best. But sometimes it doesn't happen according to the way you want. And during those tough times, never give up. It's okay to realize it late as it is better than to not realize it all. Remember, if it is not a happy ending, then it surely is not the ending. Rather it is the beginning of something new. So, what are you thinking of? Start your day with a bang.
Image Attributions:
- Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
