Is ADD The New White Belt Of Golf?

Cameron Morfit explores whether having Attention Deficit Disorder is a positive for professional golfers and while many players suspect they have ADD, many don't want to know.

The clinical characteristics of adults with ADD vary but include fidgeting, impulsivity and inattention. Those with the condition can also come off as cocky or brash, experts say, but that's because they're compensating for often feeling invisible. The ADDed Dimension, by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo, cites a 2001 study showing that people with ADD/ADHD tend to thrive in natural, outdoor and preferably green environments—yes, like golf courses. Hallowell says people with ADD crave both stimulation and structure, which is why the Navy SEALs, for example, tend to attract ADD/ADHDs.

Does that mean SEALs aficionado Tiger Woods has ADD? No. And what does it matter? Who cares whether or not Bradley, Day, Poulter, Watson and so many others on Tour have ADD/ADHD? Answer: Because a growing body of anecdotal evidence suggests that it can be a tremendous asset. "I always say it's bad for [school] teachers," Garrigus says, referring to the high rate of ADD among school-children, "but good for golfers."

And there was this from Bubba Watson:

"When you get under the gun you get hyperfocused," Watson says. "Payne Stewart got hyperfocused." (Stewart, who was diagnosed with ADD, was so hyperactive that his family used to sit in the church loft so as not to disrupt the service.)