Life — June 5, 1931 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Golfer's Credo (In Twelve Strokes)" by John C. Emery This is a humorous comic strip satirizing golfers' persistent optimism and self-delusion. The unnamed golfer repeatedly insists "I believe I can..." despite clearly demonstrating incompetence throughout the sequence—hitting into rough, sand traps, and trees; making poor shots; struggling with basic techniques. The satire targets the universal golfer's mindset: unwavering confidence despite mounting evidence of failure. Each panel shows the golfer in progressively worse situations, yet his internal monologue remains stubbornly positive. The "credo" joke is that golfers maintain faith in their abilities regardless of actual performance. This reflects early 20th-century golf's popularity among middle and upper-class Americans, mocking both the sport's frustrations and the optimistic personality type it attracted.