Motivation Quote by Tom Kite

Golf’s sand traps sound like pure punishment, but Tom Kite is quietly reframing them as guidance systems. His oddly specific “probably 70 percent” does two things at once: it grounds the claim in a pro’s hard-earned intuition, and it undercuts the fan fantasy that course design is mostly about cruelty. Bunkers, in Kite’s telling, aren’t just hazards; they’re editors. They trim away reckless options, narrow your imagination, and steer you toward the shot the architect (and your own limitations) prefers.

The intent is practical and strategic. Kite isn’t romanticizing the game; he’s translating architecture into decision-making. “Give you an idea of the direction” is a polite way of saying the course is talking back. It’s manipulating your choices before you even swing, using fear and geometry to choreograph risk. The subtext is that great golfers don’t merely execute shots; they read intention. They understand that “safe” isn’t always about avoiding sand, it’s about avoiding the truly disastrous miss: water, trees, out-of-bounds, a blocked angle that turns the next stroke into damage control.

Context matters here: Kite’s era prized course management and precision, and he was known for methodical, disciplined play. So his point isn’t just about bunkers; it’s a worldview. Golf isn’t a pure test of power. It’s a test of whether you can accept being nudged, hemmed in, and still choose wisely.