If J.R.R. Tolkien played golf: rated 79, best at course IQ

J.R.R. Tolkien as a golfer: scouting report

J.R.R. Tolkien would be the golfer who walks the course before the tournament and draws his own map of it. That is exactly what he did for Middle earth, sketching the maps and landscapes for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings himself so that every journey made sense. Course IQ is the top mark on his card, and a man who invented entire languages, complete with grammar and history, can certainly work out how a set of greens will break.

His nerve is right behind his course IQ. He spent two decades as an Oxford professor of Anglo Saxon, and early in his career he worked on the Oxford English Dictionary, jobs that demand patience and careful attention over long stretches. That steadiness is perfect for the slow pace of tournament golf. His short game and putting are level with each other and are the best of his shotmaking skills, which fits a scholar who did his finest work in fine detail. His irons and driving are nearly level just behind.

Driving is the weakest part of his card by a narrow margin. He is not going to overpower anything, so The Long Course Championship, which rewards distance off the tee, is his toughest fit. His home is The Links Open, where wind, firm turf and old fashioned strategy reward the kind of player who thinks in terms of long journeys. He met regularly with C.S. Lewis and the Inklings to talk over their writing, and he would be just as happy talking through a round over a pint afterwards. Draft him as a thinking golfer in the middle rounds and pair him with a long hitter.

Plays like A meticulous course mapper who knows every hollow and slope

Put J.R.R. Tolkien in your lineup

5 rolls, a team of five, four majors. Can you win the Grand Slam? Free, no account.