Picture this: It’s 333 BC, and the greatest conqueror in human history is standing in the ancient city of Gordium, in what’s now modern-day Turkey. Alexander the Great – barely 23 years old – has just arrived with his massive army, fresh from victories across the known world. But he’s not here for another battle. He’s here because of a legend. A mystery that has stumped the greatest minds for centuries.
In the center of the city sits an ancient oxcart, and attached to this cart is the most complex knot anyone has ever seen. We’re talking about a knot so intricate, so impossibly tangled, that it looks more like a sculpture than something that could ever be untied. The locals call it the Gordian Knot, named after their legendary King Gordius who tied it decades earlier.

But here’s where it gets interesting. There’s a prophecy. An oracle had proclaimed that whoever could untie this knot would become the ruler of all Asia. ALL of Asia. Think about that for a second – we’re talking about dominion over the largest, richest empire the world had ever known.

For generations, the most brilliant scholars, the wisest philosophers, the most skilled craftsmen had come to study this knot. They would spend days, weeks, even months analyzing every twist and turn. They’d trace each loop with their fingers, trying to understand the pattern. They’d bring tools, measuring devices, diagrams. Some would camp out beside the knot for entire seasons, convinced they were on the verge of discovering the secret sequence that would unravel the whole thing.

But every single one of them failed. The knot remained tied, mocking their efforts, growing more legendary with each failed attempt. So now here comes Alexander. Word has spread through his army about this famous knot and its prophecy. His generals are probably thinking, “Great, now our fearless leader is going to waste weeks trying to solve some ancient puzzle when we could be conquering actual cities.”

Alexander approaches the cart. The crowd gathers – locals, soldiers, scholars who had been studying the knot for years. Everyone falls silent as this young Macedonian king examines the knot that had defeated the greatest minds of the age.
He walks around it slowly, studying it from every angle. You can almost hear the crowd holding its breath. The scholars are probably thinking, “Okay, let’s see what this hotshot military genius thinks he can figure out that we couldn’t.”

Alexander stops. He stares at the knot for a long moment. And then… he does something that shocks everyone.

He draws his sword.

The crowd gasps. The scholars start shouting, “Wait! You can’t just—”

SLICE.

With one decisive stroke, Alexander cuts right through the center of the knot. The rope falls away in pieces. The knot that had stumped the greatest minds for centuries is destroyed in a single moment of bold action.

The crowd erupts. Some are cheering. Others are outraged. “That’s cheating!” they cry. “That’s not how you untie a knot!”

But Alexander puts away his sword and calmly says, “The oracle said whoever could loose the knot would rule Asia. It never said how.”

And you know what? History proved him right. Alexander went on to create the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen, stretching from Greece to India.

Now, what the heck does this have to do with golf?

Everything.

Because standing over a putt, most of us are exactly like those ancient scholars. We’re analyzing every possible break, second-guessing every read, looking for the perfect solution to an impossibly complex puzzle. Meanwhile, the great putters? They’re like Alexander. They see their line, they commit to it completely, and they execute with unwavering confidence.

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