Spieth ended up closing out the bet in the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, The Barclays. Later, at the Australian Open in December, Spieth asked Rory McIlroy what the most expensive restaurant in Sydney is (answer: Café Sydney). The only problem? Spieth went on to win the tournament and there wasn’t time for Greller to settle up. A couple of months later in San Diego, however, he did. Spieth brought 16 people to dinner at Del Mar’s landmark seafood haunt Poseidon, where the bill was well into four figures.



This year, Spieth’s number of hole-outs is already up to eight and it’s not even June. “I’m so (expletive)ed,” Greller said, laughing.



Those around Spieth can’t help but laugh, too, at the endless word vomit from Spieth. It’s fun for them because as Thomas pointed out the end result is usually better than the reaction would indicate. It also opens the door to Spieth’s personality.



“We should appreciate what he has going through his mind because it’s what every golfer goes though,” says Spieth’s longtime coach Cameron McCormack. “And it shows these guys are human.”



Entertainment value aside, that’s where the actual benefit comes in for Spieth.



Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky was the first to say that language is synthetic. In other words, language synthesizes our thoughts and feelings, and gives them coherence in the form of a word or a sentence. The selection, order and expression (written or verbal) expresses what we think and more importantly feel.



“Every golfer engages in self talk,” says sport psychologist Gio Valiente. “Hearing Tiger Woods say ‘Tiger you suck’ rather than ‘I suck’ is actually a huge psychological difference. Jordan Spieth does the same thing -- calls himself ‘Jordan’ much of the time.



“When he (talks to the ball), it is a cathartic thing that let’s out his emotion and serves a de facto emotional reset. It is also a way to keep the mind very present, and a way to structure one’s mind to focus on the things one does want to happen, rather than the opposite.”



When the shot is gone, so is the emotion attached to it -- something that is especially useful in a sport like golf where players often need to have a short memory.



“It’s both a positive and could be framed as a challenge that needs to be overcome,” McCormack said. “The best point to make would be if the dialogue a player is subscribing outwardly to becomes a burden on the next shot and he carries it with them, then that is a challenge.”



It’s worked out OK for Spieth. In a couple of short years he has quickly gone from no status on any tour to a major champion and the No. 2 player in the world.



But even long before Spieth reached superstardom, McCormack never had a persuasion to muzzle his star pupil’s reactions. They were natural and without harm.



McCormack also pointed to Spieth’s parents as deserving much of the credit in providing Spieth the autonomy to forge his own path in that way -- freedom of expression.



Spieth’s ability and performances have been at times speechless. On the rare occasion he has been, too.



“When you hear it, most of the time it’s because I don’t hit it exactly how I wanted to,” Spieth explains. “When I hit a shot exactly how I want to, I don’t say a word.”