Tom Watson’s Open

Where does Tom Watson’s Turnberry achievement rank in the great events in sport generally and in golf in particular? If Watson had holed that put on the 18th green on Sunday afternoon, would his achievement been the greatest ever for a golfer of his age – or should we not be surprised?

Gene Sarazen, in his 1950 book “Thirty Years of Championship Golf’ says “there is no reason why a golfer should not be able to play acceptable golf almost indefinitely – until he is 65, let us say – as long as his health is good and his game has been built on sound principles” Sarazen believes that “good golf is simply a matter of hitting good shots consistently and a player can do this for many years as long as his swing is fundamentally correct”.

Sarazen was often asked to rate the players who were his contemporaries (between 1919 and 1949). He said that he rated players according to how many major championships they won and how long their period of success pasted. Top of Sarazen’s list are Bobby Jones and Walter Hagan. Jones often said that the hallmark of a truly great player was the ability to carry on as a successful golfer into a new generation.

Also on Sarazen’s ‘list of golfing greats’ are Jim Barnes, Tommy Armour, Henry Cotton, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan. It is interesting to note that, while Sarazen  also rates Harry Vardon very highly, Sarazen believes that Vardon belongs to an earlier era. Strangely, Sarazen never said where he would place himself on that list according to his own criteria. Sarazen won the US Open in 1922 and was joint winner in 1940. He may have won more had international sport not been interrupted by the Second World War.

So, where does Watson’s achievements place him in the all-time greats, bearing in mind that he won his first major in 1975? In an earlier era, he may have been awarded joint first place instead of having to endure that terrible four hole play-off.Tom Watson’s Open

Thoughts on Teaching (and Learning) Golf

Devoted teachers must accept that they move in the shadows, not in the spotlight. Yet, teachers are often the force, inspiration and support behind many performers and performances.

One key to successful teaching is recognising the importance of the language and choice of word used to communicate with students. While this may seem self-evident, I believe that it is important to use a great deal of humour, verbal imagery and mime – the more colourful the more successful!

Understanding that there is not always a right or only way to achieve desired results, the  successful teacher must often reflect on their own methodology. A teacher’s influence must   focus on the general impact on the student and not the specific.

A good golf teacher has to have a powerful sense of movement, the ability to perceive what might not be working successfully and a clearly defined discipline based on tolerance and not on rigidity.

While building a player’s technique, the golf teacher must educate, inspire and expand the player’s vision, encourage them to understood and embrace their game and support them to cope with the inevitable frustrations and standstills along the way.

A good teacher always recognises that the player has the key role and, in the shadows, must mould the personality of the golfer into one which can both create and perform.

And a few thoughts for aspiring golfers…

even if you have a good swing, you have to learn to play with it, and to make it obey.
the good golfer needs to ‘see’ their swing, without having to watch it on video
the swing is a blend of rhythmic coordination, technique, strength and temperament

My Visit to The Butch Harmon Golf School

Earlier this year I spent nine days at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in Rio Secco, Las Vegas.

This was my second visit to the school which is a great learning environment with high quality facilities, a great atmosphere and a policy of inclusiveness still rare in modern day golf.

All in all, the facility is a credit to Butch Harmon and his team.

For the majority of my time at the School, I was with Shawn Callahan and his father Don.

Shawn has worked with Butch Harmon since the School opened and has worked with many successful players including Darren Clarke and Mark Calcavecchia.

At present, Shawn is helping Chalie Hoffman to his most successful season on Tour.

Don Callahan was Head Professional at The Country Club, Brookline for 32 years and has had an unrivaled opportunity to observe the top players of his generation.

He is a remarkably knowledgeable and inquisitive student of golf technique and of the game in general.

Don and I spent hours debating the game and, in particular, the huge range of shot-making styles throughout the years.

We attampted to work out the  fundamentals of successful players from Seve Ballesteros to Tiger Woods (who, of course, was under Butch Harmon’s tutelage for seven years until 2003).

To find out more abut the Butch Harmon School, visit the website at www.butchharmon.com

Gene Sarazen – ‘Thirty Years of Championship Golf’

Sarazen played during the ‘Golden Era of American Golf’ (between 1920 and 1949 he played over 8,000 rounds of competitive golf and captured all four of golf’s major championships). Here is his personal account of growing up, discovering golf, his early work as a golf caddy, and insights and stories about his time at the very top of the game.

For the golfer, the strength of this book are the accounts of his competition rounds, the clarity with which he remembers significant holes and rounds played, the way he compiled his scores and the shots he played. Along with stories of fellow competitors his account makes for fascinating insights into the game for the golf beginner and  seasoned player alike.

While we may think that we have ‘moved on’ and that ‘modern golf is a different game’, Sarazen’s insights into the ‘heart of battle’ of championship golf are still relevant for aspiring champions today – whether the medal at your local club or high level amateur or professional competition.

The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle

I have been fortunate to play the Skibo course several times, most recently in June this year. Although there had been a golf course on the land many years ago, the present layout was set down in its absolutely stunning setting by renowned golf course architect Donald Steel in the late 1990’s. More recently, the present Director of Golf, David Thomson, has done a brilliant remodeling and Skibo is now undoubtedly one of the very finest golf courses in Scotland.

Situated at the top of the Dornoch Firth with fantastic views of sea and mountains, each hole is presented to intrinsically engage the golfer’s eye and mind with the challenge presented. A truly wonderful golf links reminiscent of may of Scotland’s finest championship venues.

Recognising that getting a game on Skibo is by no means easy easy, I would also recommend other excellent course in the area, including Royal Dornoch, Brora, Golspie, Fortrose and Tain,

http://www.carnegieclub.co.uk/

Lee Trevino – Super Mex

Trevino’s autobiography, co- written with Sam Blair, is a pretty straightforward telling of the story of Lee’s upbringing and his start in the game. Trevino was a man who both gave and received great respect from friends and peers alike and this book is sad and funny ,but always entertaining, just like the man himself, on and off the golf course.

Whether he is talking about beer and booze, serious back trouble, being struck by lightening or stories about his life, you are left with the impression of an honest man, to see and admit his mistakes in golf and in life. In an era where true characters are rare, here is a complex and skilled man, who worked very hard to make the most of his talents and whose story makes for a fascinating and hugely enjoyable read.

Matthew Rudy: Perfect Your Swing

Matthew Rudy: Golf Digest – Perfect Your Swing; How to Hit the Ball Like the Game’s Greats

This well-known and popular instructional book features a succession of swing sequences and commentary on what various players are actually doing. There are many good photographs and photo-sequences with analysis including several major winners.

First published in 2001, Rudy’s analysis includes this revealing (and accurate) observation about Tiger Woods – “The only drawback to this kind of action (i.e. Tiger’s) is the stress it puts on the right knee”.

The Only Golf Lesson You Will Ever Need by Hank Haney and John Huggan

or anyone who has read all the so called golf instruction books and manuals this is a book that will open your eyes to what really matters in golf, better impact of the ball. Hank Haney takes you back through the years of learning from the great teachers such as John Jacobs and Jim Hardy in golf schools fixing hundreds of swings and finding what works. Unlike some so called gurus, Haney doesn’t claim to have dreamed all this information up. He can back it all up from years of trial and error. This is a great book if the reader will let go of the old conceptions of how a golf swing should work. If you read John Jacobs’ “Practical Golf” with Haney’s “The Only Golf Lesson You’ll Ever Need.” Your golf game will forever prosper.

Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf

Hogan’s book has been continuously in print for over fifty years. Most other golf swing books, in contrast, disappear from print within a year or so. Hogan’s book is exceptionally clear and detailed about all the swing fundamentals. Consequently it enables one to figure out, when needs must, what’s going wrong with one’s swing and how to correct it.
Hogan’s book is also unique in demonstrating how each swing fundamental links with the others. Other golf swing books, in contrast, tend towards being just compilations of swing tips. So, where other books provide swing band-aids, Hogan’s illuminates and helps develop real understanding.
Hogan’s book has been called, rightly in my opinion, ‘the bible of the golf swing’. All modern golf swing theorists, as is clear from their writings, merely repackage or add footnotes to Hogan.
Go to the source, to the benefit of both swing and understanding, read Hogan’s timeless classic.

The Plane Truth for Golfers by Jim Hardy and John Andrisani

The most amazing thing about golf is that the harder you try to get better the more confused and erratic you become.
Although this book suffers from a paucity of pictures and a rather text-heavy format, if you are a technically-minded ‘student of the swing’then you will wish you read this book years ago.
I have numerous books, DVDs and subscriptions to magazines and what strikes you is how much contradictory information is out there in so-called ‘instruction bibles’. With his break down of the one and two-plane swings, Hardy shows the reader why he cannot produce consistant results – because he has elements of both swings in his game.
This book is not for the absolute beginner, but for those who thought they understood the golf swing, but did not understand why they could not apply what they know, this is GOLD DUST!

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