Page 73 - Golf World (February 2020)

positions are getting ridiculous. And the speed of the dumbest thing in the history of golf, it was the dumbest
greens. When they had to stop play in 2015 it had thing in the history of sport. Now, I was wrong. Hank
more to do with the greens being too fast than the made him different, but he didn’t make Tiger worse.
strength of the wind. Tiger’s win percentage was better under Hank than
under Butch. And his winning percentage in Majors
The one thing that has obsoleted courses more than was comparable. He didn’t win by such big margins,
anything else is the Stimpmeter. That is one piece of but he still won. But making that change was insane.
equipment everyone wants to get rid of. Every
superintendent and every tour player. We can all agree I got a lot of my criticism of Hank wrong. I’ve sat next
to do that. Imagine Shinnecock Hills with greens to numerous people who argue that Hank’s work was
running at nine on the Stimpmeter. Or, once we get rid crap. And that Tiger’s next teacher, Sean Foley, actually
of the darned thing, imagine Shinnecock with greens made his swing better. I hear that. Aesthetically, people
that are appropriate. Appropriate speed for the design. prefer the Foley swing. But if you look at the ball-
striking stats, they are better under
The most dangerous place on tour Hank. Foley had an injured
was and still is the driving range. Tiger, but that jumping
More dangerous than a bad back. from teacher to teacher has a
That’s the one thing I’d do cost. It costs time and energy.
differently, if I could have my career Tiger burned years working on
over again. I would keep my own his swing.
counsel more. It wasn’t as easy back
then. Teachers could make their Tiger’s domination was more
way onto the range and convince remarkable because of the
you that they had a panacea equipment he played. He had
for every flaw. Now, tour players the “bladiest” blades you can
are much better play. And the “spinniest” ball. I
equipped but it’s still almost think he dominated
easy to take the because he did that. He was
wrong advice. A tour powerful enough to do that. Back
player can end his in the day, Tiger averaged 298
career on the range from the tee. Daly was 299. But
by listening to the the next guy, Davis Love, was at
wrong information. 288. That is huge. The average was about 263 or
And it is pot luck. 264. The game has some problems because these huge
guys are coming. They are about to do things that are
Those teachers who going to make what has already happened pale.
have rolled up
on the range, I learned how golf was really meant to be played in
got themselves 1982. I came over to the UK that year to qualify for
a following and The Open. I was paired with a guy I had never heard of
ruined careers in my life. And at the end of the round I was like, “Oh
have never been my God. That’s how golf is meant to be played.” His
held accountable. name was Gordon Brand Junior. He hit shots that were
Teaching is the only so crisp. I can still hear the sound they made. I can see
job I know where Top: the shots. I didn’t hit it nearly as good.
you are only judged by your successes. Think about it. Chamblee put
down his
In what other job are you not judged – at least to some microphone The swing was always a puzzle to me. I read a lot of
extent – by your failures? But teachers only get talked and dusted off instruction and noted that most of the great players
his clubs to
about when their players are going well. When their qualify for took the club inside, most of them crossed the line,
players are at the bottom of the leaderboard we never 2018’s Senior most of them looked like they came over the top in
talk about them. But the second a guy plays well we Open at St transition. But not one teacher ever taught any of that.
Andrews.
hear about who he’s working with. Yeah, he is. But that I always wondered why they didn’t do that.
Bottom:
coach is also working with five players who lost their Haney took
cards. Where is the average? plenty of Great players don’t learn from teachers – they learn
criticism from fromothergreatplayersandfromnecessity.TakeLee
Chamblee for
What Tiger did with Hank Haney was perhaps the changing Trevino. He tried to copy Ben Hogan. He watched Ben
craziest thing ever in sport. Look at it now and it’s Tiger’s swing, hit balls. So he decided to play with a fade. He went to
obvious they were hugely successful, but Tiger had just but the analyst the range and found the only way he could hit a fade.
admits he “got
won four Majors in a row and made 142 cuts in a row. a lot of it Lee was a portly fellow. Portly fellows can’t turn. So
And he won those Majors by huge margins. He was the wrong”. how did he get out of his own way? He “pre-set” out of
most dominant, the most consistent and by far the best the way. But how does he then get power? He had to
player. It was the best golf anyone had ever seen. So it loop it under from the inside. That’s what Lee came up
was like, “Are you kidding me?” Why would anyone with. He was influenced and he evolved. The opposite
change that? It was madness. It was not only the of that is Tom Watson, who tried to swing like

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