A Good Email Exchange

A Good Email Exchange

Greetings Golfers,

I’m writing this on Thursday morning. We’re supposed to get a mountain of snow this weekend.

Sounds like a good time to watch golf. Obviously, I don’t know who’s leading after the first round of the Players Championship … but it’s a fun course and fun tournament to watch. Enjoy!

The other day a former player here at DRGC sent me an email. We haven’t talked forever. He was a very good player - the best player here. He played college golf and was successful in MN tournaments and even qualified and did well in the USGA Mid Amateur. But most importantly, he was bright, likable, and a thoughtful guy. Here’s our email exchange:

“Hi Tom,

I recently read one of your weekly emails explaining why the hands matter in the golf swing. Years of golf analysts drooling over how perfect Tiger’s swing is or Nick Faldo and this goes on. Last weekend we were treated to two golfers battling it out in the final group on Sunday at Bay Hill. Wow! These two know how to use their hands to control the ball. Flighting down drivers and iron approach shots and trapping wedges to control the flight and spin. Berger and Bhatia were masterful, and beyond that - they were fun to watch. Shot making is back, and it is beautiful! Hitting fades, draws, and at times hitting it straight.

When we met in the early 1990s, this is what you talked about. To control the golf ball, you must know what your hands are doing. I could go on for hours about my disdain for being robotic and all the mechanical techniques that teachers use to teach golf.

After 35+ years it is still true, and on this past Sunday, we were treated to two artists using their hands.”

Here’s my reply:

“Great to hear from you!

Glad you enjoy my rants.

I didn’t see Bay Hill … wish I had!

Golf is all about shotmaking.

Nicklaus changed the game by hitting a monster fade … then putting really well. He was not a shot maker and was a poor wedge player. His style turned the par 5s into 4s … which allowed him to just play to the middle of the greens … and he was 4 under.

So then … emphasis was on the body for more power instead of good hands and shotmaking.

And … too much emphasis on putting.

Take care and keep in touch.”

So … here’s his final reply:

“You’re right Tom. Jack made golf a business and he played golf like it was a business. With his abilities, he didn’t need to take chances, and watching him, for me, was boring.

Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer were shot makers and made the game fun. Fun?? Golf can be fun?

Wonder how that impacted golf course design? Courses were then Jack and Tiger proofed. I watched so many golfers pay large amounts of money to play BLANK for years. Breaking 80 for a single digit golfer was rare. If you made one birdie per round that was good. That course is not fun. Nearly every time I played it I would consider myself masochistic.

Thanks for keeping golf fun.”

How interesting was that? This guy is a golf fiend and an excellent player. He knows a lot about our game. And if he’s frustrated by the modern swing and the modern course … what’s it like for the regular player?

Well … think about it this weekend while you watch the Players and the snow falling by your window.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com