COMMUNITY

Jason, I watched it last night and it was really fun to watch. One of the same things stood out to me... you couldn't help but notice how much wrist cock Trevino uses during putting. He never putts with his shoulders, he putts with his wrists. Conclusion: Just goes to show that everything conventional that is taught can go out the window every once in a while. The second thing was how Trevino took the high road on his missed putt at 18; the gallery noise never became an excuse for him. What a great example of how to react to adversity and put it behind you.

I saw it last night also. You are dead on with your comment about the time each shot took. Not just puts, but Jack took forever on every shot.

I forgot about the miniature model fairways. They still did that in the 80's and it seemed "normal". The little trees were the best! 1971 3D.

Used to be a lot more individuality on the Tour with regard to the great players' swings. Everything is so vanilla now...almost everyone looks the same, except for the occasional self-taught guy like Bubba Watson.

Back then, you had Jack, Trevino, Chi Chi, Palmer, Floyd, Barber, Weiskopf, Watson, etc., all with different moves, getting the job done RIGHT because they understood what was important. Look at those guys at impact and post-impact...arguably better than the majority of players today.

Raising the left heel was a cool thing...modern instruction tries to get us to stay more "centered," which is good if you are strong and flexible. But we've got to get some weight onto our right side so that we can push off...raising the left heel as your hips turn ensures that you're getting the weight back to your right side. Good thing to do if you have problems transferring weight to your rear leg...and "planting" the left heel in transition is a great downswing initiator.

That wristy putting stroke was a product of the times...on the slower greens of the day it was necessary to "pop" the ball to get it on top of the grass where it would roll.

I agree though...the way they bend over the ball hurts me just to look at!

Tim, Jason's comment about the putting was bang on... there was such noticeable wrist cock in Trevino's putting method. Why do you think it became the norm to "teach away" from that stroke? Obviously, it worked pretty damn good for Trevino. We stress maintaining the "V" and swinging with just shoulders, but man could Trevino putt. That program was a clinic in ball striking and gamesmanship. Lost in the translation was the fact that an Amateur was one good drive away on 18 from winning that thing!

The Wife and I watched that program last night too. What a great display of not just golf, but sportsmanship. All of those guys just played the game. They never let anything else get into their heads.
I really miss watching that type of golf. Chi Chi and Lee and Gary and Arnold and Miller and all of the legends that I grew up with! And to see Byron Nelson in his funny hat, doing commentary was just fantastic. Especially just one week after his tourney! Great stuff!

That was the best part of the whole show! Imagine Feherty with a pointer stick, noting salient aspects of a course using a mini model of, say, Augusta. He could have a tiny Gary McCord that he does indecent things to.

Jay, you know I'm really not sure. I think it had something to do with the speed of the greens improving, which rendered the wristy "pop" stroke unnecessary.

But I still think it's a great way to putt, especially on slower greens. I don't do it myself, but I have tried it and it's surprisingly easy to pick up on. I think it works great for people who may struggle with short putts (maybe yips)...just whack that sucker with your wrists and send it to the hole. Gary Player also had a neat stroke...even on long putts, he'd accelerate during the through-stroke and STOP that putter head right after impact. Another good way to take the nerves out.

I've found that the best way to deal with nerves when putting is to be more aggressive with the stroke and the line. Hit the putts more firmly when you feel the pressure. Trevino's wristy stroke (or Palmer's, or Nicklaus', etc) can help with that.

I should mention though, that Trevino was a STREAKY putter rather than a great one. When he was on, man he was on. But on the other weeks, he was just so-so. He would have won a crap-ton more majors if he really could putt week in and week out, because he flat out hit the ball better than ANYBODY on Tour during his time. A lot of people think his swing was all weird. Nope. That guy put the club on the ball as well as anyone who ever played the game. You watch slo mo of that guy into and through impact and you'll see a BIG difference between him and other players, especially modern players.

You can tell by the sound, too. This is my favorite Trevino video...he's playing a team match with Jerry Pate. Jerry hits first, and it sounds great, but then Trevino gets up...listen to that SOUND at impact. And try to think of anyone on Tour today that can make a golf ball sound like that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v..

Thanks man, I appreciate the perspective. It just occurs to me more and more that modern swings are drifting further and further away from the "classic" swings we once saw. Putting is just a lost artform now. Some of the best putters in the history of the game had a uniqueness (like Trevino) and nowadays it's easier to ignore it and just grab a belly putter instead. Would love to see classic swings like Weiskopf get the credit they deserve. Watching Dustin Johnson hit a ball bent over with his flat swing makes MY back hurt. Thanks for the video... good stuff, as usual.

You said it. It's largely a product of equipment built for distance rather than precision, and courses being set up for that. It's no longer the age of ballstrikers...now you can hit 55% fairways and 60% GIR and win tournaments because it's all a putting contest now. Granted, there have always been good swings and bad swings, for as long as the game has been played. But the focus used to be on hitting greens all day, knocking down pins. Now it's "hit it as far as you can and have a wedge in." Distance used to be an advantage for some players, now it's just a way of life.

We've got huge, long, light drivers that bash it a long way but don't hit it the same way twice in a row (because there's so much face that the ball could be hit off of). Irons are made too upright and light, with too much offset...masking swing flaws instead of improving them. Even the vast majority of Tour players have a pronounced throw-out move after impact, slamming the toe over...the opposite of the way things used to be when clubs were heavier and players learned that to control and power a heavy object, they must do it with the lower body, while keeping the club in tight.

Then they've got these Tour courses set up to reward distance rather than making it a risk. Think about it...when you watch a Tour event, and a guy hits it off the planet, he still almost ALWAYS has a clear shot into the green? I mean come on. The fairways are huge, except for at the US Open and maybe Firestone. The old courses like Colonial, the guys just bash it over the doglegs instead of shaping it around them, like the way the course was originally designed to be played. It's ridiculous, I think.

Now I'll be the first to admit that, yes, I've got a modern driver and a couple of hybrids. But I don't really enjoy playing with them as much...I have way more fun when the persimmons and the long irons are in the bag. It's just a better feeling when you strike the ball well, and it feels more rewarding when you make a good swing. (And they really aren't that hard to hit.)

You don't have to go all the way back to persimmon, but here's what I recommend to folks: Get an older, smaller-headed titanium or steel-headed driver. A great one was the Titleist 975D. Throw a 43" steel shaft in it, the stiffest and heaviest you can handle. S300 or X100 should be fine. Once you learn to hit that thing, you'll be hard-pressed to want to go back to your new stuff.