Bubba Watson....Fan or not a fan?

[busapp]

Hey, with a name like Bubba, the pretension is gone.  He is known for being a big kid.  But the truth is that he is the real Mans Man:  Bubba is self taught, he has a unique and personal swing. He doesn't do around from teacher to teacher needing help.  He helps himself.   He can hit shots that no one else can attempt.  He is a loyal husband, a god fearing person, who only brings high repute to the game.  We need more of him and less of Tiger.

[billyc0563]

Not a fan!! Although I appreciate his game, his holier than thou attitude is hard to take. Also I would really like to know what he pays his caddie to take all that abuse?? Time to grow up and take responsibility for your own mistakes. Great game but his attitude stinks!! Bill c

[saevel25]

Actually I believe his caddie is his best or a very good friend. I believe the story goes that his caddie threatened to leave him if he didn't change his attitude and his wife got in on him about it and that helped force Bubba to tone down his emotions on the course.

Not a fan!! Although I appreciate his game, his holier than thou attitude is hard to take. Also I would really like to know what he pays his caddie to take all that abuse?? Time to grow up and take responsibility for your own mistakes. Great game but his attitude stinks!!

Bill c

Calling the kettle black a bit there, being all preachy?

[Shane Knick]

I'm a fan.

[mpb1472]

I voted yes. I like his style of play and his not being of the cookie cutter variety in his golf swing. Twisting and turning all over the place is so different. I followed him up close twice at the Travelers in Hartford, CT. Seems to be a very tense individual while playing. Little or no interaction with anybody other than his caddy, who he appears to complain to or berate often. I don't know him but he seems to offset this intensity with some quirky and fun things other than golf. Shows his emotions and cares for his family and friends a lot in what he says and does. Commendable. Quite a sight to see when he cuts a ball 300 yards. So much power in such a skinny body, its amazing!

[whistersclubs]

I Am DEFINITELY A BIG FAN Of Bubba Watson!! Not Only Is He An Immensely Talented Golfer, But He Is Not Afraid To Proclaim To The World How Blessed By God He Is, In ALL PARTS Of His Life, Not Just Golf!!

In A Time Where It Has Become Almost "Politically Incorrect" To Make Known Your Allegiance To Christianity, I Find It Refreshing To Find A Professional Athlete Who Is PROUD To Make His Devotion And Thanks KNOWN TO ALL!!

Does This Make Him A "Thumper", As Some Have Said?? I Don't Think So . It Simply Means That He Has A Solid Upbringing, Along With A Strong Faith, And He Isn't Afraid To Let The World Know It!!

You Don't Have To Agree With His Style, But At Least Give Him Credit For Being Proud Of Who He Is, And From Whence He Came!! A Lot Of Folks Didn't Agree With Payne Stewart's Style Either, But You Had To Give Him Credit For Having A Style Of His Own!!

GO BUBBA!!

[Lihu]

I Am DEFINITELY A BIG FAN Of Bubba Watson!! Not Only Is He An Immensely Talented Golfer, But He Is Not Afraid To Proclaim To The World How Blessed By God He Is, In ALL PARTS Of His Life, Not Just Golf!!

In A Time Where It Has Become Almost "Politically Incorrect" To Make Known Your Allegiance To Christianity, I Find It Refreshing To Find A Professional Athlete Who Is PROUD To Make His Devotion And Thanks KNOWN TO ALL!!

Does This Make Him A "Thumper", As Some Have Said?? I Don't Think So . It Simply Means That He Has A Solid Upbringing, Along With A Strong Faith, And He Isn't Afraid To Let The World Know It!!

You Don't Have To Agree With His Style, But At Least Give Him Credit For Being Proud Of Who He Is, And From Whence He Came!! A Lot Of Folks Didn't Agree With Payne Stewart's Style Either, But You Had To Give Him Credit For Having A Style Of His Own!!

GO BUBBA!!

Welcome to TST forum.

I thought I would add a welcome, as this is only your second post. Hope you find helpful golf tips and I am sure many of us look forward to your personal stories, advice and questions.

BTW, is there a capitalization SW in your PC/Mac or other input device. I can't help but notice that every word in your posts seems to be.

[Groundhog34]

Not a fan. Too much jesus.

[Harveyman53]

I like Bubba. I love watching him play. He's on a short list of players I might stay home to watch play rather than play myself ... but on second thought, that's what the DVR is for. :) I like his "Bible Thumping" because that's a big part of who he is and he's just being himself and I like his honesty. He's a family man.  He is very emotional and I like that too. I think he's as close to everyman as you're going to get. Yes, I am a big fan of Bubba!

[Dr. Strangeclub]

He's the embodiment of the sort of people who annoy me.  Bubba would make me VERY uncomfortable in person, I'm sure, and he wouldn't like me much, either, most likely.  I have little patience with evangelical airheads.

[ldkk]

I like Buba, I'm a FAN!!!

[Lihu]

So far, it seems like we have a post that says like, then the next dislike, like, dislike, etc. Yet the poll seems to indicate 89 votes for like and 35 not like.

Looks like the "likes" have it.

[saevel25]

So far, it seems like we have a post that says like, then the next dislike, like, dislike, etc. Yet the poll seems to indicate 89 votes for like and 35 not like.

Looks like the "likes" have it.

[jamo]

[SPOILER=Last Good Will Hunting post][quote name="JetFan1983" url="/t/73900/bubba-watson-fan-or-not-a-fan/180_30#post_980164"] Jamo: Damn I just bogeyed a hole. JetFan: Jamo... It's not your fault. Jamo: Yea.  JetFan: No, no, listen to me, man.... It's not your fault.  Jamo: Yea, I know. JetFan: No, no you don't. It's not your fault.  Jamo: I know that. JetFan: It's not your fault.... Jamo: Don't do this to me, man. Not you, man. JetFan: It's Erik's fault. Clearly Erik's fault. Jamo: Good point. Next hole? JetFan: Yep! :-P [/quote] If in 20 years, your my swing thread is still here and you're not a scratch golfer, I'll kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact. Every day I come by your my swing thread, and I read through it. You know what the best part of my day is? For about 10 seconds from when I read the first post on the last page to when I scroll to the bottom, I think maybe I'll get down there and I'll read the post and you'll be a scratch golfer. I don't know much, but I do know what.[/SPOILER]

[Justagolfer]

Yea, I hear you all...Bubba is colorful in a media-savvy way, can play very well at times, probably has some learning disabilities, has a very tall wife, and he can nail a drive (366 yards on #13 @ Augusta!! YKM !). I don't know if he is good for the game. It seems that kind of discussion (what is good for the game) is always waged by the manufacturers, USGA, R&A; or what have you. I don't care as long as the local golf courses remain open so I can play this crazy-making game!!

I more fan than not (although I find him a little much, as my English mother might say).

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

Jamo: Damn I just bogeyed a hole.

JetFan: Jamo... It's not your fault.

Jamo: Yea.

JetFan: No, no, listen to me, man.... It's not your fault.

Jamo: Yea, I know.

JetFan: No, no you don't. It's not your fault.

Jamo: I know that.

JetFan: It's not your fault....

Jamo: Don't do this to me, man. Not you, man.

JetFan: It's Erik's fault. Clearly Erik's fault.

Jamo: Good point. Next hole?

JetFan: Yep!

If in 20 years, your my swing thread is still here and you're not a scratch golfer, I'll kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact.

Every day I come by your my swing thread, and I read through it. You know what the best part of my day is? For about 10 seconds from when I read the first post on the last page to when I scroll to the bottom, I think maybe I'll get down there and I'll read the post and you'll be a scratch golfer. I don't know much, but I do know what.

Jamo. If Erik or Mike calls about that lesson, tell em, sorry. I had to go see about an A7.

OK, that joke made no sense. If I was abandoning lessons Bubba Style, I wouldn't use terms like "A7." Clear plot hole in my character development.

---

If anyone cares, I found this article from the Wall Street Journal about pro golfers who claim to have never gotten a lesson -- at least in the sense I'm referring to: that no one outside themselves ever changed their actual swing at any time.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304356604577342043871827450

Honestly, it wouldn't shock me if a large percentage of everyone good at the game was more Bubba Watson than the Joe Schmoe type who seeks out lessons. Some people can just grab a golf club and get better quickly just through simple repetition.

This accounts for why a lot of great players are not great teachers. If you're never forced into learning anything about golf mechanics because you can just continue to improve by practicing on your own, then it makes sense that when asked by golf mags or Golf Channel for tips they would give pretty poor, vague answers.

Hell, if I had even half of Bubba's talent, I'm not sure I ever get a lesson either. Nor am I sure that I ever even join this website to begin with! If you're familiar with my posting history here, then you'd know I'm one of the biggest advocates for getting lessons (from good instructors) of anyone here. But I also understand how a person's natural talent for the game largely determines his needs as a student.

Bubba's a freak, and I think it's important to understand that freaks exists, they're rare, and we're not them.

[MS256]

This accounts for why a lot of great players are not great teachers. If you're never forced into learning anything about golf mechanics because you can just continue to improve by practicing on your own, then it makes sense that when asked by golf mags or Golf Channel for tips they would give pretty poor, vague answers.

Yeah the guy that worked his ass off to get to triple A and maybe had a cup of coffee in the Majors usually makes the best manager.

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

This accounts for why a lot of great players are not great teachers. If you're never forced into learning anything about golf mechanics because you can just continue to improve by practicing on your own, then it makes sense that when asked by golf mags or Golf Channel for tips they would give pretty poor, vague answers.

Yeah the guy that worked his ass off to get to triple A and maybe had a cup of coffee in the Majors usually makes the best manager.

Yea, exactly. Hell, look at Erik and Mike! They both plateau'd around a 1.0 handicap? They had to work pretty hard to become pros and exceed scratch golf! To do that, Erik had to seek out intelligent instructors. Mike too. They had to study and work to become experts. Obviously I can't speak for them, but this is just something I've observed over the years as a long time member.

I guarantee you if Mike or Erik had Bubba's talent, they wouldn't be nearly as knowledgeable as they are about the game, in terms of being able to explain that knowledge to a listener.*

Necessity is the mother of invention. And if there is no necessity, there's little invention. Bubba's been allowed to stay in this child like state of golf because his talent has shown through time and time again when it needed to.

When you think about it, probability wise it all makes sense. Most people would be born with shit abilities. But a rare, rare few would be gifted with a knack for hitting it with power and accuracy over and over again. They still have to work at it, no question, because there are other people out there with "the gift" too. But they still got it.

I may be straying from the topic a bit here, but this is one of the reasons why I'm such a big Bubba fan. He's the natural. It's amazing to watch. His short game and putting are kinda meh, but that keeps him interesting.

---

*OK, maybe that's not true. Because they'd still have the same brains. My point was, I think, is how it's important to understand how perhaps one's limitations as a player at the professional level can be a huge asset towards being a great instructor. Ultimately perhaps it's simply that inquisitive mind coupled with an intense desire to improve that leads someone down the path towards learning about golf mechanics and wanting to master it.

Obviously though, I think it's pretty clear at this point how I feel about those "will I ever be a PGA Tour Pro?" threads