Which Tour Professional Has Influenced Your Game the Most?

[mcanadiens]

I wouldn't blame any of them for what I tend to do on the golf course.

However, especially being in Ohio, I'd guess that Jack Nicklaus made a heavy difference in the sport throughout my home state. I go with him. 

[nevets88]

A long time ago, I really liked Sergio Garcia's swing but have long since learned to do everything NOT to emulate his swing.

[Rkrider99]

Freddie Couples was the golfer that influenced me the most when I took up the game. I didn't try to imitate his swing necessarily, but I did try to imitate his tempo. I watched him every chance I got.

[Lihu]

15 hours ago, gbogey said:

one of my favorite golf books says to watch a tour pro who has similar build. 

Going by this, when I first started I was 227 pounds at a barefoot 5’10.5” which could be any of the average aging golfers on Tour. Then I looked at their profiles and noted the weights are 40 pounds less than me and thought this is total BS. Everybody looks at least 30 pounds heavier than their profiles😂🤪😂 Now that I’m only 185, and hoping to drop another 5 pounds, I’d say that the PGA stats look about right. I just need to wear slimmer and less baggy looking clothing 😜🤪

So, I wrote no ONE person. I’d say that being inspired by good players gives me a goal to attain, but knowing that I’ll never look nor perform that good when playing...

Edited December 13, 2018 by Lihu

[Mr22putt]

Happy Gilmore😂

[Curt]

4 hours ago, Lihu said:

Going by this, when I first started I was 227 pounds at a barefoot 5’10.5” which could be any of the average aging golfers on Tour. Then I looked at their profiles and noted the weights are 40 pounds less than me and thought this is total BS. Everybody looks at least 30 pounds heavier than their profiles😂🤪😂 

 

Everybody looks heavier on TV.  It makes them look wider and thicker than they really are.  It's one of the reasons why in real life actors tend to be skinny, and even the heavier ones generally aren't as heavy as they look on the screen.  Everything looks bigger on TV... it's a deceitful perspective.  

[Lihu]

14 hours ago, Curt said:

Everybody looks heavier on TV.  It makes them look wider and thicker than they really are.  It's one of the reasons why in real life actors tend to be skinny, and even the heavier ones generally aren't as heavy as they look on the screen.  Everything looks bigger on TV... it's a deceitful perspective.  

Yes, and worse still are those skinny family members insisting upon taking pictures during meals. 🤨

I’m no longer obese, but still look kind of chunky in pictures even at 15% to 18% body fat?!?! Must be my naturally wide shoulders...sure, yeah...😂🤪

The first person to design the camera image signal processing software to rescale the horizontal pixels on only the chunkier looking human subjects by about 5-10% is going to make a killing 🤑

[jsgolfer]

On 12/12/2018 at 6:30 PM, iacas said:

None.

^^^This

[DeadMan]

For me, it's Tiger. I probably wouldn't be playing golf if not for Tiger. I was 10 when he won the Masters in 1997, and in my early teens when he was truly dominant. That's when I first picked up the game, and it was because he made it a lot cooler and more accessible to younger people like me.

[Bucki1968]

Ben Hogan. I learned golf from the 5 fundamentals book.

[JetFan1983]

Tiger Woods, without question. I never would've even thought to try golf if it wasn't for him. My swing looks nothing like his though, much to my dismay. 

Here are my top-6 pro swings to Youtube and drool over and pretend I can learn what they do: 

Tiger Woods

Bubba Watson

Rory McIlroy

Dustin Johnson

Justin Rose

Jamie Sadlowski

 

[Hacker James]

Today none, or rather it changes from week to week. Fifty years or so ago, it would have to be Jack. I grew up not far from Columbus and when I first got interested in golf, the Shell's Wonderful World of golf was still on TV and I watched the battles of the pro's at the time.  Looking back, my self-taught golf swing was very much Nicklaus like in as  much as flying elbow and heel lift goes. I wasn't trying to emulate him at all, its just what I happed to do. Somewhere along the line, my swing changed. Maybe out of suggestion that it was not "correct" or whatever. I don't know. Sometimes I wished I still had that original swing as it served me well. Of course, I was fifty years younger, too.

[BallMarker]

Ernie Els....the BIG EASY...

4 hours ago, JetFan1983 said:

Tiger Woods, without question. I never would've even thought to try golf if it wasn't for him. My swing looks nothing like his though, much to my dismay. 

Here are my top-6 pro swings to Youtube and drool over and pretend I can learn what they do: 

Tiger Woods

Bubba Watson

Rory McIlroy

Dustin Johnson

Justin Rose

Jamie Sadlowski

 

Adam Scott?

[Don Golfo]

I’m not sure any tour pro can influence your game? You might be inspired by their performance, but that’s a whole different thing?

[JetFan1983]

7 hours ago, BallMarker said:

Ernie Els....the BIG EASY...

Adam Scott?

Ernie is definitely a good one to love. 

Scott's too, but for some reason, he isn't in my top ten. I think because I've always had a problem of my head moving forward and then not having enough axis-tilt at impact, and Scott's head kind of moves forward on the downswing and doesn't track back nearly as much as it does in other pros. Obviously it's kind of a silly reason for me since his swing is amazing and totally functional, but this thread is kind of silly by nature to begin with 

[NJpatbee]

I was most impressed by the fluid and seemingly effortless swing of Fred Couples.  

[CaseyD]

John Daly. When I first started I always tried to get my club head far enough back on my back swing that I could see the club head.  Fred Couples is probably my favorite player though. 

[dbuck]

I grew up admiring and watching Nicklaus. I read a couple of his books, and learned some from them. I did not try to emulate his swing, but some of the thoughts and concepts have been beneficial. Freddie was an influence. Obviously I wouldn't try to copy his swing, but I have tried to mimic or at least have in my mind his rhythm.

When Tiger came along, I certainly admired his athleticism, but it was not something I'd even attempt to do!! "Game with which I am not familiar"