Vespidae

He wins because he is a great golfer who controls his anxiety and how he physically responds to it.

Bubba Watson has spoken about the mental issues he faces during a round. You say it’s overrated. I’m saying it’s probably affecting some, but not all players. And just mentioning DJ is like saying there’s no poverty in America ... look there’s a millionaire. Perhaps the better players are better because they are better players AND they don’t succumb to the physical issues from anxiety.

Does anyone know? Here is what we do know ... Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year. So it is highly likely 20% of the Tour suffers from some sort of anxiety. Stress is a response to situational factors. Anxiety is a response to the stress. The physical response is tension, a rise in blood pressure, and breathing difficulties. I’m not an expert on the swing. But I am aware that removing tension is an important part of swinging freely. So those with anxiety are likely to be in a less than ideal condition and removing or managing stress becomes important. Dustin Johnson may be one of those 82% who don’t suffer from anxiety. But there are likely many golfers who need to manage the stress. [Yet, he was suspected of substance and doing a fellow Tour player’s wife. Not normal behavior, but lets set that aside.] I would add that at lower levels, D1 and below, it may not matter. The stakes just aren’t high enough to create anxiety but, I don’t have any facts to support it one way or another.

These are my opinions and not scientific facts. Andy Beal owned a bank and played no limit poker for VERY stakes against the best players in Vegas. He came very close to breaking them for tens of millions. He noticed that as stakes increased, players were unable to cope and often folded better hands. I mean just crawled away. The reason I share this is there is a difference between golf and tournament golf. Individually, when I play ... I enjoy it. Whether that’s a personal best, a skins game, or a club tournament ... I don’t get rattled. A tournament? That’s a whole other thing. Bobby Jones used to throw up between rounds. Friends who have played the Tour talk about weed usage to relax. One of my friends left the Tour due to pressure. I think those at the highest levels of the game, it probably doesn’t matter much.They have their millions. Others .. I’ll bet if you polled them would say, hell yes it’s mental.

Thanks. That clears it up. I don’t speak for Hal Sutton, but I think he would agree. The anecdote he shared was that he pulled his caddie aside and told him, “There are three people that need to know I’m going to beat his ass. I need to know it. You need to know it. And Tiger needs to know it.” Does that make Hal full of shit? Sounds like he agrees with the idea.

Thanks. I did a search on Hal Sutton and scanned all the articles. I can’t find anything really negative on him. What leads you to have such a low opinion of him? Seems like a pretty good golfer.

I was really interested in your opinion as to why Hal Sutton is full of shit. If there's a thread on that ... I'd love to read it. I can't find it ... can you send me the link?

Actually not. Tiger really went after David Duval when Duval was number one in 1999. Look at what he was doing with his swing then ... on steel spikes. I'll bet money that was the period that started the wear and tear on his body. But look at Post 3486. These aren't my words, they are Sean Foley's ... " “Looking back on it now, I think I probably over-coached him. I was there at a time when he needed someone to support him. It was a time in his life when a lot of people who’d been in his life for a long time started to ditch him. I think, unfortunately, I approached it from the point of view that good technique will take care of everything." That IS my point. All these people that supported him mentally begin to move on, by death, by divorce ... whatever. And Sean's focus was on technique. Sounds to me like Sean is saying, "I made a mistake." And I agree.

Then you need to ask why. Why is his body broken? Why does he have the strain and the wear? He didn't fall down a flight of stairs. He didn't get hit head by a bus. He chose to swing the way he did and yes ... a strong corner man would have said, "Whoa ... do you really want to do that to your body the way you are doing it?" I think Bryson is headed for the same outcome ... a meteor that flashes at great speed before he crashes. If Sean is not asking these questions ... boo hoo for Sean. He could have said "No thanks."

Great. No back up. Just an opinion. So a PGA Champion and Players Champion is full of it. So much for Hal's new venture teaching ... Hal BEAT Tiger in the Players Championship. Hal's point was that yes, there's equipment, yes there's skill, but once you have that ... it's mental. Peter Jacobsen said it (and introduced us to Chuck Hogan), Bob Rotella said it ... and so have countless others. I'm arguing that perhaps Tiger would not have hurt himself had he had a strong corner man. He had it with Earl. Who's filling that role today? I honestly don't know ... do you? So back to Sean ... if you aren't going to coach him on skill (he's already good), perhaps there's an opportunity to coach on what he's thinking. Who knows? If Sean was so concerned, he probably should have just said, "Tiger, I can't help. You are too injured." But he didn't ... so I don't really feel sorry for Sean.

I'm actually more interested in why you think Hal is full of shit. As to Tiger, ok ... injured. Fine. He didn't hit a bus head on did he? He got there on based on how he wanted to get there ... and the consequences.

Really? Based on what? Pretty strong statement on Hal. 10 of Tiger's 15 majors were won with Earl in Tiger's head. Granted, Hal's comments weren't related to Tiger per se, but I know several PGA players who couldn't handle the pressure. They admit it. Vomiting. Alcohol. Weed. Anything to control the anxiety. Earl did an amazing job of keeping Tiger focused without going down those rabbit holes. As to others, look at Todd Marinovich (football) or Jennifer Capriati (tennis). Tiger is amazing, no doubt, but he's not the only child prodigy out there. I personally know Olympic athletes who started at 4 years of age ... and speak of the stress, the havoc their body took, the mind games ...

I had a lot of windshield time these past few days so I listened to Hal Sutton. He made the point that above a certain skill level, it’s all mental. And in his opinion, you need a mentor who’s been there and dealt with the highs, the lows, the loneliness, etc. Perhaps Sean is saying he treated the wrong disease?

Got it. She made it clear that because of the lower swing speeds of the women's team, they rarely have a problem putting the ball into play or getting into trouble. The college game (for women), in her mind, is the approach game. So they don't practice bombing it off the tee much. Now, based on Erik's comments, perhaps they are working on hybrids, mid-irons, and short irons into the green ... and varying trajectory, shape, etc. Those are still full swing, so maybe they do it or maybe they don't. It could be a terminology thing. I'm sure to see her again and I'll definitely ask her. FWIW ... I read a community college training plan and it was nothing but shot shape.

Thanks for the clarification. That helps.

It’s a simple point. I asked a D1 player if she she used LSW to influence her practice time and she said no. She said it was because of slower swing speed and as a result, her team focuses on short game ... to great success. I’m not claiming she’s right or wrong, but thought her point ... as a different point of view .. was post worthy. This tees up a question ... if a player is unable to generate additional length, should he/she still work on the long game? I introduced a number of players or individuals that seemed to say, that ... if you can’t improve accuracy and length off the tee, you should. But if you can’t, then spend your time on something else.

I’m asking the poster what he meant. I understood it to be length because that’s what I asked her about. Perhaps she has a different opinion on ballstriking. And I’m fine with that.

What do you want? I’m just relaying an opinion. I bought into LSW.

I’m not debating it. She is simply relaying how her women’s team organizes practice. The coaches know LSW but their emphasis is on the approach. What can I say? They made a decision... maybe it is the wrong one. It was an interesting discussion from a current D1 player and insight to how they think about the game. Fine.

Maybe. If you mean by ball striking ... more length. I think her argument is that women simply don't have the swing speed necessary to do so and therefore, the women's game is the short game. She readily admits their game is a different game than the men. Interestingly, there are arguments that length alone is not the cure all. Lag Erickson makes the case that the lighter equipment leads to faster swing speeds and length and ... less control. Which means you need a better short game if this is your aim. James Sieckmann (admittedly, a short game guru) also says, length matters but ... if your short game sucks, what does that do for you really? Padraig Harrington makes the claim that "speed" is essential to the swing and yet, the game for speed improvement is largely over by the time you are twenty. You are simply not going to suddenly gain speed and with each year, it's harder and harder. Kids need to focus, focus focus on speed ... and then accuracy later. (His opinion, not mine.) So if you aren't a kid who can improve speed (and length), short game is the money. Parker McLachlin won the Reno Open missing 11 of the first 13 greens and still won. I think he has the PGA record for missed greens while still shooting under par. He will tell you the same. A tour pro will miss 6 greens and an amateur will miss 13-14. Mark Immelman talks all the time about separation value being the "third shot". That, in his opinion is the game. Lastly, Pelz makes the comment that all of this research on length is totally valid .... IF you can do so. His example is ... take a 60 year old man and work with him 8 hours a day for a year. Will he ever swing like Rory McElroy? No. If you put the same effort into the short game, can you recover as well? Yes. My own view has evolved. I know I can hit 270 because I've done it and I work to do that accurately. I'm not worried about hitting it 300 because at my age (60), I don't think I can get there. So I do work on shot shape, but not so much on more length. I'm really working on the scoring clubs now and getting up and down inside of 30. Great discussion. I don't have the answers, but enjoy the journey. Btw, this girl ... is pretty friggin good. I expect to see her on the LPGA.

Mine isn't. I decide whether I want to use the leading edge and drive the shot or use the bounce and make it float a little higher and little softer. Once I do that, then yes ... all the shots of that type are the same, only the swing is longer or faster.

Do you ever open the face to create more loft?

Is your 10 yard pitch the same as your 50 yard pitch?

I think we’re saying the same thing. He said if you’re < 30 yards from the hole, these are your options depending on the green you’re approaching and what lie you have (4 options to hit it ... one “chip” and 3 versions of a pitch depending on how much height you need to stop the ball .. e.g., carry a bunker. But the swing is the same for every pitch.) James Sieckmann teaches the same thing. Four flights. James Ridyard teaches five. All the same shot with the same club, the only difference being the setup and whether or not you engage the bounce. The other two options were approach shots 50+ yards out. Same shot. Depending on whether you want the ball to fly softer and stop or ... you have plenty of green to work with and don’t mind if the ball hops and rolls forward after it lands. In my mind, it’s two shots. And that how he described it ... using the leading edge or the trailing edge depending on what you have to do. Clear as mud?

I think we agree on that. And I can get on the green and two putt for my bogey no problem. He wants me to still have a shot at par when I miss the green. That’s the point.