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Golf
- Thread starter Michael
- Start date
Great discussion. Personally think Tiger is the single greatest pressure sportsman I've ever seen. And agree with Mr B about Tiger>Jack. Pure numbers say Jack (was he really a choker with so many seconds!).
I reckon if Peter Thomson had played in the states when at his peak he may have challenged Jack's record.
I reckon if Peter Thomson had played in the states when at his peak he may have challenged Jack's record.
I think when Thomson played on the us senior tour he won 8 or 9 times in one season, again probably like winning a JJliston medal compared to a Brownlow
Great stuff TBR. Got down to 4 at one stage but massive difference between 4 and scratch. Need a very decent short game to get that low. Kudos.
Well done. Maybe you can give Mr Burnside some chipping lessons. Looks like he's getting an electric shock each time.
I played with Brett Ogle years ago and he was in such horrors chipping he was carrying a left handed club and using that. That might be the answer.
I cant talk really. My swing with the irons is totally lost at the moment. Very quick and up and out of it. Strangely though, not with chipping or pitching or putting, bunker play or with the driver either. Rhythm, feel and timing is fine. Just full iron shots. Might have to go the Matsuyaka route and pause for 3 seconds at the top !
Mr Burnside's old mate John Davis has taught one of his pupils pretty well by the sounds. Brad Hughes. Working successfully with a number of PGA Tour players. Kokrak, Kisner and others.
Yeh, so many talented golfers around that don't make a living. Most clubs have multiple guys off scratch or less that hit it pretty pure and can go around their local club in par or better most days. But these guys are miles off the pro-am guys. Who are miles off the local tour guys. Who are miles off the PGA tour guys. Who are miles off the top 30 odd in the world.
I played a round with a guy called Chris Thorn at Huntingdale about 6 years ago. He was off +4 at the time. His ball striking was pure. He hits it further than anyone I've ever played. He appeared automatic.
He had his Aust PGA tour card at that stage and got a start in the Aust Masters at Huntingdale in 2015. He made the cut and ended up tied 54th. Followed him around on the Saturday of the masters and he was 2 under the card with 2 holes left in extremely challenging conditions, on track to shoot one of the lowest scores of the day. He finished double bogey/bogey to shoot one over. (The field included De Chambeau, Scott, Senden, Rumford. Peter Senior actually won). He eagled the 6th at Huntingdale after hitting driver/4 iron to the green. It was playing over 550m for that tournament. It was downwind but he hit it 30-40m past where most were hitting it.
He got up to about 1200 in the world rankings and made about $8000 in prizemoney over his pro career spanning about 6 years.
He's now a club pro I think and playing pennant for Kingston Heath. I thought he was a real chance to make it when I saw him play but ultimately he didn't have the mental game nor the practice dedication.
I remember following Ryan Ruffels at 13th Beach a few years ago and thought he was going to be special but he's struggling on the Korn Ferry tour. Todd Sinnott was another in his group that looked a real talent and got to 270 in the world but is now nowhere.
Its a tough gig and not many make a living from it.
Yeh, a properly fitted set of clubs makes a big difference. What do you roll with? I got some Mizuno MP-18 SC fitted a couple of years ago with Matt Tudor (uber professional) and far easier to play than the MP-68. (don't look as good though!)
It's very tough. Very.
I often think that some of these really talented guys, the real problem isn't their ability, its their ability to be consistent. I've seen hundreds of amateurs with swings better than most successful pros and I've seen them shoot great rounds. But replicating great or good rounds over and over is where they fall down. Shooting four good rounds one week and then having to do it the next week ...and the next ...and the next ...or controlling a round so its just average and not a blow out....is all wildly different to just playing well or good every weekend in an amateur environment. Some of these guys turn pro with great talent but I wonder if they really cope with the grind and effort all that well, some of them.
Mr Burnside would probably use Tampion as an example of that.
Just gone back to my old MP-63's actually.
I think that’s why there’s only one Tiger Woods, nobody will the talent level or the work ethic.
I grew up playing most days with a young fella who went on to win an Australian Amateur, Vic Open , represented Australia in the Eisenhower cup, teed it up with Baddely and Scott in then Ausssie Open as one of the next 3 big things. This young fella is now just a teaching pro who struggled to make enough money to survive, again incredible talent and an awesome work ethic as from the age of 11 he worked hard to be a pro.
Worked at a Club many years ago that had 2 gun amateurs, one very talented who always told you what he was ”gunna” do and the other spent countless hours on the practice fairway, 20 years later one made a great living playing mainly in Europe the other, well he enjoys a beer an the odd hi5 of golf.
Another young fella I played a lot with came 3rd in a world junior, played for Australia , could do things with a ball that Seve couldn’t even imagine , also spent 10 times as much time in nightclubs then the practice fairway, builds houses now.
Many would disagree , however I think a lot of talented young Golfers run into trouble when the growing gets tough , so many play Golf because they weren’t good at other sports or didn’t fit into team first mentality, a good mate of mine was a pro for many years , won a stack of pro ams , however just couldn’t cut the mustard when the going got tough and he was no longer the big fish.
MDJ mentioned about the many scratch golfers in clubs now, great achievement no matter what , however imho there’s about 5 shots difference between a scratch player 20 years ago and today due to the change in the handicap system. I know an old fella who played of 5 for 40 old years, when the new system came in he got to scratch within 2 years , in he’s own words , he wasn’t as good a player of scratch that he was 5 years ago of 5.
Young players heading out there to make it , need to realise , course are always set up at there hardest, not your mid week comp, with pins in the middle and tee markers at the front, greens at good pace, not glass, they also need to understand there not playing in the relaxed group of mates each week, chances are you’ll get some annoying flog every second round in a pro am. then there’s the travel factor, planes , trains and automobiles , and then there’s the sleeping on different beds and couches each week, trying to find safe and eatable food and another key factor is having the ability to play in front of hundreds of thousands of people.
Yep bloody tough game to make a living from for sure
Funny enough chipping with one hand works really wellI played with Brett Ogle years ago and he was in such horrors chipping he was carrying a left handed club and using that. That might be the answer.
Lol I hadn’t seen your post, yes Tampo got a mention in my post , I remember him going through his bag at MGA , opening the face on each club and hitting the ball on the ceiling ...freak, one of the funniest things he used to do when he knew there was a bit of a crowd watching him on the range , he’d tee up the driver and then deliberately top the ball, with it literally just falling of the tee, then he’d look at his club like something was wrong with it lol, got lots of other stories about him but this is a family friendly forum
Blades
should be used as much as x flex shaftsGeez you love Woods Mr Burnside. You're such a spud.
Anyway, even though he's only the second best golfer of all time (and a philanderer and chronic tight arse too) I will tell you a story you might like.
In 2006 a mate and I went off to Chicago to watch the US PGA Championship at Medinah. We went for all 4 days. On the Thursday we are at the practice range watching Phil, Els etc hitting balls. Pure. Striping it out there to towards the 300 yard marker and bouncing it on by with their drivers (bit shorter length back in those days). Then along comes Tiger.
He works his way through the bag and gets to the driver and tells Steve Williams he's looking to drop the ball down on the 300 yard marker and within the 20-25 foot wide circle that it sits within. I thought he was just talking about landing there or close to it, but he was actually talking about landing it softly enough to make it STAY WITHIN the 25 foot circle !
Boomf...first one flies like a low but climbing rocket launcher then stops and props in the air and just drops straight down and softly like a low flight pitching wedge. And you guessed it , within the 25 foot circle sprayed around the 300 yard marker. Boomf.....second one. Same thing. Third one....same.
Very quickly every pro on the range turned around to watch him. I've been to 7 or 8 majors and countless other Tour and pro events and I've never seen anything like it and never have since. The ball flight, the accuracy, the power, the touch ....the way he made it climb in the air and then just drop straight down and stop on top of the target like he was hitting a 90 yard wedge into a soft green.....just staggering. It was like a trick show. He dropped a couple more down inside the circle, then decided he wanted to bust a few completely over the top of the 300 yard marker. After that he was done and just hit a few casual wedges. The look on the other pros faces was priceless. They all just sort of sheepishly watched him exit the range.
Needless to say he won the PGA Championship easily.
One of your better and shorter stories Rudeford.
Ive only seen him a couple of times, first time was Feb 97 when he came out to Huntingdale and then at the Presidents cup , like you say prcatice fairway is where you see how ”pure” he was , that consistent trajectory is second to none, I reckon you could put a metre square box at 100 yards, 10 metres off the deck and he could hit every club through it.
Not sure whatever happened to Carlos Franco , however remember watching him at the Presidents cup, what a brilliant ball striker , was Tiger like with the trajectory.
Im sure I would have told you this one Rudeford, a member of your club has dual citizenship here and Italy, so he went over to play for Italy as an amateur, so He’s been there a few days and he gives us a call and says I’ve just played with these 2 brothers and one of them is the best ball striker I’ve ever seen , anyway it was the Molinari brothers , the next year or 2 I think ,Edwardo wins the US amateur, said member gets an invite from Edwardo to play Augusta with him leading up to the Masters , said member told him he wouldn’t make the trip as he had a couple of pro ams to play on the Sapphire Coast
Good to see Westwood on top of the leaderboard, I’m guessing it’s been a while for him ? How’s the following pack DeChamebau, Bradley and Spieth , now there’s a group you might be late to the tee for
Actually don’t mind Speith, he just never shuts up
Actually don’t mind Speith, he just never shuts up
