Is watching pro golf dangerous for your game?

[Parmo]

Morning All,
I ask this question after watching yesterdays play of the Open, I thought about my own swing compared to theirs and started thinking (which is dangerous within its self) that maybe my swing needs working on and that even though the ball generally goes straight I have a very slow swing to stop any slices.

Have any of you nice people had thoughts about your own swing and game compared to the Pros?

 

[viscount17]

I have now watched two tournaments live (next will be the Masters at Woburn). This can be somewhat demoralising when you contrast the smoothness of their swing (and the result) with your own efforts. Then you get a moment (Bourdy pushing his drive into the rough, clogging his second further into the rough at LGC or Cabrera (of all people) underhitting a tee shot on a Par 3 at Wentworth) that restores your hopes that one day . . .

I don't think this really comes across on tv as the camera angles don't really show the same level of detail that you can get live.

 

[Cernunnos]

I think watching the Pro's actually helps, as watching a good swing is like osmosis for your golf game. No you are not going to get the yardage they are, but as long as you swing within yourselfI don't see a problem.

Don't believe the osmosis thing, then play with someone with a really bad swing & the results are inevitable, several holes in & disaser will strike, you find yourself picking up what they are doing, like some sort of virus.

Hence where if I can I'd rather play with better players than myself.

 

[USER1999]

The thing I struggle with is the swing speed. In order to hit the ball as far as they do, you need a fast swing speed. However, they appear to swing in slow motion. You have some guy hitting a 7i 200 yards, with what looks like a half swing. If he lashed it, you could understand, but it is so slow.

I think tempo is the best thing to pick up from the pros, as to copy their swings is impossible, but you could copy the tempo. Most of us try to hit the ball too hard, with a swing like a strimmer.

 

[RGuk]

I was enjoying watching some of the pros who really turn their bodies and arms as one. M-A Jimenez is a prime example. Since rebuilding my swing with a more upright plane and trying not to bring the club too much around my body on the inside, I have always felt that the two are working independently. I dug out my faults and fixes book and have been practicing small swings with head-covers under my arms and taking note of how my hands move at the start of the backswing. Going to the practice ground soon to see if I can find a more reliable dog to wag the tail.

(Just in case you're wondering what I'm going on about, all my lessons (previously) were from a Leadbetter disciple!)

 

[haplesshacker]

IMHO, watching Pros is good. Reason, is that they don't always play the perfect shot and end up in the rough, short of the hole etc, and it's how they deal with that. Just look at Poulters and Rose's attitudes from yesterday.

It just reminds me that we all make errors, we can't be perfect at this game and hit every shot as we would want, and if I only hit 4 fairways in a round then that's fine as I'm not a Pro.

What amazes me is just how slow some of the swing speeds appear to be.

 

[RGuk]

they don't always play the perfect shot and end up in the rough, short of the hole etc, and it's how they deal with that.
It just reminds me that we all make errors, we can't be perfect at this game and hit every shot as we would want,

Spot on.....well said.

When we watch certain tournaments and certain courses, Pro's just make it look way too easy. In a strange way, it's encouraging to watch them be happy with pars and accept bogeys around a course like Birkdale.

 

[HTL]

NO, for me it gives me motivation and when watching a comp like this years Open it shows me they are real and its not an impossibility to beat them (let me dream)playing with handicapp

 

[Parmo]

I wonder how many boxes of balls you would need being a member at Birkdale??? I bet I would go through a dozen a round lol.

 

[Cernunnos]

I wonder how many boxes of balls you would need being a member at Birkdale??? I bet I would go through a dozen a round lol.

Depends how many times a round you hit it in the thick stuff, A good round around Birkdale could well be constituted one where you've kept the ball above ground & in sight, other than when the ball is sunk into the cup.

Even so I think anywhere between half a dozen & a dozen & a half might be lost. Bet the members don't play with Pro V1x's or similar. Bet its Pinnicle golds during comp days & Any old lake ball during the week.

 

[theeaglehunter]

It certainly didn't effect me, I learnt very quickly on my first visit (the final days play at Wentworth) that it is a completely different game to what we play. Trying to copy them would be silly, however I do feel I learnt a lot from following Paul Casey and Charl Schawarzel (and broke 90 for the first time on my first round after- coincidence ?)

The thing I struggle with is the swing speed. In order to hit the ball as far as they do, you need a fast swing speed. However, they appear to swing in slow motion. You have some guy hitting a 7i 200 yards, with what looks like a half swing. If he lashed it, you could understand, but it is so slow.

I think tempo is the best thing to pick up from the pros, as to copy their swings is impossible, but you could copy the tempo. Most of us try to hit the ball too hard, with a swing like a strimmer.

As for Murphs comment that is absolutely 100% spot on. I hadn't thought of it myself but now I have read it it is so so true!

 

[rgs]

Its a joy to watch the Pros especially their short game-the have great imagination and superb touch.

IMHO-the biggest difference between Pros & Hackers is pros expect to get up & down from 100yds 90% of the time whereas we mmight do it 40-50% of the time-also their putting stats are totally superior to ours. A Pro expects to make about 30 putts whereas we hardly ever break 30 putts.

 

[RGuk]

Pros expect to get up & down from 100yds 90% of the time whereas we mmight do it 40-50% of the time-also their putting stats are totally superior to ours.

It's a good point.....it is a combination of pitching/chipping AND putting. If I did the putting, it would be a disaster. If I did the pitching....I reckon these guys would convert 3 times as often as me....because they are SO good....an "average" pitch (between say 5-12 foot) is still par fodder for these putting genius'. Sure, they miss a few, but under 30 is HOT

 

[AliB]

Agree the short game is the thing. Having watched one or two tournaments live, it's the ability to get up and down that impresses me. At Celtic manor we saw players lay up after a poor tee -shot as they could expect to still hole out in four. Granted greens were slow that day (and not a links course) but this is something we can all take on board even if we'll never have a perfect swing.

AliB

 

[forefortheday]

Spot on HH.

Been to Birkdale today watched loads of groups and it seemed to me that only 1 in 3 were hitting the green in two yet plenty made par or bogey at worse.

There was a marshall by the 11th green on the right side that must of had a ball magnet in his pocket he nearly got hit a few times whilst I was there.

The one thing I would say about all the pro's I saw was that there swings seemed to give the club time to get through the ball (if that makes sense) but that might come from a lifetime of knowing you are going to strike the ball beautifully (which they all did)

 

[brendy]

One thing the cameras dont convey, is the wind speed and direction, a 7 iron going 200 yards isnt the norm for a lot of golfers on the tour, maybe 17-180, down wind they were hitting 150 yard pw's. Yesterday they were also hitting 2 irons 160 yards, nice to see them play in our weekly conditions for a change.

 

[RGuk]

One thing I've noticed is just how far away the fairways seem when looking from the camera position (as on TV) behind the tee.
If you stand behind the tee at an Open, it looks much more manageable. Even so, the players just don't seem stressed by long carries. I've played a few links where you can't see the fairway and need to take an aim over a gorse hill...but thankfully off the yellows it's fair to presume that 200 yds is normally enough. Can you imagine the big score even a pro would soon rack up with a topped 70 yarder!!! I guess this doesn't ever come into their minds.....

 

[haplesshacker]

Gotta agree with you there Dave. On occasions it appeared that some of the pros struggled to get over the rough in front of the tees when playing against the wind. I just can't imagine teeing up and knowing that I have to hit it 180 yards plus just to reach the fairway. Let alone topping it etc. These guys aren't pros for no reason.

But as someone has already said, nice to see them playing in 'our' conditions as oppossed to the windless, dry, manicured courses in the states.