Dan O'Connell
New
Just looking in Barnes and Noble and noticed that Bobby Clampett is releasing a book on impact in March. Any thoughts?
Bobby Clampett
- Thread starter Dan O'Connell
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Mr Inconsistent
Banned
Is it going to be called "why I was a flash in the pan." I'm just busting his balls but it is quite a phenomenon how guys like Clampett, Johnny Miller, Duval, etc. were on top of the world and then just lost it. Where did it go?
cmartingolf
New
Are you kidding me?
Dear Mr. I,
That is a harsh thing to say about Clampett or any of the other great players you mentioned. I look forward to Mr. Clampett's book. I'm sure it has some great TGM insight within its pages.
Where did their playing ability go? Who knows? Maybe they wanted to spend more time on other things? Family, hobbies, whatever.
To play golf at the Tour level for a long time, you have to be a "special" sort of individual. It's tough to maintain that "edge" when you want to include family and friends in your life. Being a "Flash in the Pan" says you had some flash and that's a lot more than many of us can ever say.
I'll look forward to Bobby's book.
Happy New Year to all of you out in TGM land.
Dear Mr. I,
That is a harsh thing to say about Clampett or any of the other great players you mentioned. I look forward to Mr. Clampett's book. I'm sure it has some great TGM insight within its pages.
Where did their playing ability go? Who knows? Maybe they wanted to spend more time on other things? Family, hobbies, whatever.
To play golf at the Tour level for a long time, you have to be a "special" sort of individual. It's tough to maintain that "edge" when you want to include family and friends in your life. Being a "Flash in the Pan" says you had some flash and that's a lot more than many of us can ever say.
I'll look forward to Bobby's book.
Happy New Year to all of you out in TGM land.
Brian Manzella
Administrator
Good ole Bobby!
I asked Bobby at the first TGM Summit if he could go back would he just keep his old swing...ala 1982 US Open version.
He said yes.
No kidding.
A classic case of RABBIT EARS, and what we call "His mind left his hands."
BTW,
Johnny Miller is one of the best players of ALL-TIME, and only had a 2 year or so bad spell. He was #1 in the world.
Duval was #1 in the world too, but lasted much shorter. All in his head.
I asked Bobby at the first TGM Summit if he could go back would he just keep his old swing...ala 1982 US Open version.
He said yes.
No kidding.
A classic case of RABBIT EARS, and what we call "His mind left his hands."
BTW,
Johnny Miller is one of the best players of ALL-TIME, and only had a 2 year or so bad spell. He was #1 in the world.
Duval was #1 in the world too, but lasted much shorter. All in his head.
birdie_man
New
Brian Manzella said:
I don't think I get it.
Brian Manzella
Administrator
THE MANZELLA DICTIONARY
item #328
"His mind left his hands."
example: In the mid-60's Paul Karem was a quarterback and punter for the University of Kentucky. Playing in front of 83,000 rabid LSU fans in Baton Rouge, LA, Paul and his Kentucjy Wildcats had the LSU Tigers on the ropes, leading the Bayou Bengals 6-0 late in the game.
Paul was punting deep out his own end-zone and looking back and down at the end-line to make sure he was still in the field of play prior to the snap. In the process, he spotted the hind-end of an LSU Cheerleader and before his head got back around, the snap hit him in the facemask, he fumbled, LSU recovered ion the End Zone and LSU won 7-6.
"His mind left his hands....and entered another part of his body"
So-to-speak.
item #328
"His mind left his hands."
example: In the mid-60's Paul Karem was a quarterback and punter for the University of Kentucky. Playing in front of 83,000 rabid LSU fans in Baton Rouge, LA, Paul and his Kentucjy Wildcats had the LSU Tigers on the ropes, leading the Bayou Bengals 6-0 late in the game.
Paul was punting deep out his own end-zone and looking back and down at the end-line to make sure he was still in the field of play prior to the snap. In the process, he spotted the hind-end of an LSU Cheerleader and before his head got back around, the snap hit him in the facemask, he fumbled, LSU recovered ion the End Zone and LSU won 7-6.
"His mind left his hands....and entered another part of his body"
So-to-speak.
birdie_man
New
Haha.....true story?
...
So....what happened to Bobby Clampett when his mind left his hands? Where WAS his mind?? (no cheerleaders in golf!!!)
...
So....what happened to Bobby Clampett when his mind left his hands? Where WAS his mind?? (no cheerleaders in golf!!!
)Brian Manzella
Administrator
Haha.....true story?
...
So....what happened to Bobby Clampett when his mind left his hands? Where WAS his mind?? (no cheerleaders in golf!!!
True story.
I think Bobby's mind went to the same place. It happens to all of us.
birdie_man
New
Ah well ic.
(taps side of nose)
(taps side of nose)
Mr Inconsistent
Banned
Alright, first of all, yes I was joking thus the statement "I'm just busting his balls." You might want to lighten up and work on the sense of humor there cmart. Secondly, I don't buy this stuff about "oh, he just got interested in other things." No he didn't. Nobody almost wins the US and British Opens when they are in their early 20s and then loses interest, plus he played a pretty full schedule for the next 10 or 15 years. Clampett lost awareness of what he was doing to be good, which is very easy to do. I guess like Brian was saying he made some swing changes, what were they btw Brian? And Duval is right now as we speak trying to get back to his form from the turn of the century and it is far from a piece of cake for him to do. Miller maybe felt like he had done his thing with golf and wanted to stop playing quite as much, but that is still pretty much not true. He wanted to be good in the 80s and couldn't, he wanted to be good on the senior tour and really couldn't. Golf is elusive like that, that's my point, it's very hard to get a solid grip on it to stay on top of your game for years. On the other side of the coin, there are guys like Bruce Lietzke or even Fred Couples, who have unorthodox swings, and could not play for 6 months and then finish top 10 in a tour event. Also, I am in no way saying Clampett, Duval, or Miller weren't/aren't great players. In my post I said they were "on top of the world." One more thing, Brian you said Miller only had two bad years? Was he not a top player from about 1973-76 and then he really fell off after that? Seems like he had about 4 or 5 great years and 20 below average years.
Sonic_Doom
New
Could equipment be a factor?
Some of the flashers (for lack of better term) seemed to fall off after Major tournament victories and subsequent equipment contracts. I 'm not sure about Ian Baker Finch but didn't Pavin kinda lose it after U.S. open, switching from Cleveland to PRGR? Duval went from Mizuno to Nike, etc.
Some of the flashers (for lack of better term) seemed to fall off after Major tournament victories and subsequent equipment contracts. I 'm not sure about Ian Baker Finch but didn't Pavin kinda lose it after U.S. open, switching from Cleveland to PRGR? Duval went from Mizuno to Nike, etc.
birdie_man
New
Duval was winning with Nike for a while I think...no?
Besides....I really think the indian has more to do with these things than the.....SPEAR (thought I'd mix it up a bit)........does.
Besides....I really think the indian has more to do with these things than the.....SPEAR (thought I'd mix it up a bit)........does.
I saw Clampett play in 1982 at the Kemper Open at Congressional with Payne Stewart and Hal Sutton. All three were relatively new pros. Clampett stood out with the impressiveness of his ball striking. His swing, the sound at impact and the flight of the ball, particularly with the irons, led me to the golfing machine. At first I couldn't figure it out, as no one was teaching it where I lived at the time. Because of sites like this one, I have an idea why he hit it the way he did, mainly because Ben Doyle taught him. I can't wait to see the book. He really was impressive.
Sonic_Doom
New
You're right about Duval, and I generally agree with the second statement as well - these guys could use hockey sticks and probably get it done.
Pavin really stuck out in my mind, I'm sure there's others too that tanked after switching equipment.
Clampett
I've rented some of Ben's instructional lesson tapes. In the Elkington set, Steve asks Ben "whatever happened to Clampett". Ben didn't want to talk about it, but eventually said that BC went to see some other teachers (or something along those lines). Ben didn't try to interfere (probably saw it as something BC needed to experience if that was what he wanted to do), and that's when things started to go south. Brian probably has more detail about it, but that was the impression I got.
Robbo
I've rented some of Ben's instructional lesson tapes. In the Elkington set, Steve asks Ben "whatever happened to Clampett". Ben didn't want to talk about it, but eventually said that BC went to see some other teachers (or something along those lines). Ben didn't try to interfere (probably saw it as something BC needed to experience if that was what he wanted to do), and that's when things started to go south. Brian probably has more detail about it, but that was the impression I got.
Robbo
bcoak
New
Lee janzen switched every year it seemed and never got back.
Jim Kobylinski
Super Moderator
I think the equiptment thing is hooey, any tour player can get the manufacturer to make them whatever they want, especially if they are high key players like everyone is talking about.
different iron shapes, different offsets, sole widths, etc etc. They will accomodate them because they create the advertising we see on TV which translates into Sales.
different iron shapes, different offsets, sole widths, etc etc. They will accomodate them because they create the advertising we see on TV which translates into Sales.
self-mastery
New
I have to agree. I remember when the RSG nerds talked of a 'NIKE CURSE.' Any golfer that signed with nike lost their game. Then came the CAT.
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