Jim Kobylinski
Super Moderator
Europeans, with a few exceptions, hit the ball much lower than Americans with just about all clubs. Generally makes sense due to weather conditions and style of golf each would learn to play as they grow up.
As i've said forever, many guys on tour aren't as super long as you might expect and many of you (yes you reading this) can hit your driver as far or possible farther than them as many hit the ball lower and with more spin and thus they end up shorter BUT because of manicured fairways they get a minimum of 15 yards of roll and in most cases closer to 20-25. Don't believe me? Go play a course local to you after the PGA or the Web.com tour rolls through town and you'll find yourself in places you aren't normally. Case in point, i followed Furyk/Simpson/Watson/Kuchar for a couple holes and on #1 Furyk hit it well and got about 20 yards of roll in the fairway - Kuchar basically hooked it so far left i think he dropped a ball but similar distance - Simpson carried his into the bunker approximately as far as Furyk hit is drive - Watson is just as long as you might think; he CARRIED Furyk's ending drive by about 20 yards but it must have been a bit of a fade because it landed at a fairly steep angle and didn't roll out much.
I've now seen Tiger hit balls at the range for the 3rd time in my life and he is the definition of Ranger Rick, he really is. So controlled and smooth if he could only be that guy all the time on the course. I wonder if he just over thinks it on the course. I followed him, Johson, Stricker, and i forgot who else was in their group for a couple holes and they all seemed to be hitting it well.
Saw a lot, a lllllllllllllllot, of "centered" type pivots on the range. Very little head movement, much less shoulder turn with the irons. However all had what to me, looked like a more orthodox backswing move. If you know me at all you know i really don't like laid off backswings and for a while there were a bunch on tour and few made it work well.
All professionals, no matter american or euro, are MASTERS of low point control.
As coach said in a different post, there is basically no rough. I mean, there is very little if at all any difference between the first cut and what is supposed to be the rough. It's a long long course so i imagine that big rough would make it unnecessarily hard. If there was ever a course to tee it high and watch it fly this is it. The weekend weather is going to be FANTASTIC for golf, cool/slight warm with a touch of wind and with all the trees they removed on that course it's going to be difficult for sure.
PGAtour.com profile lists Zach Johson as 5'11" and 160lbs....no bleeping way! Now maybe my depth perception is off but he didn't look more than 5'8" - 5'9" tops to me from a distance of about 20 feet and he looks like he is built similar as a friend of mine who on his best day soaking wet is 140lbs (As a reference i am a smidgen short of a true 5'11" and this morning i weighed in at 208lbs and i have a muscular frame but could stand to lose another 20lbs compared to the rail that is Zach Johson). Similar thing to Tiger and others and even the other professional sports, always take the "listed" weight/height with a grain of salt.
That's about it, if you have questions let me know and i'll try to answer.
As i've said forever, many guys on tour aren't as super long as you might expect and many of you (yes you reading this) can hit your driver as far or possible farther than them as many hit the ball lower and with more spin and thus they end up shorter BUT because of manicured fairways they get a minimum of 15 yards of roll and in most cases closer to 20-25. Don't believe me? Go play a course local to you after the PGA or the Web.com tour rolls through town and you'll find yourself in places you aren't normally. Case in point, i followed Furyk/Simpson/Watson/Kuchar for a couple holes and on #1 Furyk hit it well and got about 20 yards of roll in the fairway - Kuchar basically hooked it so far left i think he dropped a ball but similar distance - Simpson carried his into the bunker approximately as far as Furyk hit is drive - Watson is just as long as you might think; he CARRIED Furyk's ending drive by about 20 yards but it must have been a bit of a fade because it landed at a fairly steep angle and didn't roll out much.
I've now seen Tiger hit balls at the range for the 3rd time in my life and he is the definition of Ranger Rick, he really is. So controlled and smooth if he could only be that guy all the time on the course. I wonder if he just over thinks it on the course. I followed him, Johson, Stricker, and i forgot who else was in their group for a couple holes and they all seemed to be hitting it well.
Saw a lot, a lllllllllllllllot, of "centered" type pivots on the range. Very little head movement, much less shoulder turn with the irons. However all had what to me, looked like a more orthodox backswing move. If you know me at all you know i really don't like laid off backswings and for a while there were a bunch on tour and few made it work well.
All professionals, no matter american or euro, are MASTERS of low point control.
As coach said in a different post, there is basically no rough. I mean, there is very little if at all any difference between the first cut and what is supposed to be the rough. It's a long long course so i imagine that big rough would make it unnecessarily hard. If there was ever a course to tee it high and watch it fly this is it. The weekend weather is going to be FANTASTIC for golf, cool/slight warm with a touch of wind and with all the trees they removed on that course it's going to be difficult for sure.
PGAtour.com profile lists Zach Johson as 5'11" and 160lbs....no bleeping way! Now maybe my depth perception is off but he didn't look more than 5'8" - 5'9" tops to me from a distance of about 20 feet and he looks like he is built similar as a friend of mine who on his best day soaking wet is 140lbs (As a reference i am a smidgen short of a true 5'11" and this morning i weighed in at 208lbs and i have a muscular frame but could stand to lose another 20lbs compared to the rail that is Zach Johson). Similar thing to Tiger and others and even the other professional sports, always take the "listed" weight/height with a grain of salt.
That's about it, if you have questions let me know and i'll try to answer.
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