WINNING IS ALL IN THE ATTITUDE
Hadwin needed a new outlook to become Canada’s best golfer — and it wasn’t easy
Identifying your greatest faults and fixing them is not an undertaking for the faint of heart.
Adam Hadwin achieved a lifelong goal the day he qualified for the PGA Tour. All he’s done since is turn his game inside out, turn weakness into strength and turn himself into Canada’s best golfer.
“The biggest thing this year has been the attitude,” Hadwin said after completing a practice round at Erin Hills. “I just haven’t let things bother me as much as I have in the past — missed shots or missed putts or whatever.”
In 10 seconds, Hadwin hit on everything that changed his golfing fortunes: attitude and putting. The 2017 Valspar Championship winner is at Erin Hills playing in the U.S. Open on the strength of his world ranking. He entered the week at No. 49 with a reputation in golf circles as a great putter and all-around good guy. It wasn’t always like that. “There’s not too many people that really liked him when he was 16 or 17 years old,” Hadwin’s father Gerry said Tuesday over the phone from Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford, B.C. “I don’t want to say he had a poor attitude, but there were numerous times when, being in the golf industry for 38 years, I said, ‘You know what buddy, I’m not sure golf is going to be your sport because you can’t go hit somebody or something, you know.’”
We have a habit of trying to smooth out the rough edges of our sporting heroes, especially if they’re Canadian. It’s a longstanding tradition of conflating the athlete and the man. In some cases, we do it to avoid the disappointment of being let down by our idols. Sometimes it’s a shame, because it robs us of a richer story.
“Some of those intangibles off the golf course have helped, obviously,” Adam Hadwin said. “My personal life has been very good recently, getting married. I really think that coming into this year, starting back in the fall, everything’s just kind of been — I wouldn’t say in the zone, but it’s just, go out and do my business, enjoy it, have a good attitude.”
Gerry also credits Adam’s marriage for his son’s new-found peace. He says his daughter-inlaw Jessica is a laid-back person who will point out when her husband is bad-tempered on the course.
“She doesn’t know a lot about golf, but she knows a lot about attitude,” Gerry said. “He’s come a long way.”
Hadwin’s two greatest weaknesses intersect in his father’s basement. The elder Hadwin estimates he still houses at least 15 bent and battered putters left for dead by his son over the years. Gerry, who is director of golf at Ledgeview, used to shudder when watching his son over short putts. The strength of Adam’s game growing up was always tee to green.
“I can remember my last instructor, when I was a teen and hitting 16, 17 greens, but shooting 2 or 3 over par,” Adam said. “It was nothing for me to do that. I remember having a conversation with him, and he said, ‘Look, I’d love to coach you, I think you’ve got tremendous talent, but if you don’t work on your putting and you don’t get better, I can’t help you anymore because you’re not getting any better.’ It was a bit of a wake-up call. Took me probably seven years after that to really figure it out.”
With all the focus in recent years on his putting and short game, Hadwin’s ball-striking fell off a touch, but the 29-year-old seems more than happy with the trade-off. This year, the ballstriking is nearly back to where it was and Hadwin is a more complete golfer than ever. He ranks 11th on the official PGA Tour money list with nearly US$2.8 million in earnings, and he’s ninth in the FedExCup standings.
Despite a disappointing missed cut at Memorial at the beginning of the month, Hadwin said his game is in good shape. Nothing is more important than putting at the U.S. Open and Erin Hills’ large, undulating greens will put extreme pressure on lag putting, which has been a strength during his hot streak.
This weekend, when you see Hadwin playing at the year’s second major, think about what you would do if you reached your life’s goal. Would you put things on cruise control, or would you take an honest look at yourself, then turn your weaknesses into strengths?
“He’s a competitor and a true Canadian for sure,” his father added. “They’ve got guts, you know what I mean?”
I just haven’t let things bother me as much as I have in the past — missed shots or missed putts or whatever.