Spieth’s secret: As Masters begins, 2014 2nd-place finisher says he’s not obsessed with a perfect golf swing.
Young player stands out with ‘imperfect’ swing
AUGUSTA, Ga. — During a practice round Tuesday, Masters rookies Morgan Hoffmann and Brooks Koepka sought advice from their playing partner, a grizzled veteran who was born so long ago, the Apple Watch had yet to be invented.
OK, so Jordan Spieth has been able to drink legally only since July. But he tied for second at last year’s Masters and carries himself like the smarter, younger, more sober brother you never had.
Spieth said it can be “a little weird” to dispense advice to older players, but he’s happy to do it. And even 30-somethings might want to solicit tips from a guy who seems to have this golf thing figured out.
Take Spieth’s view on using video to analyze his swing. He rarely does it —
5 golfers to watch at Masters.
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especially during a tournament week. Why bog down your brain with thoughts of club positions and arm angles?
“As long as we’re seeing the [proper] ball flights, that’s what matters,” Spieth said of himself and swing coach Cameron McCormick. “We try to keep the technicality to a minimum.”
The results have been remarkable. Spieth’s
finish in his last three PGA Tour events is a tie for second.
NBC/Golf Channel analyst Peter Jacobsen praised Spieth as an anomaly in this young generation of golfers who obsess over “perfection in the golf swing.”
“It doesn’t Jacobsen said.
Spieth does not have a “picture-perfect swing because of how he folds the club with his arms,” said Pat Goss, the Northwestern golf coach who has reunited with Luke Donald. “But he knows how to play, how to compete and he’s not scared. The only definition of a great swing is being able to produce a repeatable, consistent ball flight under pressure.”
Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee puts Spieth in the same category as another young American star, Patrick Reed. He said it’s refreshing that neither is reliant on video or a swing instructor.
“As long as [other pros] let those people in their kitchen,” Chamblee said, “they’re never going to cook like Jordan Spieth or Patrick Reed.”
Goss said video can be helpful but that sometimes the practice range before a tournament looks more like a “science fair.”
Justin Rose, a disciple of swing instructor Sean Foley, used a weather gauge during a practice round at Doral that incorporated wind speed into
“As long as we’re seeing the [proper] ball flights, that’s what matters. We try to keep the technicality to a minimum.”
exist,” his club selection. Foley typically walks the range with an equipment bag strapped to his shoulder.
“When I saw Sean Foley teaching Tiger Woods,” Chamblee said, “he’d use video six times a day. He was using it before he’d go out to play a round at Augusta National.
“Hank Haney told me he used video six times in 660 days he spent with Tiger because he didn’t want Tiger to get addicted to positions and technical thoughts.”
Billy Horschel is not embarrassed to admit he sometimes he puts every practice swing on video, saying: “I don’t want to ingrain a bad habit. I’m more of a visual learner.”
The 28-year-old American has surged into the world’s top 20. He’s a video addict who does believe in the existence of a perfect swing.
“Do I make enough of them?” he said. “No.”
Spieth’s swings are imperfect, and that’s the point. Video can break down fundamentals and a launch monitor can give instant feedback and ball speed and attack angle, but …
“When you’re standing out there and the wind is blowing left to right and you’ve got a hazard left, those numbers don’t necessarily correlate,” Goss said. “At times players become so consumed with what they can tangibly measure.”