Bobby may have been a world beater on paper. Rory is coming off an 8 stroke win at the U.S. Open. Rory is a world beater in real life.
Don’t you mean The Congressional Classic? I can’t remember Rory winning a US Open. I think you are missing the point of the Rory/Clampett comparison, when under the pump and the pressure is on, a high sweeping draw can become a a savage hook in a heartbeat, Rory proved this at Augusta last year and it pretty much ended Clampetts career. Right to left can get it done off the tee at Augusta, but the key to the approach shots is a left to right ball. Can Rory even hit a fade?
lecoeurdevie,
You may be right. I was not a particularly good short iron player back in my TGM days. The long snap, float load into a pivot stall dump with more upright gear found me long and left way too often, and I would often then block wedges trying to protect against my innate hitting instincts.
My short irons are much better now than they ever were when I was on tour. Playing much flatter, heavier gear with a shallower golf swing allows me to hit hard while staying flat and compact. I missed out on really spinning the balata balls around on the greens with the short irons the way Trevino did. I could probably do that now having a more proper action.
The TGM swing I used was great for hitting towering flushed long iron shots and I was a decent driver of the ball, but when things went bad, I would just have to rely on a very tight short game or I was packing on Fridays.
The balatas were great for getting out of trouble with. You could really hook them hard around trees or hit low cuts and actually get the ball to keep curving. I worked the ball with a lot of shape into greens with an 8 iron down into the longer clubs with the balatas.
I was on the USGA site the other day and there is a lot of talk about tradition and the importance of upholding tradition etc. When I thought about it… there isn’t really any tradition left other than the size of the hole.
I commend the USGA for doing an excellent job keeping the hole size intact.
My quick brain list included:
Traditional caddies replaced by golf carts.
Traditional 6800 yard classic courses replaced by 7400 yard flat fields with side moguls.
Traditional tight fairways with wide open polo fields.
Traditional small greens replaced by giant modern pool tables.
Traditional steel spikes replaced by plastic slip and slides.
Traditional leather lipped firm soles replaced by tennis shoes.
Traditional small persimmon heads replaced by hollow cheap metal frying pans.
Traditional putters replaced by long belly putters.
Traditional putting strokes replaced by anchoring the club to your chest.
Traditional wood or steel shafts replaced by lightweight graphite high torquing shafts.
Traditional firm cord or leather grips with soft spongy comfy grips.
Traditional V grooves being replaced by box grooves.
Traditional balata golf balls with plastic golf balls.
But the hole is the same size… so I guess I should be happy about that.
There’s still 18 holes too. They’ve preserved that tradition very nicely. 
Although, considering how long a round takes on a crowded 7400 yard course, they might need to rethink that one.
It’s always better to make an aggressive move than a cutesy move, right? Since I went back to to the wound balls I’ve gotten a lot more aggressive with the short irons even with less than full shots and my hand action has gotten better even though I don’t play. I’m not fighting the flight anymore, it stays down like it should. So now inside 170 I can hit the shot I want even if it isn’t always working from the middle into the hole. I can work it off the edge into a slope for example or just what feels comfortable because I’m not fighting the trajectory. Way more fun and less stressful, I’m actually playing instead of struggling with crap I don’t want to have to care about. You should get some of those Maxflis, they’re fun to play.
As far as that TGM stuff goes how did you decide to get into that in the first place? That stuff always terrified me, it was so awkward and contrary to everything I thought athleticism should be.
This isn’t even getting into rangefinders, GPS, now accupoint WeverTF that is… Been there done that had everything ripped away one thing at a time. Now even the courses are ruined because everything is vertical, oh yeah and 7100 yds is short now. I get it. With the changes, I think I get it. I had a cheap nothin 4 screw Mac 3 wood that I played for years until it split wide open one day. After the pain of the loss of an old friend wore off I went in search of a replacement, figured I’d get with the times, got a demo Great Big Bertha out of the shop at Santa Teresa and went out to the range. This thing looked like one of those things they bring the pizza out on at Round Table, it made the ball look like a marble and it sat so high I thought the only thing I could possibly do is cold top it. I tried waggling it & I couldn’t feel the head. It was like it wasn’t there. I just kept fidgeting & fidgeting, finally I had to literally close my eyes to pull the trigger. It took off like it was fired out of a gun. I thought, that’s nice, if this keeps up I’m either going to have to play blindfolded or quit the game. I never hit a second ball with that POS.
I remember the first time I played a course that was soft spike only, it was that links course in Moorpark out by Simi Valley. I had to pay a cart kid $25 to put plastic in my shoes and I had to make him give me back my good tungsten and not throw them away AND he wanted a tip too. It took forever that night to get that crap out of my shoes and I cut all my knuckles on the plastic when they all ripped because idiot kid put them in with a pneumatic drill.
I remember the first round I played ProVs, Brookside #1. Kept airmailing greens, #3 so far over with a six iron I almost hit a soccer mom jogging around the Arroyo and she waited and ripped me even though I called fore (headphones).
Drivers: Persimmon (various), TM Burner Plus, Tour Driver, Midsize 8.5, Big Bertha, Snake Eyes, King Cobra, T Zoid, 975D, 975J, 975VS, Hawkeye, Hawkeye VFT, then I quit.
I have never bought a lottery ticket in my life, but my wife convinced me to play… so we’ll just see how bad the ghosts of the past want proper pro golf to be played again 
Probably making a big assumption that they could possibly affect the outcome… but if they can, then I really like my chances!
550 million.
Just promise us you’ll continue working with current students of the ABS program if you win…
If you’re talking about me dude you gotta get some knowledge. I’m Irish!
I think the comparison with Bobby falls short because at 22 Rory has a major and has been #1. In addition he seems to contend every week. too young to know how good bobby was in his pomp but have read here that after blowing up in the open he was never the same.
No worries…
Life to me is about the feeling of experiences, not what is in the bank account. You can’t buy a golf swing… or good coordination playing an instrument. I like a guy like James Cameron who actually does something with his millions. Builds a custom submarine so he can go down into the deepest ocean trench and have a look around.
We had a chat with a surfer a few years back in Hawaii. He was a great surfer, and told us that he had not missed a day paddling out in 14 years. He would surf 5 or 6 hours a day. I asked him what he did for a living. He said just occasional odd jobs here and there… but that if he got hungry there was plenty to eat… just look around. He pointed at coconuts, papayas, seaweed, fish. His eyes were as clear as I have ever seen. Fit beyond belief, and was doing exactly what he wanted every day of his life. Very interesting guy also. When we talked more, he told me years ago he was working a high pressure sales job in San Francisco. He said he could hardly keep above a typical Bay Area standard of living with a six figure income. Said he would not go back to that in a million years.
Reminded me a bit of that Tom Hanks film.
The Congressional Classic was a great display of modern golf… no doubt.
These are the Hall of Famers you had to beat in the 1980’s to win a major… and there are plenty of omissions like David Graham, Pavin, Stadler, Woosnam… ect…
Who do you have to beat to win a major now? Tiger, Phil, VJ, Els? It’s a very poor comparison.
Sincerest apologies for calling an Irishman an Englishman, I should know better than that. But you still get the Award for 2012 for if nothing else constantly rabblerousing, contradicting yourself with every argument and generally chirping just to chirp. You said in one of those posts that you’re looking at getting certified as an aimpoint or whatever instructor, right? You’re like a 3? And you’ve worked night and day with just about everybody under the sun? I got a problem with that. I stopped charging money for lessons when I went from +3 to +1, honestly I always felt kind of guilty even when I was +3, I still in my heart of hearts didn’t think I was worth what I was charging but people paid. You’re seriously spewing all this crap, you’ve been at it however many years, you’re no closer to understanding how to play than when you started, and you want to charge money to teach now? That takes balls, but the old saying once again rings true, Amateurs teach Amateurs to BE Amateurs.
Now you got every damn right to be damn proud of Rory, and damn proud of the whole North for that matter for finally starting to put the past in the past but don’t bullshit anybody trying to call a brisket a roast. Look at the only two things that matter, the ballflight and the motion of the clubface through the zone. Both have SIGNIFICANT issues. I can see it like a neon sign, how ‘bout you, proie? He’s good, he’s on a heater and he’s holing putts, he ain’t all that. Nobody’s all that, nobody could be nowadays. The game is broken. But as long as they keep playing or whatever it is they are doing one of them is going to have the lowest score every week. Means nothing, and no nobody who gets it at all considers that abomination at Congressional a major. If that’s a major Els’ win at the '97 Westchester by seven counts as three so he has six now.
Sometimes you can be obnoxious and self-absorbed–and I think if you are being truly honest, you would agree to this assessment. otherwise you are hands-down my favorite poster. this is classic…
Think of how I must feel… I have to live with this guy.
YOU…CANNOT…BE…SERIOUS…
Grazie
Good to see you back around here lately and posting again. Your posts are always interesting to read, because I never know exactly what to expect.
Just wandering around searching for the occasional acorn. Speaking of wandering hey Lag, how’s the El Camino doing? That thing is sweet, every time I go down the hill I pass this ‘67 Impala with a sign on it and it’s singing the Sirens’ Song big time. I think I could even talk the Boss into it. How’s the upkeep treating you?
So LCD - surely you’re gonna make it to the Vegas event in April right? The Dallas boys are booked and ready to go. IIRC you live there already so no excuses! 
robbo
I used to live there, I’m up in the mountains by Yosemite now. Saw the date change and was wondering what the deal is. I’ll motate down and embarrass myself no problem if I’m not gonna be the only one there. So it’s gonna happen?