good pickup! (we’ll ignore the ‘F’).
When I first played on the Australian tour in 87, I had never heard of Peter Senior… but he would shoot 64 at least one round every week it seemed. Contending every week, and just flushed it.
I’m sure a lot of Americans will be going…“who is this guy” when he cleans up this year. He is not unknown internationally, but most Americans are in for a surprise… I suspect he will do very well over here. I will be fun to get a chance to watch him play again…
He’s that last of the great ball striker shot maker types… About as close as anyone will get to seeing a Hogan type game in the modern era.
I followed Pete like a hawk back in the days of the Canon Challenges. When he got hot, game over. You didn’t ever play in those Lag did you? For ages I’ve been trying to work out why your name was so familiar when you joined ISG.
I played against Peter and all those other great sticks on the Australian Tour off and on from 87 till I think 92. I contended a couple times on Sunday, but didn’t take home a win down there. Just playing on that tour felt like a win really. I really enjoyed my time there… wonderful courses, very professionally run events and decent money if you played good on the weekends. The whole time down there seems like a blur now… as if it was just one trip.
It was so shocking that there could be a golfer as good as Peter Senior that I had never heard of stateside. I came back here and told people about this guy who could beat Greg Norman by 10 shots… and everyone would ask why he doesn’t come over here and play… well, now American will get a look… 20 years later is better than never…
I can fully understand why he stayed down there, Japan and Europe. The US Tour is not the only place to play… it’s not always about money.
Here’s a nice little insight into Pete Senior Junior, (as written by Mike Clayton in his book ‘Golf from the Inside’)
“Senior was also a hard worker. At thirteen he would dress for school and take the bus, but head for the golf course. There he would change into his golf clothes, play until 3.30, change back into his school uniform, and catch the bus home. Then he would change into his golf clothes, and his mum would drive him back to the golf course.”
Doesn’t surprise me… but not much does these days either!
It might just be a difference in camera angle but I did see some subtle but nevertheless interesting changes.
Here is one:
And here’s P4:
looks like a top spot IoZ great work with the presentation too - i bet he’d be interested to see that
Damn IOZ, that is really neat how you did that. More and more you remind me of Garcia on the series Criminal Minds. She is my favorite character on television- as she sits behind a bank of computers and uncovers everything. Sometimes I wish I was 40 years younger just so I could have more time to really dive into the computer world and all of the possibilites it presents. I would go back to college and major in data processing methodologies.
I suspect some of the difference is in lie- and some subtle changes that would have to be made but not at all difficult changes as the motion is basically the same. As just one example, like shooting free throws with a regulation basketball versus one weighing 20 pounds- the shooters ingrained motion would be the same, but how they handled the knee flex to adjust to the increased weight/mass in order to propel the heavier ball would certainly change…but a easy change to handle I think.
I’ll trade 20 premium red pills from my classic stock for a lesson in how to do that 
Thanks RR, actually it’s easier than it looks. I’m pretty sure I could show you how if you are interested. I teach it in module 1 of my Advanced Computer Sciences course. I will grant you access for 20 red pills.
I think that you’re right about the lie making a difference. The other things is like you said probably due to the difference in weight of the older clubs. It might be easier to get deeper in the slot with a heavier club.
P.S. About the Garcia comparison: I actually have a colleague working in Houston who could be her sister in every way 
. I consider myself lucky that I’m not that good at the one’s and zero’s and I am too good with ‘real people’ to be like her.
The heavier persimmon makes a difference, and requires more pivot thrust which you can clearly see.
It’s still really good… but we are talking about world class stuff here… and his action in the 80’s was some of the greatest stuff ever in my opinion.
You can see the pivot working harder, right down to the foot work. The torso acceleration is a little more dynamic and moving a bit more level, but also it’s simply more fierce from a delayed perspective… so you see the right foot coming up slightly due to the quick clearing out… which is better. The arms are a bit more packed in because they have to be with the other considerations. Certainly the club was slotted better at P3… but again, this is due to the other considerations.
I don’t see it as an age thing or flexibility issue… just simply being more fierce resulting from working and practicing with a heavier club.
Lag,
Is he CF releasing a little bit in the more recent photo? I see his arms coming off his body a bit and a shut clubface emerging from behind his body. Is more roll acceptable with the longer irons and woods?
Actually, let me link to the actual video the stills are taken from:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utnhTrYphnA[/youtube]
In case everyone hasn’t already seen this one…
This is pretty cool too…almost as good as Lag 
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eL9eDZZ6qU[/youtube]
With longer clubs the CF forces are magnified so the arms tend to come off a bit more… but not necessarily… as Hogan and Senior (earlier in his career)… kept it pretty roped down and tight going through it. It can be done… it’s the better intention for sure if you are hitting.
Light clubs don’t help the golf swing… and will slowly deteriorate it over time. The temptation to get “armsy” is just too great with light clubs and even more so if they are upright… even for the best of players.
If you look at Tiger when he was playing his best… super connected with the irons and would usually lead or be in the top 5 in iron game stats… not so connected with the driver, and way down the list in those stats (accuracy)
Greg Norman showed that you can be both long and accurate when he was playing his top form golf.
as much fun as it is to watch him rip the shaft up the plane post impact, his transition is a thing of beauty, too. of course, the two moves or intimately related and co-dependent on each other.
if i can perfect one part of the swing over my time training in ABS it would be the transition and i would be thrilled to ‘earn’ one like mr. senior’s. i wonder if he ever actually bounces the club off his shoulder…
he is so balanced here that, if you didn’t see the massive flex in the shaft, you could mistake him for simply motionlessly holding the club over his head, like he was demonstrating something to onlookers. the amount of stored power is tremendous, yet so controlled to be sort of unassuming, for lack of a better word. here is my first foray into pictorial representations of feels, should peter senior be nicknamed ‘the iceberg?’
Thanks for that post… wonderful analogy…
I would think Bom would like that one too.