PGA Tour Being Overtaken?
There’s no doubt that Geoff Ogilvy is playing well lately. He won the US Open recently and came damn close this year as well.
And you know what? I believe he’s as solid as they come.
But there are others out there that are saying he’s just a lucky guy playing well in all those majors and he’s a “right place,
right-time” kind of guy…kind of undermining his accomplishments.
But let’s broach a larger topic of a trend I see on Tour lately that I’m sure you’ve noticed as well…
Are the Aussies taking charge of the PGA Tour?
Must be something in the water down under but whatever it is, it makes for good golf and has caused quite a clamor in the industry. It seems every weekend we see Stuart Appleby, Adam Scott, Robert Allenby and many other Aussies dominating the tournaments. And I know many of you enjoy watching these guys light it up as well.
Why are they so successful lately?
They’ve been known to focus hard on the fundamentals of the game and have a history of dedication to their craft. They take their jobs seriously and not only want to perform well but to excel at what they do.
And it’s fun to watch. But…there may be a common thread to their success…
To the Touring pros, it’s no secret amongst that a lot of the Aussies use a simple training aid to hone their swings both on tour and when at home. The company that manufactures it is based there and have spent a lot of development and training time with the Aussie pros.
I won’t get into it too much because you can read about it yourself here.
I told a small group of you last year about my experiment with this training aid because I had been struggling with proper lower body movement, sequence (hips before arms, etc.), timing and balance.
This ridiculously easy mechanism helped me with all those difficult things and ingrains them as more natural for my swing.
But a word of caution…it’s not for everybody. Nevertheless, I thought you should know about it considering it’s one of the Tour’s best kept secrets.
If you’re more of a “visual” person, check out the video with Ian Baker Finch.
Let me know what you think about the Aussie trend folks. I know many of you reading this live down under so please weigh in!
Fairways and greens (and one-putts),
Jack
July 1st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Not sure when you article was written but Geoff Ogilvy did not win last year US Open. He won it in 2006. Last year - 2007, Angel Cabbrera from Argentia won it at Oakmont.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I see the Aussies playing better than most when the weaqther conditions are not favorable. In adverse conditions par is good and I see that as their targets. Get the par and move on. In the President’s Cup played down under the US team was literally blown away because they could not control their shots like the Aussies did. A lot of discipline is required and I think they have it. Also, most “work” the ball instead of relying on one shot.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I have to agree with John, the Aussies play better in bad weather because they do work the ball which is not something the USA players do. They will have to start going to the different types of shots to get better and be better players in this world wide game.
July 1st, 2008 at 6:38 pm
To go even further, it is not a co-incidence that most of the best performing Aussies are from the state of Victoria (Appleby, Allenby, Ogilvy, Baddeley). Victoria has the toughest weather and the hardest courses.
The exception to this group is Adam Scott who is from Queensland. Unfortunately his awesome ball striking is not matched by his streaky putting. This will hold him back from winning a major as the greens are always tough in the majors.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:48 pm
My comment on the leader board. I can get the same effect, sliding on 2
rugs on my hardwood floors. Golf gadgets, are like fishing lures they have
to keep making something new to keep dumb a#@$ like me buying. The
pros that are pushing these things like you are, are making enough
money on tour. now they have to push these things, to make more money. I live in louisville Ky. and worked the last tournement and had to
pay 84 dollars to work. this year, they want 240 dollar, just to work the rider cup., and it will be very hard to get players to sign an autograph.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 am
HI JACK, I TOO AM AN AUSSIE LOVE YOUR NEWS LETTERS YES THE AUSTRALIAN PLAYERS DO VERY WELL ON THE TOUR,MOST OF THE GUYS YOU REFER TO ARE VICTORIANS, THEY GROW UP PLAYING ON THE SAND BELT COURSES OF MELBOURNE, AND HONE THEIR GAMES ON TIGHT FAIRWAYS AND FAST SAND BELT GREENS. THEY ALSO PLAY THE TOUGH SCRATCH PENNANT SERIES DURING THE YEAR.WATCH OUT OVER THERE FOR THE NEXT GROUP OF AUSSIES, MATT DAY, MATHEW GOGGIN, JARROD LYLE, MATT JONES, TO COME ON STRONG IN 2009, YOURS IN GOLF TREVOR MALE H/CAP 9
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:18 am
The Leaderboard training device sounds great but unfortunately I think it is over priced and out of the reach of the average golfer. With Greens Fees out of reach at many courses, golf club prices too high, course memberships beyond the reach of many retired or fixed income golfers and so many game improvement gadgets it is becoming an un-affordable sport. I would love to have one and improve my power and swing but maybe I’ll have to wait and see if the price comes down and like Ray said in his comment, try the sliding rug trick on the hardwood floor.