Caddy Shack
 

First congrats to Jay Williamson in The Traveler's Championship. [See the thread in this Forum.] You played like a champion (and beat the rest of the field by four) but Hunter just one-upped you. That was a very high level of golf by both players coming down the stretch.

I'd like to offer a little insight into the conversation between Hunter and John Wood over the iron shot on eighteen in regulation. It's a perfect situation to look at to understand what goes on out there. We were lucky that the mikes caught it and no one talked over the conversation.

Yardage is 147. They pick a nine iron. Perfect club for the situation. Hunter can go ahead and hit it. Something you like to do under pressure. As he is walking into the shot, he feels a little puff into him. He's thinking he has to make birdie, but if there is hurt, nine might balloon a bit and be short. John likes the nine. He does not think the last hole trying to win your first tourney is the time to chip the eight.

John says it's just 138 to carry the trap. For some golfers, the mention of the trap would be a negative. A tour player deals with these numbers all day long. Just guessing but the yardage would have been something like, "125 to the front, 147 hole. It's 138 and 9 (new adjusted front number to cover trap) and 8 behind it-- 155 back edge." All those numbers frame the yardage and narrow the club selection. Can't carry the trap with a wedge--eight brings over into play--must be a nine.

When John says it's just 138 to cover the trap, he's saying, "I like the nine, and even if it gets knocked down a bit, it will carry the trap." John knew nine was enough. He thought the wind was just left to right and not hurting. Hunter is still feeling that puff and thinks MAYBE he should hit eight. That's when John says lets rerun the numbers. It's a basic reset. Let it all go and start over. Numbers say nine iron. Discount the puff. Trust where the wind has been all day. Hit your shot. It's all about observation of all the conditions to get the right club. Get committed. Trust your swing. Do your routine. Let it go. Birdie.

Jay and his caddie did similar work and got the answers right as well. For any of this to work, you have to be able to hit the shot. Great work Yoda.

Two-Man Team
 

Hall of Fame post, HennyB. It could have been written only by a PGA TOUR caddie...which you are. Thanks!

This site just got better yet
 

Could not agree more with Yoda's praise of HennyBogan's post.
With insights like that being shared, this site has become even more valuable.:salut: :salut:

You know, reading this post, and hearing the conversation between Mahan and his caddie, really told me how important a good, experienced caddie can be, moreso than I ever thought. It's a definite team effort. Thanks for posting that.

Caddy Opinion -- Why It Matters
 

When you have done the work. Built the swing. Honed your touch, etc. The game is really played in the short time between arriving at your ball and sending the shot away. Besides knowing the answer to any possible question about the course, a good caddie provides an objective view. Careful analysis and observation gives the caddie a pile of data on which to base suggestions. While the player must monitor swing, body, feel, etc, the caddie is free to study the conditions. The caddie does not feel the emotion of having to pull off the shot.

For instance, it you can picture the last hole at Glen Abbey--Canadian Open--where Tiger hit the miracle shot from the bunker to beat Grant Waite. My player has hit a big drive through the fairway into the first cut. The shot is about 175 with a carry of 160 or so. I run the numbers and look at the lie and decide it's a nine. Now you could bail with a eight, but you will be in the bunker over and hitting a downhill bunker shot towards the water. Most pros will leave that shot 10 feet short for safety. So you have ended up with a 10 footer for bird with a nine iron second on a par five. Not how to get rich.

Now the trouble is that if the shot does not jump it will fly in the middle of the pond, and we will have to play from the same spot hitting four. Again not the way to get rich. I'm standing there sending telepathy and hoping my man reads the numbers the same way I do, so I don't have to have the conversation. He looks at me and says, "It's a nine isn't it?" Lucky me, but also I can answer that it's the only club I ever thought which--may have helped him. Ten feet=eagle. We came second to Sutton and beat the rest of the field by 3 shots. Another step towards winning which we did the next year at another event.

Point is: we were on the same page because that is what we did on every shot all day long everyday. When the shot comes off you add it to the data base. When it does not, you analyze what went wrong. Misread lie or wind or "the ball is really flying today" etc. If it was just a bad swing, you let it go because you are going to miss some.

The more you can think like this--almost detached--the more consistent you will become. A cold, critical, realistic view of your abilities with the heart to pull the trigger. Final thought-- sometimes all the math says eight-- but it just feels like a seven. Always hit the seven.

Dude! Fantastic stuff! What about picking targets? Nicklaus talked about playing the percentages and all that stuff. Do you guys do that too? It seems like to me the process y'all go through in preparing for a tournament that you could know more about my golf course after a couple of practice rounds than I would after 3 years of playing it. How do you figure out which spots to hit to and when to play safe and when to go?

Thanks for posting!

B

The Way It Is -- Up Close and Personal
 

I am in absolute awe over these past two posts by Hennybogan. You guys want "inside the ropes?" [We all do!]

Well...

Here it is.

And in a way I have never seen presented by any of the media.

Magazine or news print.

Live telecast.

Pre- and post-tournament commentary.

Nada.

Thanks, Andrew!


:salut:

Game Theory
 

Bucket,

The combination of the your abilities and the golf course determine the optimal stategy. 30 under wins the Hope-- you better shoot at a lot of flags--Open you are trying to get the ball some place that you have a chance on your next shot. I'll give you some of my general rules for normal golf.

Hit the driver unless there is OB, water, dogleg,severe pinching, or a pin tucked over a trap with firm greens. Get as close as you can to the pin.

Second shots on par fours. Length of shot is first consideration. Trouble is second. There are some places you just can't hit it. Usually short side unless designer like Trent Jones Jr. Firmness and speed of greens is a huge factor. On really firm greens, you play for some skip and respect the edges because the short game is that much tougher. Generally, seven iron or so the guys are firing at a lot of pins. Wedges almost every flag regardless of trouble. Of course, this is all dictated by lie. Clean lie in fairway plus comfortable number (not in between clubs) = go. In the rough, play to the front. Anytime you find trouble, just get past the trouble in front of you and trust your short game. If you don't like the shot for whatever reason, you would play safer.

Tour players have such good short games that they can be very aggressive when a miss leaves the in traps or grass. Water or nasty traps or fall off areas give you pause.

Par threes are getting so long that you are usually just trying to get pin high and have a chance for bird.

Pros kill the par fives. Hit a good drive. Get it around the green. Get it up and down. No need to take great risks. Bad drive. Lay up in fairway. Hit good short iron. Make a little longer putt.

The easy courses play themselves. You really have to be "on" to have a chance. You have to shoot twenty under par. As the conditions get tougher, the players take fewer risks and play a more Nicklaus style. Experience, excellent short game, patience, etc. are much bigger factors on tougher courses. You can manage your "B" game around them and still have a chance.

The reality is that you need to make alot of birdies most weeks. Five a day. Most guys just don't make that many long putts. You have to hit at some flags. Any course will still have several holes you just try to get by. You have to learn which ones they are. On tour this designation is often determined by the hole location.

You have to take some chances. Your good shots have to be good.

All that said. You evaluate each shot as you stand over it and make the play that would give you the best score if you played from there 100 times. No crazy chances. Good, aggressive golf.

Awesome
 

Henny,

Your posts are reading like a text book.

I really appreciate your contribution to the site.

Your perspective "inside the ropes" is a real eye-opener.

Thank you again.

UPP in Ohio

Man you need to write a book! Great stuff. What about shaping shots? Do you guys shape a lot of shots or pretty much stock stuff for the most part? Do must pros have mechanical thoughts when they play or do they just bust it?

Thanks again! You rock!