Bubba Watson, one of the longest hitters on tour, won his first tournament as a professional this past Sunday, beating Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank in a playoff. It is surprising that it took Watson this long to gain his first victory on any tour, due to his length and talent.
More surprising to me was that Corey Pavin, at age 50, and probably the shortest hitter on tour, is able to compete with players like Watson on select venues. I think most golfers should pay attention to Pavin and how he gets around a golf course.
Pavin does not have a pretty swing, but he is able to work the ball right to left and left to right, pretty much at will. He has an excellent wedge game and is a great putter. In the final round, on the 18th hole, Pavin hit is tee shot about 240 yards, while Watson hit his 390 yards. The hole is 444 yards. That is an unfair fight, yet the two were tied at the end of 72 holes. Watson should study Pavin's game if he wants to win more.
While Pavin is not a long hitter, he is in control of his swing. He does not have a pretty swing, as I said, but he does not have the flaws of the typical golfer such as an over the top downswing, a reverse pivot backswing, or a reverse weight shift on the down swing. Since he does not have these flaws, he is able to work the ball, which he needs to be able to do, since at his low ball speed, he can not hit the ball very high.
It is amazing to me how long some of these players like Watson, Dustin Johnson and J.B. Holmes can hit the ball, but they do not win much. Even the pretty swingers like Adam Scott and Luke Donald do not win as much as they should. It appears that they still need to learn how to manage their game properly and quit worrying about making a perfect swing.
While it is ideal to have a nice swing that is on plane, it is more ideal to have the ability to get it in the hole quicker than the other guy. Corey Pavin, at age 50, showed them how to do that this weekend.
Scott Cole
www.powergolftraining.net
www.onlinegolfswingcoach.com
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