It has been a little over a week since Bryson DeChambeau won the United States Open golf tournament. As Sinatra would say he did it his way. What was interesting that he and Matt Wolfe have two of the most non-conforming golf swings on tour were paired together in the last group. All that matters is impact, how you get there is entirely up to individual. Bryson is the mad scientist exploring every possibility like Dr. Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future movies, while Wolfe is just a great athlete that has great instincts and uses them to their maximum ability.
Because the golf industry is so trendy my concern is that golf instructors will start to take 14,15, 16, and 17-year-old kids and try to duplicate De Chambeau on bodies that are not fully matured. Long term physical damage is most likely to occur. His golf swing is different by today’s standards , but works for him. De Chambeau is one of a kind, I respect his talent and dedication to his profession. He took on the chaos of what is the United State Open and managed it. His plan, his process, was his. He stayed with it, mentally under chaos and was the only player under par. For that he deserves all the credit.
During the four days of coverage on Golf Channel and NBC not once did they mention Moe Norman when describing and discussing the swing of De Chambeau. Moe Norman is arguably the best ball striker of all time. Some say Hogan, others will point to Trevino or George Knudsen. Nice company to be in. I have seen Trevino, Knudsen, and it is magic. However, I saw Moe on three occasions. Once in 1968,1970, and I spent two days as a caddie in the same group in 1972.The ball made a different sound coming off the face, and ball flight was so piercing. I think the worst round he shot on those occasions was 69. In 1972 he shot 66 in one of the rounds and it could have been 62 or 63 if he could putt. The Golf Channel overlooked one of golfs great last week and should be ashamed of themselves. He is in the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Moe was different. No doubt about it. Some say he was Autistic, which lead to some non-traditional golf behaviour which did fit in with the stuffy culture of the game. His genius for striking the ball should not have been ignored by the Golf Channel crew. They keep telling us that golf is a global sport, but they chose to ignore Moe.
As for Bryson he will keep tinkering with his swing, fitness, equipment, diet, and the cosmos. Golf traditionist may not like certain things about him, but he has absolutely given us a lot to think about.
As Mr. Miyagi said “Man who catch fly with chopstick, accomplish anything”.
Until next time!
Follow on twitter @Betweentheears2
Between The Ears 