A question after watching "Seve" got me thinking

[thatsbaseball]

Two things are a given in golf today (to me). 1) Jack and Tiger are the best of all time (final ranking still being determined) 2) 90% + of today's professional golfers are about as interesting as a wet fart. My question.....Who is your favorite great pro golfer that just makes you smile when you think about him.....not just for winning tournaments but for who he is/was ? There are many that come to mind but I'll start with Trevino.

 

[TBone.sixpack]

The Walrus.

 

[mcdawg22]

Bruce Lietzke, Fred Couples, and Peter Jacobson

 

[eckie1]

Chi Chi Rodriguez and Lee Travino...

Two things are a given in golf today (to me). 1) Jack and Tiger are the best of all time (final ranking still being determined) 2) 90% + of today's professional golfers are about as interesting as a wet fart. My question.....Who is your favorite great pro golfer that just makes you smile when you think about him.....not just for winning tournaments but for who he is/was ? There are many that come to mind but I'll start with Trevino.

Nm

 

[turkish]

Payne Stewart. Fred Couples.

 

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Ben Hogan.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Bunch of good golfers, good guys

Fuzzy, Chi chi, Peete...

Couples can be a an *******.

Love Jack, Arnold, Ernie(#1 in my book)

 

[Dawg1976]

Arnold Palmer

 

[dawgoneyall]

Palmer
Trevino

 

[birdawg]

Daly

 

[dawgphd]

Trevino with Herman on the bag

 

[StillTbonewannabe]

Tom Watson

 

[patdog]

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Fred Couples is my all time favorite. I like Payne Stewart later in his career. He was dick when he was younger.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Good ones. Going old school....Walter Hagen. Still interesting to read about him today.

 

[skydawg1]

Jay 17 Dee

 

[mstateglfr]

Couples.
Incredible timing and smooth as anything.
i drove him around a course for a day during a Cadillac sponsorship event and it was easily a top 5 coolest memory on the golf course for me...and thats saying something given my history.


All the old guys like Hogan, Sarazen, Snead etc were probably great to watch, but since that really wasnt possible for 95% of those on this message board, they are about as releva t to this discussion as Old Ton Morris.

 

[The Usual Suspect]

This is a really interesting thread. It is amazing when I think back to even the 80's how many of the PGA personalities did not look athletic at all. These days, most of the guys look like they are on special diets and workout routines (because they are).

I like a lot of the guys that have been named so I'm going to name a couple of others

1. Bernhard Langer- Not a long hitter, but played smart and didn't make mistakes.
2. Ray Floyd- Did not look like an athlete, but could really play well.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Jack, was known early on as Fat Jack.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

In the press conference today someone asked Tiger about that. He said when he started on tour it was he and Vijay in the gym and no one else and now everyone is there. It’s so different.

 

[The Usual Suspect]

In the press conference today someone asked Tiger about that. He said when he started on tour it was he and Vijay in the gym and no one else and now everyone is there. It’s so different.

Gary Player was into working out before any of these guys, but he is not a big guy at all like Tiger.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I was referring to the 80s and 90s.

 

[RocketDawg]

Player was such a short guy he had to be in great shape to compete. What's funny is that some of the guys, like Spieth, Fowler, and Thomas are in shape but nothing special, but still hit the ball a long way like Koepka, Tiger, and others. I can't think of a single other player in as good physical shape as Tiger. And he was a fairly skinny kid when he started. Baggy clothes in that era may have played a part in his appearance then however.

 

[RocketDawg]

Probably Jack. Arnold was a great player but not quite as good as Jack. Arnold was a much nicer guy though ... never really full of himself like Jack and Tiger are.

 

[RocketDawg]

I've followed Trevino in a couple of tournaments. He was always joking around and seemed to be a genuinely nice guy. I have no idea what he was like off the course though.

 

[bonedaddy401]

Nowadays I’d say Tony Finau.

old school I’ll go with Greg Norman

 

[mstateglfr]

This is a really interesting thread. It is amazing when I think back to even the 80's how many of the PGA personalities did not look athletic at all. These days, most of the guys look like they are on special diets and workout routines (because they are).

I like a lot of the guys that have been named so I'm going to name a couple of others

1. Bernhard Langer- Not a long hitter, but played smart and didn't make mistakes.
2. Ray Floyd- Did not look like an athlete, but could really play well.

The athleticism in professional golf has absolutely increased 10 fold in the last quarter century. If you look at the last half century, its night and day. Pros were smoking and drinking all across on the course, had guts that couldnt be hidden by the awful plaids of the 70s, and were in what would be considered terrible shape.
Golfers were in worse shape than baseball players...and baseball players are about the worst shape any athlete should be in.


The gradual collective transformation of PGA golfers has been really interesting to see.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Carl Spackler. John Daly. Tiger Woods. David Duval.

 

[Bulldogg31]

How are we this far into this thread and nobody has mentioned Jay Don Blake?

(if you don’t follow Club Pro Guy on twitter you should. That guy is hilarious)

 

[boatsandhoes]

It’s funny

But people have learned so much about the physics of the golf swing in the modern era. it’s crazy what you can do in a sim now.

it’s all about:
Club speed
Launch angle
Ball speed
Lack of spin on the ball
Width in the swing
Lean flexible muscle tissue to create the above