DeChambeau hits drive 423 yards today.. crazy..

o_Hot Rock

Senior
Jan 2, 2010
2,067
963
113
When I was younger and lifted when trying to play golf, I found that golf and lifting did not mix well for me.

Why?

To make a real difference in my body, I had to have a lot of training and of various types spread out over different days. I could not be effective lifting just a couple days a week. I had to do it at least 4 and it was better with 5. It seemed that I always had at least some part of my body that was in recovery mode and I really only felt my best one or two days a week.

It would take me about a four days of not lifting to get my feel for the golf ball and then I would have to learn my distance control again, especially around the greens. If I played the day after lifting heavy, then it would be impossible for me to score well.

In season workouts are way different that out of season workouts and golf is never out of season and played over four days. Football has a shorter season and a long off season and only played one day a week which even during the season means you can do more maintenance work.

So, it's going to be tough for me to think that DeChambeau will gain a huge advantage by lifting but:

Being stronger will make him longer and that is an advantage that cannot be denied.

I will be watching to see how he balances the two and to see how it effects what part of his game. Of course, there is always the elephant in the room. Golf still does not test for steroids, Right?
 

Seinfeld

All-American
Nov 30, 2006
11,665
7,937
113
Jack was talking yesterday about how he’s been asking the PGA to better regulate ball technology for years, and that may be one step, but I think this week’s Memorial tournament is showing us exactly how you neutralize power. If a course actually penalizes a player for missing greens and fairways like this one is doing, it takes a lot of those 325-350 yard shots out of the bag.
 

RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
20,125
2,888
113
Tiger seems to me like he's de-bulked a little. Maybe he's off the 'roids? He's certainly quit trying to hit the ball so hard.

DeChambeau is going to regret doing what he's doing one day, I think.
 

johnson86-1

All-American
Aug 22, 2012
15,208
5,756
113
Jack was talking yesterday about how he’s been asking the PGA to better regulate ball technology for years, and that may be one step, but I think this week’s Memorial tournament is showing us exactly how you neutralize power. If a course actually penalizes a player for missing greens and fairways like this one is doing, it takes a lot of those 325-350 yard shots out of the bag.

How are they doing it at this tournament? When courses first tried to neutralize long hitters, they made the mistake of making the rough thicker, which actually helped them, b/c even though it was more penal, it was relatively less penal to the strong, long hitters than to the rest of the field, plus the reduced roll reduced their chances of rolling OB or into a hazard after landing.

Did they do it by bringing OB in? Or what?
 

jethreauxdawg

Heisman
Dec 20, 2010
11,945
17,317
113
No clue why they are doing here, but they could start making courses very tight 320 yards from the tee.
Side note: In the tournament Bryson won a couple weeks ago, I was shocked at how relatively poor his wedge game was, but he got away with it because he was hitting wedge when other guys were hitting mid irons.
 

FISHDAWG

Redshirt
Dec 27, 2009
2,077
0
36
Tiger seems to me like he's de-bulked a little. Maybe he's off the 'roids? He's certainly quit trying to hit the ball so hard.

DeChambeau is going to regret doing what he's doing one day, I think.

Tiger isn't expected to make the cut in this tourney unless he goes on a tear very quickly
 

FISHDAWG

Redshirt
Dec 27, 2009
2,077
0
36
No clue why they are doing here, but they could start making courses very tight 320 yards from the tee.
Side note: In the tournament Bryson won a couple weeks ago, I was shocked at how relatively poor his wedge game was, but he got away with it because he was hitting wedge when other guys were hitting mid irons.

tighter would do it... but for only one tournament a year? .... the members would be left with a course that's beyond their capability. I think Jack's right - slow down the ball
 

Seinfeld

All-American
Nov 30, 2006
11,665
7,937
113
They’ve done a few things. As far as the fairways go, there is a very short(maybe 3-5 feet) first cut of rough, so if you miss a fairway, there’s a very high likelihood of being in the deep stuff. Lots of trees too, so guys were constantly having to hit a wedge out of it yesterday since it’s so difficult to get under or work a ball in that situation. I also saw golfers with a lot of OB trouble yesterday in situations where they didn’t miss fairways my much, so I think that is part of the equation as well.

With the greens, the course had the same thick stuff surrounding most of them, but they also incorporated some hellacious slope on the sides of the greens that made for some really difficult pitch shots if you missed one on an approach. Combine that with some generally challenging pin placement, and it’s not all that surprising that DeCambeau and guys like Dustin Johnson really struggled. The long ball just wasn’t much of advantage
 

Seinfeld

All-American
Nov 30, 2006
11,665
7,937
113
Noticed that too and while he’s clearly trying to be very careful with his back, he seems to have lost 10-15 yds off his tee shot since last year. Personally, I think he’s just trying to be really careful with his swing right now
 

Shmuley

Heisman
Mar 6, 2008
24,350
12,380
113
Hell, just stop mowing fairways beyond 320 and leave the rough at 3+ inches.
 

jethreauxdawg

Heisman
Dec 20, 2010
11,945
17,317
113
tighter would do it... but for only one tournament a year? .... the members would be left with a course that's beyond their capability. I think Jack's right - slow down the ball

Valid point about upsetting members, but a lot of the courses hosting a tournament don’t really care about member playability. The prestige of having a tour stop is more important. Also, if you make it very tight 320 out, not many members are hitting it there (or even 290 from the regular men’s tees).
 

o_Hot Rock

Senior
Jan 2, 2010
2,067
963
113
Valid point about upsetting members, but a lot of the courses hosting a tournament don’t really care about member playability. The prestige of having a tour stop is more important. Also, if you make it very tight 320 out, not many members are hitting it there (or even 290 from the regular men’s tees).

Yes, I don't see any reason why you can't make the members landing area the same as the pro's landing area. All that takes is extra tee boxes and they are probably already there. You think you can play with the pros, then take your happy *** back to the championship tees. I wish i still could play from back there but alas, I can't.
 

Seinfeld

All-American
Nov 30, 2006
11,665
7,937
113
While it’s tough to be down on a guy that hasn’t played in 5 months, +5 is a pretty terrible score today. I haven’t been able to watch, so I’m not sure what’s been going wrong for him
 

RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
20,125
2,888
113
I've not been able to find the morning rounds televised today. Golf Channel starts live coverage at 1:30. Yesterday they started at 9:30 a.m.
 

fishwater99

Freshman
Jun 4, 2007
14,073
54
48
Noticed that too and while he’s clearly trying to be very careful with his back, he seems to have lost 10-15 yds off his tee shot since last year. Personally, I think he’s just trying to be really careful with his swing right now

Tiger has had to re-work his swing due to back issues. It's not the same swing as the earlier version of Tiger.
 

RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
20,125
2,888
113
Watching a few highlights from Tiger's round. Looks like he's really having back problems today - maybe in quite a bit of pain. As they say, he's "up and out of it" on a lot of shots, and it's even bothering his putting. He's on the bad side of the cut right now - depends on the afternoon rounds. In spite of looking terrible, he was only +4 today.
 

RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
20,125
2,888
113
Might be a different kind of grass that would make that impractical. I believe this week's couse has bentgrass (low growing grass) fairways and Kentucky blue rough.
 

mcdawg22

Heisman
Sep 18, 2004
13,703
12,231
113
Okay I was on the juicing train for Rochambeax too. I will say, and HUGE caveat I’m in no way the player that these guys are!!!,. I started working from home and I noticed within the first hour or so my back would tighten up and my legs did as well in a very comfortable chair that had good support. I complained to my wife and she told me, you wake up, take a shower(sometimes) and go straight to sitting in a chair. You used to drive to work take a couple of flights of stairs, walk around the office and chat, then sit down. You are not stretching. The last couple of weeks I have been very intentional about stretching my legs (hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, calves). I went and played last week and I kept overshooting greens on normal yardages for the first couple of holes(no wind, same clubs). Midway through the round I told my playing partner it’s weird I’m having to club down every shot,(he has played with me for 20 years and we both know each other’s swings). He says your hips are exploding through the ball. I’ve never seen it before. I think these guys have the benefit of precise muscle fitness to enhance their golf swings.
 

oxfordrebel22

Sophomore
Oct 31, 2013
1,928
134
63
Tiger’s back is most definitely bothering him. It’s a shame, but is what it is. That violent swing for so long did it to him. But man was it fun to watch!

It’s why I’ll cherish his Master’s win last year so much. It was special to see. He will probably have a chance at Augusta most years because he knows the course so well, but beyond that, it will be hard for him to keep up with this younger generation of incredible golfers that he’s helped to create. Maybe catch lightning every now and then, but there’ll never be another Tiger.

Ironically, Dechambeau’s new swing reminds me a lot of Tiger’s old one. Violent. He’s not going to be able to keep that up for multiple years. But gosh damn when he hits it it’s fun to watch! I just wish he wasn’t so insufferable.
 
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