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Best Ball-Strikers (Part 1): Tommy Bolt and Moe Norman

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I was asked by the editorial staff of GolfWRX to write about some of the “names” I’ve played with during my 40 years in the golf industry. Initially, I declined. I was uncomfortable, because it sounded like an excuse to name drop. They told me if I wrote it they would give their review and if it didn’t sound right they wouldn’t run it.

So as I proceed, I don’t know whether this story will publish or not.

Editor’s Note: Who wouldn’t have published this? Read on. 

To start, one doesn’t enter the golf equipment industry with dreams of playing a lot. I have known a few salesmen who always found time to play, and they also found jobs outside the industry. Personally speaking, for the better part of 10 years, I averaged less than 5-to-6 rounds a year. At my skill level this meant ceremonial golf, an occasional decent shot and no overall quality.

I have come up with a foursome I played with in a variety of situations over the years and they each left a lasting impression for different reasons. I’ll start with a disclaimer: I did not include Arnold Palmer, who I have played with 5-to-6 times. It’s because he is Arnold Palmer, the King of my era and my personal golf hero. I was so enthralled by the opportunity to play with him that it wasn’t really golf. All I can remember is being in his presence and that was enough.

So in alphabetical order, here it goes.

Tommy Bolt

WalkerInmanJr2

Tommy Bolt won 15 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1958 U.S. Open.

Prior to the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Florida, my good friend Jim Achenbach of Golfweek would contact me and Bob Cantin from Ping to set up a game with Bolt at Black Diamond, a 36-hole facility in Lecanto, Fla., about 90 minutes northwest of Orlando. My weak memory would place this in the late 90’s when Bolt was older than 80.

When I flash back, I always have the same memory and that was his swing. Bolt didn’t so much as swing the club back as he placed it in a perfect position at the top. There was no unnecessary movement, just this magnificent swing that produced a shot quality I could only dream about. I remember asking him if he minded my standing behind him because I just wanted to watch every detail of that swing. He was a joy to play with, told us stories… I’ll never forget that swing.

Moe Norman

Moe-2

Moe Norman won 55 times on the Canadian Tour and in other Canadian golf events.

Back in the 90’s, there was a club in Titusville, Fla., called Royal Oak Golf Club and it was owned at the time by the Canadian PGA. As such, Moe had access and it became his winter headquarters. My mom lived adjacent to the 13th hole, and with Titusville being about 40 miles from Orlando I made it a point to go to the PGAM Show early (and sometimes stay) so I could hang out with her and two of my brothers who lived nearby. The driving range was a short walk from her house and there was Moe.

Moe has been described as autistic and a savant, but neither is correct. If you’re interested in his life I suggest you secure a copy of “Moe and Me” by the excellent Canadian writer Lorne Rubenstein.

I believe there are two kinds of ball strikers, related but slightly different. The first is the player on the course envisioning and hitting one shot, then moving to a completely different shot. The second is the guy on the range who hits tens, maybe hundreds of shots at a target with the same club. Obviously there is a relationship, as Moe was a great on-course player, but on the range he was otherworldly. We used to play nine holes in the late evening and he would play two balls, worst ball and break par — and he wasn’t a great putter. I say “we” played, but half the time I don’t think he realized I was there. Still, I never missed the chance.

I see his name used on the Internet as exemplifying some kind of mythical golf swing that, if emulated, would be “the answer.”

I made Moe’s clubs. If a standard swing weight is D2, his would have been F-something and the grips were jumbo plus. You see, Moe was strong and I mean freaky strong. It was as if his body was protecting the damage done in his childhood sleighing accident. He could grab you by the upper arm and with seemingly little effort take you to your knees. So for all those Moe Norman aficionados, I suggest starting with clubs four times heavier than normal and being abnormally strong.

There are a million ball-hitting stories, and I’ll give you a few.

Moe was at a different range, Jonathan’s Landing, and I happened to be there. He was hitting drivers off the deck and would announce draw or fade and how high. He always told me he played by height! Now, I’m not saying when he called for a slight draw at 40 feet it went exactly that height, but it drew and it was about twice as high as the one he called at 20 feet and this was off the deck!

When Moe hit drivers off a tee, he would literally hit a bucket and never move the tee. Like all great ball strikers, his shots had a different, quiet sound. Maybe my favorite happened one evening at Royal Oak. It was dusk and he was there alone hitting little pitches at a flag stuck in the ground (the place was not plush). I was the only other person and as he hit shots he talked to me, as he often did while hitting balls. 

“I play by height,” he said. “This one 4 feet, this one 8 feet.”

He hit shots from very mediocre lies to this flagstick in the dusk. He hit maybe 30 or 40 balls and 11 hit the flag and I thought another 20 were going to. It was incredible, and I’ll never forget it. 

Moe had a few great lines, and one afternoon he said one of the wisest things about practice I’ve ever heard. It was probably the mid 90’s, PGAM Show time, and I’d talked the Haney Ranch gang — all the instructors and Hank — into coming over to Titusville to watch Moe hit balls. I was the club fitter at Haney Ranch at the time. 

Moe was hitting 6 irons, just one perfect shot after another, and then hit one a bit fat. He was rapid fire, so when one of the instructors, Tracy Philips, asked him about what he thought about the fat shot, it was two or three balls later. Moe stopped, took a swig of his ever present Coke and said:

“What did I think?” Moe said. “That was a bad shot. I don’t think about bad shots. I only think about good shots.”

He put down the Coke and went on with perfection.

He actually repeated himself, as was his syntax in those days, but I’ll never forget the words. How many of us get tied up analyzing our bad shots and don’t learn from the good ones.

Thanks, Moe!

Related: Best Ball-Strikers (Part 2): Lee Trevino and Tom Watson. 

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Barney Adams is the founder of Adams Golf and the inventor of the iconic "Tight Lies" fairway wood. He served as Chairman of the Board for Adams until 2012, when the company was purchased by TaylorMade-Adidas. Adams is one of golf's most distinguished entrepreneurs, receiving honors such as Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 1999 and the 2010 Ernie Sabayrac Award for lifetime contribution to the golf industry by the PGA of America. His journey in the golf industry started as as a club fitter, however, and has the epoxy filled shirts as a testimony to his days as an assembler. Have an equipment question? Adams holds seven patents on club design and has conducted research on every club in the bag. He welcomes your equipment questions through email at [email protected] Adams is now retired from the golf equipment industry, but his passion for the game endures through his writing. He is the author of "The WOW Factor," a book published in 2008 that offers an insider's view of the golf industry and business advice to entrepreneurs, and he continues to contribute articles to outlets like GolfWRX that offer his solutions to grow the game of golf.

56 Comments

56 Comments

  1. Brian

    Mar 16, 2015 at 6:47 pm

    I remember following the final group, which included Moe, at the 1977 or 1978 (can’t remember which, it was a long time ago) Quebec Open. On one of the final holes, a par 4 or 5, there was a lengthy wait for the landing area to clear and the 3 players in the final group were just standing on the tee, chatting, the spectators milling about and waiting for play to begin.

    While the players were waiting on the tee, Moe started to bounce his ball off his driver, and chatting. Bounce, bounce, bounce… I think they must have waited 5 minutes, Moe just chatting away, and bounce, bounce bouncing his ball off the face of his driver (for those of you who remember, the old tiny, persimmon type). At one point, everyone, players and spectators alike, just went silent watching Moe, seemingly in his own world, just chatting away, and bounce, bounce, bouncing the ball off the face of his driver – and he was the only person of the thousand or so standing on that tee that was seemingly not even aware of what he was doing. he was not paying attention at all, just reflex and subconscious controlling his actions.

    I’ve been playing golf for 50 years, have been inside the ropes at multiple PGA Tour events and a President’s Cup, but I’ve never seen anything like that. Totally otherworldly…

  2. Tony Cassimatis

    Mar 5, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    Dear Mr Adams,
    Great article on Moe Norman. A friend of mine told me about the swing back in 2008 when I was about to give away golf. The swing resurrected my game and I fully believe in the Physics of the swing. I also don’t suffer from bad back problems now. I may not get distance like conventional but I sure as heck have had a massive reduction in bad shots and an increase in more accurate shots. So here’s to Moe a true golfing legend….

  3. Jeff

    Mar 1, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    Thanks Mr. Adams. The only folks who didn’t love reading that story have spent money on Todd Graves Moe Norman scams. Great story, fascinating.

    • Larry

      Mar 1, 2015 at 10:49 pm

      I loved the story and the Todd Graves scam has me playing the best golf ever….once you under stand what the Graves is giving you the fairways and greens are all yours…just learn to putt. In 25 years never found an eaiser way to play golf.

      • Barney Adams

        Mar 1, 2015 at 11:54 pm

        I do not know Todd Graves or his teaching methods. The story was strictly on my experience with Moe and absolutely he was unnaturally strong and played heavy clubs when I made them. I was not a fan of Natural Golf but as I understand that isn’t the Graves program. Just a general FYI.

    • Randel

      Mar 7, 2015 at 1:05 am

      Been doing the Graves Moe Norman type swing years now….11 handicap 59 years of age..it works so well for us older guys that have a hard time moving all the parts at the right time in the normal golf swing… distance is no problem you just move your arms faster and us older guys can still do that..

  4. Jw

    Mar 1, 2015 at 1:08 am

    this is the type of article that keeps me checking back on golfwrx on occasion

  5. Mini Smizzle

    Feb 27, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    There’s a guy in my neighborhood named moe norman
    He don’t look like goldmember tho

  6. Jay

    Feb 27, 2015 at 3:22 am

    Barney, I’ve read the book you mentioned about Moe and have taken single plain golf lessons at Graves Golf Academy. The book and the lessons were a wonderful experience. While I was at Graves Academy taking lessons from Todd Graves, he (Todd) would tell stories about Moe. I could tell that Todd really liked Moe and above all, respected him. I’ve never met Moe personally, but, wish that I’d had the opportunity. Your article is another wonderful story about Moe that I enjoyed very much. Everything that I’ve ever heard about Moe from people that have met him and spend time with him have all be positive. Thanks Barney for your story. I would love to hear/read more about your experiences with Moe.

  7. CairnsRock

    Feb 26, 2015 at 11:05 pm

    I asked Moe why he used such huge oversized grips?

    Answer…Control, control.

    He says everything twice.

  8. Trevino Smizzle

    Feb 26, 2015 at 7:18 pm

    I’ll say this about moe…he proves what I believe in
    It’s not got to be pretty, it’s got to be repeatable
    I’ll take the guys that win over the guys that should win anyday. I heard Butch Harmon on TV say “a good shot comes from a good swing, I don’t care what it looks like”

  9. Tiger Smizzle

    Feb 26, 2015 at 7:12 pm

    Moe could activate his glutes better than any other golfer ever

  10. Moe Smizzle

    Feb 26, 2015 at 7:11 pm

    The real key to hitting it straight is to just top it real bad. Catch it as low on the face as possible. It’ll only go about 40 yards at best but it’ll be the straightest ball you ever see

  11. Barney Smizzle

    Feb 26, 2015 at 7:05 pm

    I remeber moe telling me one time..
    Popularity is like toothpaste, it’s overrated

  12. Barney Smizzle

    Feb 26, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    I remember moe telling me one time…
    Popularity is like toothpaste, it’s overrated

  13. Greg V

    Feb 26, 2015 at 11:48 am

    Tom,
    Before the 1956 Masters, Moe had just come down from Canada where he had been setting pins at a bowling alley all winter. He had hardly enough time to practice, and setting pins is tough on the back.

    I am not saying that Moe was the best ball-striker of all time; there were some other guys who were really great in their day like Hogan and Byron Nelson. But one would have to agree that Moe was very accomplished.

  14. Roosterredneck

    Feb 26, 2015 at 8:34 am

    I liked the story.Consider that Moe slept in sand traps at times because he had no money. Dare say how well we could play after sleeping in a sand trap.. I would like to read more about Moe.

  15. RG

    Feb 26, 2015 at 2:27 am

    Great article Barney. You are sorely missed running you company, but at least I got some good reads out of it. Keep up the good work!

  16. RG

    Feb 26, 2015 at 2:25 am

    Takes one to know one.

  17. Robert

    Feb 26, 2015 at 1:18 am

    In 1992 I was 16 and worked at a golf course in Saskatchewan , Canada. Moe was doing a tour at the time, doing exhibitions across the country, and he did our course one evening passing through. I was fortunate to meet him and had the pleasure of picking the range that night after his deal.
    I’ll never forget he hit every club in his bag to the 150 yard sign, every shot from every club was all over it. There was 50-100 balls in a 10′ radius around that sign when I was shagging that evening. Incredible and something you never forget.

  18. Mark H

    Feb 26, 2015 at 12:12 am

    Thanks for the great article, Barney!
    Sad to read so many mean spirited comments about Moe, but I guess everybody is entitled to their own opinion. In the year 2015, such a high functioning person who suffers from aspergers would be celebrated, not relegated as a “weirdo”. As far as Sam Snead “getting in to Moe’s head so bad”… They played golf together for decades after that, and Snead openly referred to Moe as the best ball striker in the world.
    Ask Lee Trevino about Moe.
    Why did Tour pros line up on the driving range to watch Moe hit balls?
    Anyway, Those who know don’t need an explanation, those who don’t know will always be skeptical

  19. jon

    Feb 25, 2015 at 11:13 pm

    that is a great story Barney!! Thank you for sharing. Great story telling. I have sent this to a few buddies and that rarely happens.

    • Barney Adams

      Feb 25, 2015 at 11:39 pm

      To Robby Wille above; I wrote one The Wow Factor which was the story of Adams Golf. I’m mulling doing another one I’m not a professional writer ( wrote the first one no ghost involved) it’s difficult and I’m old and lazy

  20. Christian

    Feb 25, 2015 at 7:15 pm

    So if Moe was not autistic, then what was wrong with him? He obviously was mentally ill or retarded then? Not brushing you teeth, the constant ego-tripping talking?

    • Barney Adams

      Feb 27, 2015 at 12:47 am

      Best to read Moe and Me for the answer. In 1995 Wally Uilhein CEO of Titleist put Moe on staff ( no strings) 5k a month for life Really a class move and testimony to how highly regarded Moe was in the industry.

  21. Ken

    Feb 25, 2015 at 7:08 pm

    That was an enjoyable read. Thank you, Barney.

  22. Ritch

    Feb 25, 2015 at 6:44 pm

    I grew up in Michigan across the river from Canada. I played a lot of golf in Canada and during the sixties and early seventies heard many stories about his “odd swing” and unerring accuracy. In later life, I read mores stories of his “eccentricities”. I never had the chance to see him play. As I recall, Titleist put him on staff in his last years and paid him a monthly stipend to help him make expenses. I thought that was a nice gesture.

    • Barney Adams

      Feb 27, 2015 at 12:23 am

      Wally Uihlein the President of Titleist put Moe on staff 5 k/ mo in 1995 No Strings of any kind Moe had played Titleist balls for years . Purely a class move and testimony to how highly regarded Moe was within the industry.

  23. barney adams

    Feb 25, 2015 at 6:04 pm

    I started to take off on the anti Moe comments and then figured why bother. I repeat; if you are really interested read Moe and Me.

  24. farmer

    Feb 25, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    Liked the article. I remember back in the day, Tommy Bolt was judged to have the best swing in the game.

  25. Steve

    Feb 25, 2015 at 3:53 pm

    I love moe. Caddy tells Moe that the hole is just a driver- wedge. Moe hits wedge off the tee, driver from fairway makes birdie.

  26. Tom

    Feb 25, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    At the 1956 Masters, Snead got into Moe’s head so bad, Norman never set foot on US soil again, competitively. He can ‘supposedly’ hit all the great balls he wants on the range (as a professional who can’t do that – seen tiger right?) but if you can’t even compete with guys who are supposed to be your contemporaries who cares? I’ve seen the video(s) where Moe’s hitting all these shots but I’m thinking “who gives a crap”? seriously… if i have 40 years where all i do is sit on the range, live in my car, forget to brush my teeth, etc., and hit balls all day long, then go to florida for the winter months, i had better be able to hit a golf ball. that’s what he did… Snead, and all the others, beat the pants off of Norman. The current day hack looks to youtube and thinks he’s some demigod? like he knew something they could learn from? no thanks.

    • lance

      Feb 25, 2015 at 3:53 pm

      Moe Norman: 55 Canadian Pga wins, 17 holes in one, 33 course records and 3 59’s. Snead said he was the greatest ballstriker ever! The current day youtube hack like yourself isn’t smart enough to see the perfect biomechanics of Moe’s swing. The modern swing has legs pushing up and torso moving down to be able to compensate for the distance from the ball. BACK PROBLEMS see Tiger. Being farther away from the ball allows the hips to stabilize the swing so the torso can stay down and through the shot. Lesson learned Tom now go make your game better learning from Moe’s perfect swing.

      • Tom

        Feb 25, 2015 at 4:01 pm

        hey lance-i-baby… look at snead’s record, then look at norman’s. done. who cares about tiger… norman is a “what could hvae been” story where snead is a “look at what he did” story. go back to your canadian dreams.

        • Jay

          Feb 25, 2015 at 5:52 pm

          Tom – if you knew anything about golf history then you would know why Moe had the record he did. His record, or lack of, still does not diminish his skills.

    • Rich

      Feb 25, 2015 at 7:43 pm

      Wow, who got out of the wrong side of bed this morning? You must remember to take your happy pills before commenting.

    • Philip

      Feb 25, 2015 at 10:34 pm

      Snead tried to give Moe a valid tip for long irons. Unfortunately he could never of expected Moe to try and ingrain the change that day and end up blistering his hands raw after practicing into the dark night. He would have expected Moe to consider the tip after the Master’s not make a swing change on the spot and get stuck between two swings.

      In addition, Moe did play again a second time at the Masters and for a little while on the PGA tour so you may want to validate your information first.

  27. Greg V

    Feb 25, 2015 at 2:40 pm

    CJ Bell – smooth.

    Thanks.

  28. Rob

    Feb 25, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    Moe was one of a kind for sure. “Maybe I should take up fishing.” is the thought that goes through most peoples heads if they watched him hit balls. It was a completely different level.

  29. Jeffrey

    Feb 25, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    Hey Barney how did you get Moe’s club that heavy on the swing weight scale? If Moe had fat grips (which is widely known), it would be ESPECIALLY difficult to get clubs that heavy! How did you do it?? Thank you for your article –

    • barney adams

      Feb 25, 2015 at 6:01 pm

      lead tape and lead powder after I had the supplier set aside the heaviest heads he could find , the out of spec stuff.

      • Barney Adams

        Feb 25, 2015 at 11:36 pm

        Full disclosure I never put them on the SW scale just got them to where Moe was happy. I do remember thinking ” I could never sell clubs like these”

        • b-wall

          Jun 15, 2015 at 3:20 pm

          Mr. Adams,

          There seems to have been an ongoing debate for years if Moe used single length clubs for his irons in his major playing days. When you built clubs for Moe, were they all one standard lie angle to promote this, or was the single length clubs just a myth?

  30. J.R.

    Feb 25, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    Lorne Rubenstein’s “Moe and Me” is really a great read. I also have the audible version. I loved the story of Moe hitting full iron shots off the Practice Green at Augusta National and freaking out members. Picking them clean and leaving no blemish on the greens. It makes me smile every time. First quote that comes to mind is. Question to Moe at clinic – “Moe, can you talk a little about hitting draws or fades?” Moe’s response – “Yeah, I can hit those shots, but why would I? I can hit it straight.”
    It went something like that.

    Here’s a video of Moe hitting to a pin from about 70yds or so.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHmq4xhS_bI

    • MHendon

      Feb 26, 2015 at 12:43 am

      Watched the video, no doubt that’s good ball striking but it’s not that impressive considering he had quite the back stop behind the pin that kept bringing his long shots back to the pin.

      • Rich

        Feb 26, 2015 at 4:16 am

        Really? Let’s see your video if it’s not that impressive.

  31. Scott

    Feb 25, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    Thanks Barney for the article. I love hearing stories about Moe.
    Not to derail the article, but I will, like some posters. I have played single axis for over 20 years now and am a low single digit handicap. I do not think that you need to be freakishly strong to swing single axis. I think that Moe’s swing, or parts of it, would work for all golfers. For example, Tiger Woods was convinced to change the placement of his left hand by Hank Haney, based on Moe. When you break down the few differences between single axis and the conventional swing there is very little to argue about. Most people think that single axis has to look like a 70 year old Moe. There are a few places that you can check out the Moe of his 20s and 30s. You would be hard pressed to find differences in his swing vs. a conventional swing.

    • barney adams

      Feb 25, 2015 at 6:08 pm

      actually I agree here when I first saw film of early Moe I saw a great looking swing.

      • Barney Adams

        Feb 25, 2015 at 8:59 pm

        To comment further I was aiming at Kukyendall and Natural Golf which I felt did Moe a disservice.

        • Scott

          Feb 26, 2015 at 5:52 pm

          Unfortunately, you are right. They also did single axis a disservice. However, I guess that we can thank Jack for increasing Moe’s popularity.

  32. Tommy

    Feb 25, 2015 at 11:52 am

    Great insight to your treasury of experiences, Mr Adams. Please don’t deprive us of more.

  33. Don M

    Feb 25, 2015 at 11:23 am

    Loved the article! I am a big fan of Moe. His swing works for amateurs, especially those who struggle with inconsistency and big misses. If you have more good stories about Moe, please write a Part 2.

  34. Larry

    Feb 25, 2015 at 11:06 am

    I switched to the “Moe type swing” just used the Graves DVD’s for about a month then took a lesson form one of the “Graves Golf” guys, which was very key as I got over “Moeish” just whatching the DVDs. This action works excellent for me (Over 65) and I now hit my driver in play and for the first time ever I can hit a hybrid without hooking it off the course. One note if you try and learn this type swing use a grass range for irons.

  35. CJ Bell

    Feb 25, 2015 at 11:01 am

  36. Greg V

    Feb 25, 2015 at 10:41 am

    Great article! Thanks for sharing some memories.

    Now, if only I could find a video of Tommy Bolt. I actually had the pleasure of saying hello to him one time in an elevator at Pinehurst. Fortunately, I recognized him from pictures.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open betting preview

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As the Florida swing comes to an end, the PGA Tour makes its way to Houston to play the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course.

This will be the fourth year that Memorial Park Golf Course will serve as the tournament host. The event did not take place in 2023, but the course hosted the event in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Memorial Park is a par-70 layout measuring 7,432 yards and features Bermudagrass greens. Historically, the main defense for the course has been thick rough along the fairways and tightly mown runoff areas around the greens. Memorial Park has a unique setup that features three Par 5’s and five Par 3’s.

The field will consist of 132 players, with the top 65 and ties making the cut. There are some big names making the trip to Houston, including Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala.

Past Winners at Memorial Park

  • 2022: Tony Finau (-16)
  • 2021: Jason Kokrak (-10)
  • 2020: Carlos Ortiz (-13)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value). 

Key Stats For Memorial Park

Let’s take a look at several metrics for Memorial Park to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds:

Strokes Gained: Approach

Memorial Park is a pretty tough golf course. Golfers are penalized for missing greens and face some difficult up and downs to save par. Approach will be key.

Total Strokes Gained: Approach per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Tom Hoge (+1.30)
  2. Scottie Scheffler (+1.26)
  3. Keith Mitchell (+0.97) 
  4. Tony Finau (+0.92)
  5. Jake Knapp (+0.84)

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Memorial Park is a long golf course with rough that can be penal. Therefore, a combination of distance and accuracy is the best metric.

Total Strokes Gained: Off the Tee per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Scottie Scheffler (+0.94)
  2. Kevin Dougherty (+0.93)
  3. Cameron Champ (+0.86)
  4. Rafael Campos (+0.84)
  5. Si Woo Kim (+0.70)

Strokes Gained Putting: Bermudagrass + Fast

The Bermudagrass greens played fairly fast the past few years in Houston. Jason Kokrak gained 8.7 strokes putting on his way to victory in 2021 and Tony Finau gained in 7.8 in 2022.

Total Strokes Gained Putting (Bermudagrass) per round past 24 rounds (min. 8 rounds):

  1. Adam Svensson (+1.27)
  2. Harry Hall (+1.01)
  3. Martin Trainer (+0.94)
  4. Taylor Montgomery (+0.88)
  5. S.H. Kim (+0.86)

Strokes Gained: Around the Green

With firm and undulating putting surfaces, holding the green on approach shots may prove to be a challenge. Memorial Park has many tightly mowed runoff areas, so golfers will have challenging up-and-down’s around the greens. Carlos Ortiz gained 5.7 strokes around the green on the way to victory in 2020.

Total Strokes Gained: Around the Green per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Mackenzie Hughes (+0.76)
  2. S.H. Kim (+0.68)
  3. Scottie Scheffler (+0.64)
  4. Jorge Campillo (+0.62)
  5. Jason Day (+0.60)

Strokes Gained: Long and Difficult

Memorial Park is a long and difficult golf course. This statistic will incorporate players who’ve had success on these types of tracks in the past. 

Total Strokes Gained: Long and Difficult in past 24 rounds:

  1. Scottie Scheffler (+2.45)
  2. Ben Griffin (+1.75)
  3. Will Zalatoris (+1.73)
  4. Ben Taylor (+1.53)
  5. Tony Finau (+1.42)

Course History

Here are the players who have performed the most consistently at Memorial Park. 

Strokes Gained Total at Memorial Park past 12 rounds:

  1. Tyson Alexander (+3.65)
  2. Ben Taylor (+3.40)
  3. Tony Finau (+2.37)
  4. Joel Dahmen (+2.25)
  5. Patton Kizzire (+2.16)

Statistical Model

Below, I’ve reported overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed.

These rankings are comprised of SG: App (24%) SG: OTT (24%); SG: Putting Bermudagrass/Fast (13%); SG: Long and Difficult (13%); SG: ARG (13%) and Course History (13%)

  1. Scottie Scheffler
  2. Wyndham Clark
  3. Tony Finau
  4. Joel Dahmen
  5. Stephan Jaeger 
  6. Aaron Rai
  7. Sahith Theegala
  8. Keith Mitchell 
  9. Jhonnatan Vegas
  10. Jason Day
  11. Kurt Kitayama
  12. Alex Noren
  13. Will Zalatoris
  14. Si Woo Kim
  15. Adam Long

2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open Picks

Will Zalatoris +2000 (Caesars)

Scottie Scheffler will undoubtedly be difficult to beat this week, so I’m starting my card with someone who I believe has the talent to beat him if he doesn’t have his best stuff.

Will Zalatoris missed the cut at the PLAYERS, but still managed to gain strokes on approach while doing so. In an unpredictable event with extreme variance, I don’t believe it would be wise to discount Zalatoris based on that performance. Prior to The PLAYERS, the 27-year-old finished T13, T2 and T4 in his previous three starts.

Zalatoris plays his best golf on long and difficult golf courses. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the category, but the eye test also tells a similar story. He’s contended at major championships and elevated events in the best of fields with tough scoring conditions.  The Texas resident should be a perfect fit at Memorial Park Golf Club.

Alex Noren +4500 (FanDuel)

Alex Noren has been quietly playing some of his best golf of the last half decade this season. The 41-year-old is coming off back-to-back top-20 finishes in Florida including a T9 at The PLAYERS in his most recent start.

In his past 24 rounds, Noren ranks 21st in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 30th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 25th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses and 21st in Strokes Gained: Putting on fast Bermudagrass greens.

In addition to his strong recent play, the Swede also has played well at Memorial Park. In 2022, Noren finished T4 at the event, gaining 2.2 strokes off the tee and 7.0 strokes on approach for the week. In his two starts at the course, he’s gained an average of .6 strokes per round on the field, indicating he is comfortable on these greens.

Noren has been due for a win for what feels like an eternity, but Memorial Park may be the course that suits him well enough for him to finally get his elusive first PGA Tour victory.

Mackenzie Hughes +8000 (FanDuel)

Mackenzie Hughes found himself deep into contention at last week’s Valspar Championship before faltering late and finishing in a tie for 3rd place. While he would have loved to win the event, it’s hard to see the performance as anything other than an overwhelming positive sign for the Canadian.

Hughes has played great golf at Memorial Park in the past. He finished T7 in 2020, T29 in 2021 and T16 in 2022. The course fit seems to be quite strong for Hughes. He’s added distance off the tee in the past year or and ranks 8th in the field for apex height, which will be a key factor when hitting into Memorial Park’s elevated greens with steep run-off areas.

In his past 24 rounds, Hughes is the best player in the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Greens. The ability to scramble at this course will be extremely important. I believe Hughes can build off of his strong finish last week and contend once again to cement himself as a President’s Cup consideration.

Akshay Bhatia +8000 (FanDuel)

Akshay Bhatia played well last week at the Valspar and seemed to be in total control of his golf ball. He finished in a tie for 17th and shot an impressive -3 on a difficult Sunday. After struggling Thursday, Akshay shot 68-70-68 in his next three rounds.

Thus far, Bhatia has played better at easier courses, but his success at Copperhead may be due to his game maturing. The 22-year-old has enormous potential and the raw talent to be one of the best players in the world when he figures it all out.

Bhatia is a high upside play with superstar qualities and may just take the leap forward to the next stage of his career in the coming months.

Cameron Champ +12000 (FanDuel)

Cameron Champ is a player I often target in the outright betting market due to his “boom-or-bust” nature. It’s hard to think of a player in recent history with three PGA Tour wins who’s been as inconsistent as Champ has over the course of his career.

Despite the erratic play, Cam Champ simply knows how to win. He’s won in 2018, 2019 and 2021, so I feel he’s due for a win at some point this season. The former Texas A&M product should be comfortable in Texas and last week he showed us that his game is in a pretty decent spot.

Over his past 24 rounds, Champ ranks 3rd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 30th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses. Given his ability to spike at any given time, Memorial Park is a good golf course to target Champ on at triple digit odds.

Robert MacIntyre +12000 (FanDuel)

The challenge this week is finding players who can possibly beat Scottie Scheffler while also not dumping an enormous amount of money into an event that has a player at the top that looks extremely dangerous. Enter McIntyre, who’s another boom-or-bust type player who has the ceiling to compete with anyone when his game is clicking on all cylinders.

In his past 24 rounds, MacIntyre ranks 16th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 17th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 10th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses.

MacIntyre’s PGA Tour season has gotten off to a slow start, but he finished T6 in Mexico, which is a course where players will hit driver on the majority of their tee shots, which is what we will see at Memorial Park. Texas can also get quite windy, which should suit MacIntyre. Last July, the Scot went toe to toe with Rory McIlroy at the Scottish Open before a narrow defeat. It would take a similar heroic effort to compete with Scheffler this year in Houston.

Ryan Moore +15000 (FanDuel)

Ryan Moore’s iron play has been absolutely unconscious over his past few starts. At The PLAYERS Championship in a loaded field, he gained 6.1 strokes on approach and last week at Copperhead, he gained 9.0 strokes on approach.

It’s been a rough handful of years on Tour for the 41-year-old, but he is still a five-time winner on the PGA Tour who’s young enough for a career resurgence. Moore has chronic deterioration in a costovertebral joint that connects the rib to the spine, but has been getting more consistent of late, which is hopefully a sign that he is getting healthy.

Veterans have been contending in 2024 and I believe taking a flier on a proven Tour play who’s shown signs of life is a wise move at Memorial Park.

 

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Opinion & Analysis

Ryan: Why the race to get better at golf might be doing more harm than good

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B.F. Skinner was one of the most important psychologists of the 20th century, developing the foundation of the development of reinforcement, and in doing so, creating the concept of behaviorism. In simple terms, this means that we are conditioned by our habits. In practical terms, it explains the divide between the few and far between elite instructors and college coaches.

To understand the application, let’s quickly review one of B.F. Skinner’s most important experiments; superstitions in the formation of behavior by pigeons. In this experiment, food was dispensed to pigeons at random intervals. Soon, according to Skinner, the pigeons began to associate whatever action they were doing at the time of the food being dispensed. According to Skinner, this conditioned that response and soon, they simply haphazardly repeated the action, failing to distinguish between cause and correlation (and in the meantime, looking really funny!).

Now, this is simply the best way to describe the actions of most every women’s college golf coach and too many instructors in America. They see something work, get positive feedback and then become conditioned to give the feedback, more and more, regardless of if it works (this is also why tips from your buddies never work!).

Go to a college event, particularly a women’s one, and you will see coaches running all over the place. Like the pigeons in the experiment, they have been conditioned into a codependent relationship with their players in which they believe their words and actions, can transform a round of golf. It is simply hilarious while being equally perturbing

In junior golf, it’s everywhere. Junior golf academies make a living selling parents that a hysterical coach and over-coaching are essential ingredients in your child’s success.

Let’s be clear, no one of any intellect has any real interest in golf — because it’s not that interesting. The people left, including most coaches and instructors, carve out a small fiefdom, usually on the corner of the range, where they use the illusion of competency to pray on people. In simple terms, they baffle people with the bullshit of pseudo-science that they can make you better, after just one more lesson.

The reality is that life is an impromptu game. The world of golf, business, and school have a message that the goal is being right. This, of course, is bad advice, being right in your own mind is easy, trying to push your ideas on others is hard. As a result, it is not surprising that the divorce rate among golf professionals and their instructors is 100 percent. The transfer rate among college players continues to soar, and too many courses have a guy peddling nefarious science to good people. In fact, we do at my course!

The question is, what impact does all this have on college-age and younger kids? At this point, we honestly don’t know. However, I am going to go out on a limb and say it isn’t good.

Soren Kierkegaard once quipped “I saw it for what it is, and I laughed.” The actions of most coaches and instructors in America are laughable. The problem is that I am not laughing because they are doing damage to kids, as well as driving good people away from this game.

The fact is that golfers don’t need more tips, secrets, or lessons. They need to be presented with a better understanding of the key elements of golf. With this understanding, they can then start to frame which information makes sense and what doesn’t. This will emancipate them and allow them to take charge of their own development.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Valspar Championship betting preview: Elite ballstrikers to thrive at Copperhead

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The PGA TOUR will stay in Florida this week for the 2024 Valspar Championship.

The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort is a par 71 measuring 7,340 yards and features Bermudagrass greens overseeded with POA. Infamous for its difficulty, the track will be a tough test for golfers as trouble lurks all over the place. Holes 16, 17 and 18 — also known as the “Snake Pit” — make up one of the toughest three-hole stretches in golf and should lead to a captivating finish on Sunday.

The field is comprised of 156 golfers teeing it up. The field this week is solid and is a major improvement over last year’s field that felt the impact of players skipping due to a handful of “signature events” in a short span of time. 

Past Winners at Valspar Championship

  • 2023: Taylor Moore (-10)
  • 2022: Sam Burns (-17)
  • 2021: Sam Burns (-17)
  • 2019: Paul Casey (-8)
  • 2018: Paul Casey (-10)
  • 2017: Adam Hadwin (-14)
  • 2016: Charl Schwartzel (-7)
  • 2015: Jordan Spieth (-10)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value). 

Key Stats For Copperhead

1. Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach grades out as the most important statistic once again this week. Copperhead really can’t be overpowered and is a second-shot golf course.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds (per round)

  1. Tony Finau (+.90)
  2. Nick Taylor (+.81)
  3. Justin Thomas (+.77)
  4. Greyson Sigg (+.69)
  5. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+.67)

2. Good Drive %

The long hitters can be a bit limited here due to the tree-lined fairways and penal rough. Playing from the fairways will be important, but laying back too far will cause some difficult approaches with firm greens that may not hold shots from long irons.

Golfers who have a good balance of distance and accuracy have the best chance this week.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Brice Garnett (+91.3%) 
  2. Zach Johnson (+91.1%)
  3. Sam Ryder (+90.5%)
  4. Ryan Moore (+90.4%)
  5. Aaron Rai (+89.7%)

3. Strokes Gained: Ball Striking

Adding ball-striking puts even more of a premium on tee-to-green prowess in the statistical model this week. Golfers who rank highly in ball-striking are in total control of the golf ball which is exceedingly important at Copperhead.

SG: Ball Striking Over Past 24 Rounds:

  1. Xander Schauffele (+1.32)
  2. Keith Mitchell (+1.29)
  3. Tony Finau (+1.24)
  4. Cameron Young (+1.17) 
  5. Doug Ghim (+.95)

4. Bogey Avoidance

With the conditions likely to be difficult, avoiding bogeys will be crucial this week. In a challenging event like the Valspar, oftentimes the golfer who is best at avoiding mistakes ends up on top.

Gritty golfers who can grind out difficult pars have a much better chance in an event like this than a low-scoring birdie-fest.

Bogey Avoidance Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Brice Garnett (+9.0)
  2. Xander Schauffele (+9.3)
  3. Austin Cook (+9.7) 
  4. Chesson Hadley (+10.0)
  5. Greyson Sigg (+10.2)

5. Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions

Conditions will be tough this week at Copperhead. I am looking for golfers who can rise to the occasion if the course plays as difficult as it has in the past.

Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions Over Past 24 rounds

  1. Xander Schauffele (+1,71) 
  2. Min Woo Lee (+1.39)
  3. Cameron Young (+1.27)
  4. Jordan Spieth (+1.08)
  5. Justin Suh (+.94)

6. Course History

That statistic will tell us which players have played well at Copperhead in the past.

Course History Over Past 24 rounds

  1. Patrick Cantlay (+3.75) 
  2. Sam Burns (+2.49)
  3. Davis Riley (+2.33)
  4. Matt NeSmith (+2.22)
  5. Jordan Spieth (+2.04)

The Valspar Championship Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), Good Drive % (15%), SG: BS (20%), Bogeys Avoided (13%), Course History (13%) Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions (12%).

  1. Xander Schauffele
  2. Doug Ghim
  3. Victor Perez
  4. Greyson Sigg
  5. Ryan Moore
  6. Tony Finau
  7. Justin Thomas
  8. Sam Ryder
  9. Sam Burns
  10. Lucas Glover

2024 Valspar Championship Picks

Justin Thomas +1400 (DraftKings)

Justin Thomas will be disappointed with his finish at last week’s PLAYERS Championship, as the past champion missed the cut despite being in some decent form heading into the event. Despite the missed cut, JT hit the ball really well. In his two rounds, the two-time major champion led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach per round.

Thomas has been up and down this season. He’s missed the cut in two “signature events” but also has finishes of T12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, T12 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, T6 at the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro-Am and T3 at the American Express. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking in the field.

Thomas loves Copperhead. In his last three tries at the course, he’s finished T13, T3 and T10. Thomas would have loved to get a win at a big event early in the season, but avoidable mistakes and a balky putter have cost him dearly. I believe a trip to a course he loves in a field he should be able to capitalize on is the right recipe for JT to right the ship.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout +6000 (FanDuel)

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is playing spectacular golf in the 2024 season. He finished 2nd at the American Express, T20 at Pebble Beach and T24 at the Genesis Invitational before finishing T13 at last week’s PLAYERS Championship.

In his past 24 rounds, the South African ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and 26th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. Bezuidenhout managed to work his way around TPC Sawgrass last week with minimal damage. He only made five bogeys in the entire week, which is a great sign heading into a difficult Copperhead this week.

Bezuidenhout is winless in his PGA Tour career, but certainly has the talent to win on Tour. His recent iron play tells me that this week could be a breakthrough for the 35-year-old who has eyes on the President’s Cup.

Doug Ghim +8000 (FanDuel)

Doug Ghim has finished in the top-16 of his past five starts. Most recently, Ghim finished T16 at The PLAYERS Championship in a loaded field.

In his past 24 rounds, Ghim ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 5th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. In terms of his fit for Copperhead, the 27-year-old ranks 12th in Bogey Avoidance and 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions, making him a great fit for the course.

Ghim has yet to win on Tour, but at one point he was the top ranked Amateur golfer in the world and played in the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup and 2017 Walker Cup. He then won the Ben Hogan award for the best male college golfer in 2018. He certainly has the talent, and there are signals aplenty that his talent in ready to take him to the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour.

Sepp Straka +8000 (BetRivers)

Sepp Straka is a player who’s shown he has the type of game that can translate to a difficult Florida golf course. The former Presidents Cup participant won the 2022 Honda Classic in tough conditions and should thrive with a similar test at Copperhead.

It’s been a slow 2024 for Straka, but his performance last week at the PLAYERS Championship surely provides some optimism. He gained 5.4 strokes on approach as well as 1.88 strokes off the tee. The tee-to-green game Straka showed on a course with plenty of danger demonstrates that he can stay in control of his golf ball this week.

It’s possible that the strong performance last week was an outlier, but I’m willing to bet on a proven winner in a weaker field at a great number.

Victor Perez +12000 (FanDuel)

Victor Perez is no stranger to success in professional golf. The Frenchman has three DP World Tour wins including a Rolex Series event. He won the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, as well as the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which are some big events.

Perez earned his PGA Tour card this season and enters the week playing some fantastic golf. He finished in a tie for 16th in Florida at the Cognizant Classic and then tied for third in his most recent start at the Puerto Rico Open.

In his past 24 rounds in the field, Perez ranks 11th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 1oth in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking, 6th in Good Drive % and 15th in Bogey Avoidance.

Perez comes in as a perfect fit for Copperhead and offers serious value at triple-digit odds.

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