19th Hole

Professional golfers who have never had a lesson

Published

3 years ago

Mar 26, 2021

“Swing your swing. Not some idea of a swing, not a swing you saw on TV, or swing you wish you had. No, swing your swing.”

Arnold Palmer’s words have been quoted for years, and over time, it’s been proved that distinctive swings can more than get the job done in the professional sphere of golf.

But what about those who take it that one step further and not only swing their own swing but reach the upper echelons of the game without even taking lessons? While it is rare, some players are entirely self-taught and have had major success in the sport.

Here we’ll take a look at some tour pros that have used the swing they were blessed with to forge both a living and a legacy in the game.

Professional golfers who have never had a lesson

Lee Trevino won six major championships. Here he is after winning the 1972 Open Championship, his second Claret Jug.

Bubba Watson

The most-well know self-taught genius is Bubba Watson.

Watson taught himself to play as a kid by hitting whiffle balls in loops around his house, and his journey has taken him right to the very top, with 12 PGA Tour wins to his name, including two Masters titles.

The American taught himself to swing harder and harder as he progressed and invented his own version of golf: ‘Bubba Golf’, which involves Bubba often hitting either a giant cut or draw.

His rope hook shot during the 2012 Masters playoff was the perfect example of a self-taught genius at work. No other player on tour would have seen the shot, let alone pull it off.

Lee Trevino

Lee Trevino’s career is highlighted by 6 major triumphs, and another perfect example of how your unique and individual swing can’t be taught but only learned.

After being discharged from the Marines, Trevino took a job as a club pro in El Paso, Texas and made side money gambling on himself in head to head matchups.

He would famously say about his swing: “No one who ever had lessons would have a swing like mine.”

Moe Norman

The Canadian, Moe Norman, is considered one of the best ball strikers of all time and was given the nickname “Pipeline Moe” out of respect for how pure he hit the ball.

The stories regarding Norman’s self-taught swing are legendary, with tales of how he could hit hundreds of balls without touching a blade of grass.

Vijay Singh called him a genius, while Tiger Woods once said that Moe Norman and Ben Hogan were the only two golfers to “own their swings.”

Jim Herman

Another current pro who has never had a lesson is Jim Herman. Herman started at the age of 9 and learned the game by playing daily at Shawnee Lookout Golf Course in North Bend. The American plied his trade as an assistant pro and ironically an instructor before making it onto the PGA Tour.

Since then, Herman, who says “things like course management and strategy get ignored in the beginning stages of instruction”, has gone on to win three times on the PGA Tour.

As far as owning your own swing, Jim Furyk is another excellent example, whose only ever coach has been his father. While Luke Donald throughout his career would only occasionally seek the council of his college golf coach, Pat Goss at Northwestern.

To succeed in a sport like golf is hard enough, but to do it without any lessons is almost miraculous. Are there any self-taught professionals we’ve missed? Let us know if so!

Your Reaction?

LIKE173
LEGIT13
WOW9
LOL5
IDHT4
FLOP3
OB5
SHANK17

19th Hole

The Open TV ratings don’t make for pretty reading

Published

7 hours ago

Jul 24, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

According to Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, last week’s Open Championship suffered its lowest television rating in almost a decade.

NBC and Peacock drew 3.39M viewers on Sunday for Xander Schauffele’s two-shot win in @TheOpen, down 4% from last year and Brian Harman.

That’s the lowest number for the final round since Zach Johnson’s win in 2015, which finished on a Monday on ESPN (cable) pic.twitter.com/9r7guxnfx1

— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) July 23, 2024

The final round was down four percent from Brian Harman’s win in 2023 at Royal Liverpool, which offered very little drama down the stretch. It was the lowest-rated final round since Zach Johnson’s win in 2015 at St. Andrews: and that was a Monday finish.

Stars such as Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland all missed the cut, which may have contributed to the lack of interest from casual golf fans.

This year, the Masters and The Open have decreased in ratings while the PGA Championship and U.S. Open saw an uptick. It’s fair to speculate whether the inclusion of Bryson DeChambeau deep into contention had an impact.

New here?

Find out more about GolfWRX and the GolfWRX forums.

While you’re here, check out BK’s look at Xander’s Open-winning WITB.

Your Reaction?

LIKE2
LEGIT0
WOW0
LOL1
IDHT0
FLOP0
OB0
SHANK2

19th Hole

‘That looks brutal’ – First photo of Tiger Woods’ leg without sleeve shows depth of injury

Published

1 day ago

Jul 23, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

It’s been a struggle of late for Tiger Woods on the golf course. The 15-time major champion has only teed it up five times in 2024, finishing 60th in The Masters and missing the cut in the other three majors. He also played in the Genesis Invitational and was forced to withdraw.

Woods has many ailments, but none as debilitating as his surgically repaired leg. Since his car accident three years ago, the 48-year-old has rarely been seen without wearing a leg sleeve. However, on Monday, a fan was able to take a photograph of Woods’ leg without the sleeve.

@blakebunkersgolf IG

??? #LOOK: A photo has emerged of Tiger Woods without his leg sleeve @TWlegion

(Via: blakebunkersgolf/IG) pic.twitter.com/ppaGLdXg8X

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024

The photo was taken at an event Tiger’s son, Charlie, was playing in by “blakebunkersgolf” on Instagram, and one of the top responses on X towards the photo was simply “That looks brutal.”

Woods has struggled with the lack of reps on the course but hasn’t given any indication as to whether his schedule will look any different come 2025.

New here?

Find out more about GolfWRX and the GolfWRX forums.

While you’re here, check out BK’s look at Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB.

Your Reaction?

LIKE10
LEGIT13
WOW15
LOL0
IDHT3
FLOP3
OB0
SHANK4

19th Hole

John Daly says this is the best golf course in Scotland…and it’s not St. Andrews

Published

1 day ago

Jul 23, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

John Daly withdrew at last week’s Open Championship with a knee injury, but the 58-year-old was back on the links this week showcasing one of the most famous golf courses in the world for his fans.

While at Trump Turnberry, John Daly recorded a video of the 18th green.

In the video, the 1995 Open Champion shared his opinion that Turnberry is the best golf course in Scotland, even better than St. Andrews.

?????????? #BEST OF THE BEST — John Daly says Trump Turnberry beats out St Andrews for the title of best golf course in Scotland.

Do you agree?

(Via: @LGlick1) pic.twitter.com/Ya7FIJEfp2

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024

“Hey everybody, John Daly here. I’m at Trump Turnberry today. I went out and tried to play a little bit. This place is amazing. It is the best golf course in Scotland, I think. St. Andrews is my baby, but I think I just found my new baby. I’m at the 18th green right here, this thing is unreal.”

Turnberry hosted its first Open Championship in 1977, which was dubbed “The Duel in the Sun” when Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus by a single stroke. The most recent Open the course hosted was 2009, where Watson almost won again, but lost to Stewart Cink in a playoff.

The course is not slated to host any Open Championships in the foreseeable future.