The below video on Bubba Watson is almost like I scripted it. He has a lot in common to how I think golf should be played. Watch the video and see further comments below.
Some things to consider about Bubba’s comments:
1. When he is on the driving range before play he is warming up. He is not working on his swing. He is getting reading to play by warming up is body.
2. He is focused on “playing golf”. This is the perfect mindset. Thoughts about technique are not important when you’re about to play. I’ve been banging on about this for years and it’s great to hear a PGA Tour Star say the same thing.
3. He doesn’t spend much time on the practice fairway when he is away from the tour. He keeps playing the game. I’m not sure why so many golfers separate play and practice – when you’re playing the game you’re getting all the swing training and technique improvement you need.
4. Doesn’t do golf drills. This but was quite funny. In the background you can see a guy working on his back swing. Big Bubba just gets up there and makes this free flowing golf swing. He’s not stuffing about with drills or any other garbage. Either he is warming up or playing the game.
I’ve been a fan of Watson since I first saw him. The fact that he’s left handed (like me) adds to the charm. Golfers the world over would play far better, have more fun and get more out of their game if they adopted Bubba’s approach.
The critics will say that he has many swing flaws (over swings and open stance for a start), plays too quickly and gets too emotional. This is traditional attitude/mindset not understanding the beauty of natural learning and performance. There are hundreds of extremely talented golf pros around the world that have better golf swings and do everything by the book. But the chances are you’ll never hear of them because they are too busy doing what they think is right, rather than doing what they really want to do. They are scared to break away from convention.
Bubba Watson is a breath of fresh air in a professional game that is becoming stale and a tad boring. Be like Bubba and you can’t go wrong.
14 Comments
Andrew
October 11, 2011He has such a free flowing and uninhibited swing, and a great mindset to take to the course. I look forward to watching him at the Presidents Cup.
I have also noticed when I go to the driving range my first few swing are always my best, free flowing easy swings. After about a dozen swings I seem to start looking at things to fix, adjust or correct etc. I now know that is the time to walk away.
Cameron
October 11, 2011Andrew: Awareness to the fact that you’re starting to fix and adjust is the most important step. When you’re aware you won’t do it. You don’t need to walk away – but get back to playing golf.
Cameron
October 11, 2011I should also add that when you’re not in fixing mode and trying so hard, you maximise your chances of finding a nice, free-flowing swing.
Lukey
October 11, 2011Cam
I tend to watch a lot of golf on Fox Sports and have always considered Bubba to be an auto golfer and the one thing that always impressed me about him was that when he was interviewed and they asked him what he attributed to his good round his answer was “I played Bubba golf”.
So oil up on the practice ground and to quote Bubba go out and play Lukey golf.
Cheers Lukey
Ray C
October 16, 2011Hello Cam,
Had an opportunity today to go and hit some practice balls.
Used most of the time practicing chipping around the green with the wedge and six iron. Definitely starting to get a good feel with the six iron had some good results with this last game I played. Did some bunker practice struggling a bit here either getting it to skinny or to much sand?
Finished off with some woods- happy with the three wood nice free flowing swing good contact and pretty straight!! The driver was a different beast still battling badly with pulling the driver right!! But check this out, On four separate occasions after hitting a bad shot with the driver I readdressed the next ball closed my eyes and just swung the club!! each time I did this the ball came off nicely and went straight!!! Whats your thoughts on that? Just lucky?
Cheers Ray
Cameron
October 18, 2011Ray: The second shots are typically played with the right frame of mind. You’re relaxed and not worried. It happens all of the time. The hard part is having the same mindset on the first shot. While many will say they are keeping the same attitude, I would bet there was concern and anxiety. Keep going, the more you can swing freely the better you’ll do.
Simon M
October 16, 2011Just a thought, when you mentioned about Bubba being left handed made me think of it. Most golfers approach to the game falls into one of two categories, feel golfers and technical golfers. I was wondering whether there would be a correlation between dominant hemispheres of the brain and the approach to the game. Have you found that left handers tend to have a more creative approach to the game?
Cameron
October 18, 2011Simon: I think this is a bit of a myth. My research tells me we use all of our brains and the left/right argument is not overly accurate. I think left handers stand out more because they (including me) look different. We don’t tend to say the same thing about athletes in other sport.
3 Putt
November 18, 2011This is truly great. I saw Bubba doing exactly that last weekend here in Sydney. He is so ‘loose’, just chats away and calls out on the practice green to the other guys.
Rickie Fowler has a similar philosophy. He just ‘plays’ – doesn’t have a coach or drills. He just gets on with it.
Mike
December 5, 2011Cameron,
Bubba golf is curvacous golf…he is looking to shape basically every shot. What is the easiest way to approach shot shaping? What is your philosophy on teaching draws and fades and such, Cam?
Hopefully you can shoot a few videos on intentional shaping please Cameron?
many thanks, and best regards, Mike.
Adam
May 2, 2013watched this video about 20 times. just purely epic and inspiring.
[…] been a fan of Bubba Watson for years now (see an earlier post here). It also came as no surprise that he won The Masters yesterday in a playoff from Lois […]
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