Are there playing secrets on tour?

[MMB1500]

I thought all the tour secrets were revealed in the instructional section of Golf Digest every month, no?

[2bGood]

I thought the secret died with Ben Hogan.

[Andrew Bond of Glencoe]

I once overheard a PGA Tour multiple major champion share a secret about driving the ball farther to his pro-am partners (I was caddying). It's a secret that I have used with great success over the years and it has never let me down- not once. I am now a single digit handicapper and while I won't say the secret is the reason I will say that I hit it farther.

 

The amateurs were bugging the Tour player for the inside scoop on how to hit the ball farther. The Tour player leaned in and said I only have one secret to hitting the ball farther but you can't share it with anyone. (You could tell by his voice he was dead serious and up until now I haven't shared this story).

 

His secret was a simple one but is guaranteed to work you can take that to the bank. He said the first thing you need to do is buy the longest golf tees that are legal. Then when you tee the ball up you lean the tee towards the target as far as you can without the ball falling off. He demonstrated. The players in the group and I were astonished with the simplicity of the secret and finally one of them broke the silence and asked, how much farther will we hit the ball. John Daly looked at them and said, about an inch.

 

I dare you to beat that true story. I just gave you the best secret in the golfing world---you are welcome!!!

[new2g0lf]

Hogan became famous for claiming he had secrets about the golf swing that he wouldn't share. Some people have made a lot of money claiming they new his secrets while others debate if Hogan were ever shared them with anyone.

 

I'd guess the "secrets" are little tweaks that provide them more confidence to hit a shot or putt. Most athletes are superstitious so they probably think revealing the secret will cause it not to work anymore.

[Mark_888]

I'd guess the "secrets" are little tweaks that provide them more confidence to hit a shot or putt. Most athletes are superstitious so they probably think revealing the secret will cause it not to work anymore.

 

More likely is that most media interviewers ask at least a few stupid questions to try and get the golfer to say something, and some golfers are comedians (at least some of the time).

[UCBananaboy]

Of course not. If there was some key secret, then it would leak on TOUR and some coach (aka Hank Haney) would out it themselves in the form of a high-priced DVD or book to get rich.

[PGArox]

I know the secret, I was entrusted to protect it, but one of these days I might put it up on BST. It really is more of a burden to know, ya'll are lucky to be in the dark.

 

The clues are all around us, some have even mentioned it on golfwrx, but you must read it backwards. I must go now, I've said too much alread......................

 

I guess we won't be seeing VG around here anymore, huh? :)

[mallrat]

I don't think they're secrets in the way we generally think of secrets. It's more of a superstition; you find some swing thought or swing key that works but you're afraid that if you share it, you'll lose the magic and it'll stop working.

 

This.

 

Also if you tell people what you are doing or working on, in this day and age of social media where everyone knows everything and has an opinion. People are going to start chiming in on what you aren't doing and offer advice that is not wanted.

[RDD]

I'm VERY disillusioned....

 

I opened this thread with great anticipation, hoping to find some HARDCORE beautiful life altering golfing secrets...

 

But all I found were jaded, battle hardened suspicious distrustful disbelieving skeptics....

 

 

Did I leave anything out...??

 

SECRETS PLEASE...!!!

 

Let's get this BALL ROLLIN...!!

 

OH YEAH...!!!

 

GOIN BIG TIME NOW...!!!

I played on tour many years. No secrets outside of hard work and will to win.

Sorry...

[jslane57]

Confidence is a fickle thing. If the worlds best player comes up with a little "tip" that helps him feel something in his swing just a little better, that can make a big difference for the week. Tips or secrets as this thread titles it, are also fickle things. If the guy who is playing the best in the world tells what is helping him "click", others will try it and it will work for them. Why? Because they think it will. And they already have the talent.

 

There is probably a different answer though. They probably got the "tip" from a person who is not their coach and they don't want to burn any bridges by telling who actually helped them the most this week.

[farmer]

When you get your card, you are invited to a meeting with all the other tour players in which the secret is revealed. This meeting is held in the bunker at the Greenbrier, and at that meeting you are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which, if broken, causes you to lose your game. World ranking and money earnings will generally tell who has embraced the secret and who is not fully on board. This is why so much is written about the "Secret", and why it is never revealed. I thought this was common knowledge.

[MaddMaxx]

I know when I have a swing thought that is working and I tell anyone what it is, it stops working.

Golfers and most athletes are very superstitious.

[MK7Golf21]

Rory does seem to keep some stuff to himself. I remember him not giving out his workout details because it would give away his competitive edge he said. I'm sure he keeps a lot of swing details secret too

[williamsnrb]

There are some secrets, though. Padraig figured out a loophole utilizing different grooves for different shots. It wasn't illegal, but it did give him an advantage that he did not want advertised to other players.

[DavePelz4]

The secret is if you're taking narcotics, have someone else drive.

[oxtail]

I remember some player had alternating sole grinds on his irons. Who was that or am I making things up again?

 

Also, two secrets for you: fractals and phi!!! (Only applies to grip pressure!)

[Loki]

The "secrets" work for a few weeks and then it is on to the next one. Hopefully YOU find you CURRENT secret for the month, today.

 

Send me a PM and $19.95, and I will give you your current secret immediately. But wait there's more, respond in the next 30 seconds, and I will give you next month's secret also, 2 for 1!!!!!

[potfh]

Gunga galunga....galunga, gunga-galunga

[HighSpeedScene]

I'm VERY disillusioned....

 

I opened this thread with great anticipation, hoping to find some HARDCORE beautiful life altering golfing secrets...

 

But all I found were jaded, battle hardened suspicious distrustful disbelieving skeptics....

 

 

Did I leave anything out...??

 

SECRETS PLEASE...!!!

 

Let's get this BALL ROLLIN...!!

 

OH YEAH...!!!

 

GOIN BIG TIME NOW...!!!

I played on tour many years. No secrets outside of hard work and will to win.

Sorry...

 

Maybe they just didn't share them with you Robert? You could a really been something special with one a them there secrets they got!

[Splitter]

The secret is;

 

Tour pros are superstitious head cases. If it wasn't for apparel contracts, 1/2 of them would wear their "lowest round" shirt 4 days in a row and have mismatched socks.

 

Would you tell the world what a wacko you are or would it be a "secret"? ;)

[jafowler85]

You should ask secret tour pro. I'm sure he will tell you

[gvogel]

Ben Hogan had a secret. A month later, he had another secret. 3 months later, his secret was changed a bit more.

 

If he had one secret, it was that he kept a notebook, and wrote down what he was working on. He then had a methodical way of looking at his secrets, and a way to go back to something good when his current secret broke down.

 

I sincerely doubt that Ben Hogan's secret would help me one iota this week. I've got my own problems, and they certainly don't resemble his.

[Slackattack]

Didn't Hogan say the secret was in the dirt? I.e, get out there and beat balls working on your game until you figure out how to hit a golf ball.

[fowlerscousin]

They do have secrets. Monte scheinblum, mac ogrady, sean foley all had that secret until their q school ventures were cut short from injury and one too many 3 putts.

[Andrew Bond of Glencoe]

I think being a ***** was Hogan's secret.

 

People bashed Tiger for not being fan friendly but we revere Hogan for being a ***** to everyone.

 

If you believe what popular mystique would tell you Hogan never missed a fairway, never missed a shot.

 

My friend who is a bigtime collector has a letter that was written by Ben Hogan in which he credits Walter Hagen for helping him cure his early career hooks.

[cardoustie]

I've had 6 secrets since mid last summer ... not joking ... though I share them here frequently and with my twin

 

Running well with a triple secret combo currently ... left shoulder down, finish backswing, straighten right arm from the top ... MONEY

[buckeyefl]

I don't think they're secrets in the way we generally think of secrets. It's more of a superstition; you find some swing thought or swing key that works but you're afraid that if you share it, you'll lose the magic and it'll stop working.

 

This.

 

Also if you tell people what you are doing or working on, in this day and age of social media where everyone knows everything and has an opinion. People are going to start chiming in on what you aren't doing and offer advice that is not wanted.

This x100

[Bobtrumpet]

John O'Hurley has them, but it doesn't look like he's sharing ...

 

[larrybud]

I found this article that I was trying to remember. When Phil went to Butch, Butch supposedly gave him some inside tips on gamesmanship Tiger used to pull. Would love to know what these were!

 

http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/09/03/butch_harmon_s_tiger_tips_allows_phil_mi

 

“In the past I haven’t really played that well with Tiger,” Mickelson told reporters in Boston in the middle of the tournament. “But Butch told me a couple things that (Tiger) likes to do and I kind of was watching for it and I chuckled throughout the round when I’d pick up on it.

[mjen43]

I found this article that I was trying to remember. When Phil went to Butch, Butch supposedly gave him some inside tips on gamesmanship Tiger used to pull. Would love to know what these were!

 

http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/09/03/butch_harmon_s_tiger_tips_allows_phil_mi

 

“In the past I haven’t really played that well with Tiger,” Mickelson told reporters in Boston in the middle of the tournament. “But Butch told me a couple things that (Tiger) likes to do and I kind of was watching for it and I chuckled throughout the round when I’d pick up on it.

 

A couple were to try to show up to the first tee after Tiger (Tiger was always the last of his pairing to show up) and to always try to putt out before Tiger (so fans aren't running around to the next tee while Phil was trying to putt).