Billy Joe Patton's Fast Golf Swing

[EmperorPenguin]

I have heard from many sources that the golf swing of Billy Joe Patton was the fastest ever. Up until now I have never seen it until I found a video of him on YouTube swinging a driver at the 1954 Masters, the one he would have won had he not dumped his second shot in Rae's Creek on 13 in the final round. Prior to watching this video I thought Lanny had the fastest swing. Billy's is way faster!

 

 

I posted another video of the 1955 Walker Cup Match and there you can see early in the video Billy Joe teeing off at the first hole at St. Andrews. That fast swing is unmistakable.

[Par Fore]

Man those greens look small.

[BIG STU]

Speaking of Billy Joe Patton he was from Morgantown N C and my Dad knew him. I have a sand wedge here that he actually played. I don't have any documented proof but he did give it to my Dad years ago. It is a 1953 Spalding original leather wrap grip and all. it stays in the bag in the house where all my special clubs reside. I have took it out and hit it some and it hits good. Mr Patton always stayed an amateur and was an insurance salesman. He passed away a couple of years ago. Back in the day when I was young and had a fast swing my old man would remark "you swing as fast as Billy Joe" I never saw him swing a club in person the only time I actually met him was when I was young with my Dad and we were at some kind of function in Hickory NC. I do know a couple of days later my Dad showed me the wedge and made me read an article about Mr Patton and the 54 Masters and other articles on his stellar amateur career in the Carolinas

[BIG STU]

[quote name='Par Fore' timestamp='1418358272' post='10581727']
Man those greens look small.
[/quote]Oh yeah they were that was SOP for golf courses in those days through out the 60s too at least in the Carolinas where I was born and raised and learned the game. I can remember the first time I ever played outside my area. Well up the road 60 miles or so. We played a private school state tournament at Tanglewood in Winston Salem NC. Now this course had hosted the PGA Championship a couple of years before. Had never seen such huge greens or fast bent grass I was used to 328 Tifton greens which is a bremuda grass. The first day I 3 putted like 6 greens. I called my old man that night to report my round. when I told him he got silent and said "what the heck? as good as you putt" I told him I had some 40 and 50 ft putts and I had never putted the ball that far. He said "I guess you ain't have you?" If I was that far from a pin on most of our greens I was chipping. He told me well "do the best you can and we will work on those long fast putts when you get home" I devised my own stragety the next day with out him knowing. I basically delibertly under clubbed and missed greens so I could wedge or chip up and it worked. Went from an 85 the first day to a 77 the second day. That whole episode may be an installment for another Old Man Story