Bryson's victory is sea change in golf history

[Hawkeye77]

Bryson is talented and good win, but just a win vs. anything historic.

Modern drivers, fairway woods, golf balls have me not too far off from where I was even 25 years ago. Lofts on my irons really not that much different.

 

[straightshot7]

Without much more impressive results (i.e. multiple majors in a short span, right now he has Zero majors)/larger sample size, there is no argument to be made that Bryson has made any significant impact at this point.

Or if we see the Tour changing or players changing directly as a result of Bryson. But we haven't seen that yet.

I'm saying that if he has a phenomenal run over the next few years, the ceiling is still 4-5 wins per year. That's an incredible run. It would make his career begin to qualify as a hall of fame career.

But it's still a far cry from the impact you're alluding to.

It's fine to say if Bryson keeps it up, he might have this generationally impact at some point in the future. But currently, there's no argument to made that he has already had the effect you're alluding to.

Golf Channel needs something to talk about. But the fact is, at 6 wins (and 0 majors), he is still just a very promising young player.

Oh, and the Rocket Mortgage Classic...did it have Rory? DJ? Tiger? Rahm? JT? Koepka? Don't you have to beat the best to be the best? Let alone to change the entire game...

[wobgon]

Wait a second. Did you say should win just about every time he tees it up?

[bscinstnct]

 

I don’t know how long you have been watching pro golf, I’ve seen a bit and many out here have seen a lot more than I.

 

You seem very enthusiastic and that’s a great thing. Most of us would like to see another great run of stellar play by someone.

 

But what you see as a “sea change”, a revolution in physiology and physics combined into a cyborg of Uber golf performance...really boils down to:

 

A guy who gained 45 pounds of mostly fat and won the Rocket Mortgage by 3 shots to beat a rookie who screwed the pooch on his Sunday front 9 ; )

 

You say I bring up TW as “the only barometer”. So, Tiger, Jack, and Rory all won 4 Majors by age 25. Bryson is will be 27 in 2 months and has zero.

 

So, let’s let him make his bid and we will all be thrilled if this time next year he has a few more wins and a couple of majors.

 

 

[Golfjack]

Finau can't control that swing though. I like Finau better, but honestly his game is not as good as Bryson's. Unless Finau overhauls his swing he'll always be this underachiever on tour given his talents. I doubt a successful tour pro will do that (although he wins a lot less than he should).

[Mcgeeno]

I'm watching a game I am no longer familiar with.

 

Truly incredible stuff.

[Emerich]

No one gains this kind of weight and power this quickly naturally. It's unimaginable that there haven't been steroid questions dogging him since he showed up after a 3 month hiatus looking like a different guy and hitting it 50 yards further.

[bscinstnct]

Now here is a “sea change” ; )

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/nflonfox/status/1280267281474310144

[m d g]

If he does win 4-5 times per year and even 'only' a few majors, the hype will be undeniable (as it was during this last tournament). Kids watch golf. High school and college kids will see this and get a clue. Tiger did it with raw talent that very few posses. If there is a sea-change, it will come from these younger players who will try to emulate BDC's success via similar means...power and distance.

[juliette91]

im sorry my original post has caused some confusion. I in no way thought I was saying BD was the next golf phenom ala TW. By “sea change” I meant that his unique attention to the science of exercise for injury free distance coupled with a unique drive to dissect golf stats resulted in a body transformation and unchartered pga tour ball speeds producing a noticeable driving distance advantage on Tour—and this is such an advantage that it will be transformative on tour, others will follow from juniors on up. Not that he will beat TW age for age. He’s already transforming the game and frankly I really believe it’s one of those rare moments in golf history.

[PowderedToastMan]

If he keeps leading in putting and driving, he should win, yes. He won’t, but he should.

If he keeps playing like last week or better, you can’t honestly tell me that you think other players should be able to beat him if he’s playing his best. There’s a reason he suddenly leaped forward to the betting favourite in all the majors. That generally means people think he should win.

[Bigjim1022]

I get that. I still think it’s too early to tell. We are only 4-5 tournaments into the year. Stats have become a much bigger part of the game, all games, over the last 20 years- see the Oakland A’s and their approach to baseball. He could still get hurt, get the yips etc etc. His app aria has may bring a change It’s just too early to tell.

[torbill]

The way the courses are normally set up adds fuel to the distance sweepstakes. For any of us it is usually punishing to hit a drive thirty yards off line - underbrush, low hanging branches, woods, and highly unkept undergrowth. The way that PGA courses are set up... no such thing. So, hit the gym and let it fly and good things will happen.

Greater distance equals greater dispersion. It will be interesting to see what happens when Bryson plays a US Open type setup. I think he will still do well, as he is pretty accurate, but I think that some of his distance advantage will be neutralized. But as you say, in the end, players and equipment have passed beyond the design of most courses.

My idea of good golf isn’t to take a course like Augusta and try to have it cope with the modern world by setting up greens at 80 on the meter. I’d like to see PGA courses that look a little more like what we play, with real problems for wayward shots. Nicklaus tried toughening up the bunkers at the Memorial, one year, with rakes that left big grooves. I think that that lasted one year. I guess tour players want to look good at all times and shoot low scores, I guess, not like what we look like, trying to manufacture some sort of shot from a totally impossible situation. I am a good golfer and I swear that I have been blocked out by trees more times in one season than I have seen Tiger blocked out in all the years I’ve watched him, total.

[MountainGoat]

Can we please drop the whole physics genius thing? I was an engineering and physics lab director for decades. Bryson doesn't have the credentials to even intern in my organization. He's a college drop-out for crissakes.

 

[bulls9999]

Gee, it seems there's little if any mention about his 'single-length' irons anymore. Does that factor into his improved playing status?

[King_Slender]

The solution is there - the courses that host Tour events just need to be modernized by adding bunkering where the pros hit it. The courses are only "obsolete" because the bunkers have been placed at 280-300 yards off the tee. Add some 320-335 and Bryson has to play a different game, or at least think twice about flying everything.

[airjammer]

Yes, lets spend mega bucks to move stuff around on the golf courses. Apparently oak trees aren’t tall enough either so lets yank them out and put red wood trees in their place.

[King_Slender]

Then just grow the rough WAY up in those areas.

[jkumpire]

This thread is strange to say the least. This fantastic, fairly young player has tried something new. But nobody here, in the golf press, or anywhere else knows if this is a 'sea change.' Here is how we will know if that ever comes true:

BD dominates majors on different types of courses. More professionals start going to one-length irons and try to mimic his swing. Young kids start trying to play like BD does, not just trying to pound the ball, but learns and sticks to BD's swing and training regimen. More and more regular golfers buy BD type clubs. BD plays like this for several years without suffering a serious injury, or a massive slump. Serious teachers start teaching students to us ethis method of hitting the club As of now what you have is a one-off player on a hot streak. If Matthew Wolfe has a similiar hot streak in the coming two months with his swing the same question/statement could be made. I like seeing BD play, but I am sure as shootin' not going out to get a set Cobra 1 length irons and start playing that way. I hope it works out for him.

Note: If these thoughts seem familiar its because some of them were the same points people would talk about with Tiger Woods' game in his early years.

[airjammer]

Then you got people complaining it’s boring to watch someone hack out..”He had no options”

Pga tour bunkers are not a penalty area anymore. They have firm bases and sand so the ball rolls down to the bottom and the lips aren’t high enough for the modern equipment??‍♂️

[juliette91]

Well said, I'm not a big fan of his either but you're supporting my contention that this is a very big deal in golf. Others have posted here about winning tournaments, BD's fields are weaker, no majors, comparing him to TW and people talking about their own driving distance (why on this discussion??). Those have nothing to do with someone's actions being what I called a "sea change" in golf. You do not have to be a 10 major winner or win 20 pga tournaments to make this kind of statement.

"Sea change" is tied to the way other golfers and the industries supporting golf and the governing bodies ruling golf react to something in the game. Sarazen invented the wedge or at least made it the most powerful iron in the bag for the most part. Woods dominated with his mind and powers of concentration. It was Gary Player who really first brought exercise and strength routines into the golf mix. He was evangelist for this. That's also part of the "sea change" equation, you need a leader who is vocal enough to gain attention beyond the feats he/she is performing. BD can do that. He's articulate and more important he backs up what he's doing with more science than anyone has likely ever done in the game who is also on Tour. By the way, his caveman swing looks like he should throw his back out every time but bear in mind that he has "backed up" every strength move in golf with specific directed exercises to do the best he can (or pretty much the best anyone ever has on Tour most likely) to prevent injury. Watch the "Swing Expedition" interview Chris Como did with BD and BD's strength coach on Golf Pass and note how different BD looked then.

I know some will read this and some will go on posting about how you need to beat TW to become a "sea change" in golf. But they're missing the point. You don't need that cred. You just need to make such an impact that all changes around you because of it. That is happening now and will happen more and more. That in my eyes is a sea change.

[TheInfidel]

I like the buzz that BD creates around the game, the discussion and the debate. But the "he's changed golf as we know it" narrative is naive and tiresome. It's being pushed very hard by the golf media which just highlights their fanboy trends.

[Chris52]

Still got bored watching him,as he is still so slow on the greens,why the need to take so long,puts the ball on the green,then marks the ball ,then puts the ball on the green,rinse and repeat.

Yes and make the bunkers deeper like the 17th at st Andrews,so your properly punished if you go in them,and stop the fairways at 300 yards and put thick rough instead,that will end all this long range bombs,ridiculous having 30 yards pitches into par fours.

[bscinstnct]

 

jkumpires post above summarizes it perfectly. It’s not that he has to be TW. Who actually is the one to inspire a generation, Rory, BK, and BD, on fitness and what is attainable.

But he needs to prove that he can dominate over a season, several seasons, win multiple majors and events, and show he can compete on a variety of courses, before any “sea change” will take place as far as emulating what he does.

 

And let’s look at what he does.

 

He uses data and science. Well, golf has been a highly tech driven game for years. Both in terms of golf tech and fitness.

He hits it far. Guys have been hitting 320 or even 330 carry for years but they have dialed it back to compete.

And I assure you, BD is swinging out of his shoes and is able to keep it in/close enough to the fairway to be effective. But when he starts hitting wild drives, and he will, Will he dial it back?

 

Remember when Rory was leading the masters on Sunday and blasted a drive into that guys back yard? Poof, no masters. How did that affect his ideas on grip-it and rip-it vs control.

 

The only thing I see that BD has done that is truly unique is that he has intentionally gained 30 pounds of fat. And I doubt any will (or should) emulate this ; )

 

[extrastiff]

-fatest grips on tour(I would say Bryson has influenced more Consumer golf grip purchases in the last five years than any other player, if u don’t count the impact tiger had of course)

-imo undeniably In the top 3 Of most unique bag compositions the tour has ever seen

-an increase in speed over the course of a career rarely seen. If ever, but I have not looked this up. Either way

-multiple tour wins in non-alternate field events

While “unique“ is not objectively defined in this situation, this stuff is fairly unique imo.

 

 

[QuigleyDU]

Growing the rough does not stop someone who is hitting it in the fairway.. Bryson is not bomb and gauging. He is bombing and flip wedging from the fairway..

[torbill]

Exactly. If they would put them out where players are driving the ball these days, and put a decent lip on them, and add sand to the greenside bunkers there might be some challenge in bunker play again.

[bscinstnct]

 

Its interesting, I think I read that Johnny Miller used the thinnest grips possible for supreme control and accuracy. BDs distance control on his wedges is reportedly relatively poor. Could the fat grips be a reason? And his shaft lengths have also been cited as a reason for not great wedge play. I think the jury is out on if the thick grips and shaft choices are anything to emulate.

 

As far as the swing speed increase. He is quoted as saying it has more to do with the “speed training” he is doing with his coach. Not the weight gain. Is the extra fat helping? Or is it the strength training/speed training? Either way, golf focused fitness is nothing new.

Multiple tour wins is excellent.

But the bottom line is that in the past 3 years he had played in 11 majors. He had missed 5 cuts and his other finishes are, 25, 29, 33, 35, 38, 51

 

So, it looks like he is in a great zone and poised to have a great year. I’d love to see him tear up Augusta and do great things.

 

[m d g]

He seems to be a remarkably straight hitter for as much as he goes after the ball.

But even if he dumps it in the rough, other players are crooked hitters too. I'd rather try to hit out of the rough from 50 yards away than from 100 or more.

And the increased club-head speed with the driver equates to more speed with the wedges. If there are no big trees blocking the approach shots, then 'hitting it far and finding it' seems to be a sound strategy.

[Ironman_32]

"Sea change" as in things to come. It takes generations. People playing the game now probably wouldn't do what Bryson has done, but they'll teach their kids to hit it as far as possible. You're get gurus (such as Gankas) teaching how to speed up the swing. Every time a tour player talks about hitting it farther we always deem them kind of nuts, but they usually end up being correct. Mickelson talked about increasing speed years ago and everyone thought he was nuts, he still competes. I mean, look at the PGA last year at Bethpage, that course was set up for bombers, where only about 10 guys in the field had a chance.

 

Long drive guys prove its possible to hit the ball that far, but need to be more consistent. What happens if we get one of those guys on tour. The real key is that to be successful on tour you don't need to be consistent, you just need to be able to put together a week or two.