OK, Let's talk Bryson From First-Hand Experience.

[Christosterone]

1 hour ago, Nard_S said:

If Beck is giving respect, that's really something. 

 

 

[jubilee_links]

11 hours ago, me05501 said:

 

At a gut level this makes sense, but there are a ton of similarities across most PGA Tour venues so it makes sense that the strategy doesn't vary all that much. 

Fair point - I suppose he is the embodiment of modern golf. Essentially Finchem's Iron Man

[ElephantTusk]

15 hours ago, Shakespeare said:

So ..his website does...I would say if I had to guess, his finished his underwater basket weaving class online and chose to get his diploma in the mail...you wouldn't be included in the commencement ...my son did this route ..

Eh, or as the OP pointed out earlier, his website is probably wrong. For most universities that list will include anyone who has successfully applied to graduate - you don’t need to walk to be on it.

 

And besides… really not a lot of online underwater basket weaving options available to satisfy your senior year physics requirements. 

[stingerfade]

I took bowling as an elective at ASU. I actually did graduate but do not have Professional bowler on my website. 
 

I do compare myself to Thomas Jefferson though. 

Edited September 1, 2021 by stingerfade

[gioguy21]

3 minutes ago, stingerfade said:

I took bowling as an elective at ASU. I actually did graduate but do not have Professional bowler on my website. 
 

I do compare myself to Thomas Jefferson though. 

ol TJ was good for a 300 game on the regular. solid comparison. 

[Frankensteins Monster]

18 hours ago, MikeW2 said:

You Sir have gone too far! Slander of Eric Clapton should not be tolerated no matter how slight! 😂

Me thinks you haven't been keeping up with who Eric Clapton is, and has been, his entire life.

[Frankensteins Monster]

10 hours ago, jgonz69 said:

Eric Clapton deserves all the ridicule he gets

[MikeW2]

5 minutes ago, Frankensteins Monster said:

Me thinks you haven't been keeping up with who Eric Clapton is, and has been, his entire life.

Me thinks I don’t care who he is or has been…just enjoy his music 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Frankensteins Monster]

5 minutes ago, MikeW2 said:

Me thinks I don’t care who he is or has been…just enjoy his music 🤷🏻‍♂️

I enjoy his music, when he's not singing, as well. Doesn't change the fact he's a reprehensible person in every way imaginable.

[Soloman1]

37 minutes ago, Frankensteins Monster said:

I enjoy his music, when he's not singing, as well. Doesn't change the fact he's a reprehensible person in every way imaginable.

 

The stuff you're talking about was almost 50 years ago.

Clapton has admitted it was fueled by his alcohol and drug use then, and said he was not excusing himself. He took full responsibility and has said and done nothing like it in half a century.

 

I think people deserve a second chance.

 

 

[Frankensteins Monster]

1 minute ago, Soloman1 said:

 

The stuff you're talking about was almost 50 years ago.

Clapton has admitted it was fueled by his alcohol and drug use then, and said he was not excusing himself. He took full responsibility and has said and done nothing like it in half a century.

 

I think people deserve a second chance.

 

 

His reprehensible character has been on full display the past few years as well... He's a grade a a-hole, always will be.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

On 8/30/2021 at 7:22 PM, Soloman1 said:

Oh no, not another Bryson thread!? Yes, another Bryson thread.

 

But this one's a little different. I want to talk from first-hand experience with him and not third, forth, or no-hand experiences or random feelings that I do or don't  like the guy because of (fill in the blank).

 

Quick background: He was an earlier adopter of my 3D motion system because it was portable and gives objective data, not myths of feelings about the swing. Why guess, when you can measure tilts, rotations, body angles, wrist angles, swing planes, etc.?

Bryson had won one tournament and was struggling a little the beginning of his second year on tour. Plenty of tour pros used it in the office or around country - lot's of names that you'd know and others you may not know. They all get the same time and energy.

I was asked to go to Dallas to spend a couple of days with Bryson in the summer. I had just gotten back from an extended trip to Asia and was worn out. My wife had died 6 weeks before, I had to empty a house full of memories in Tokyo where we lived for decades. Bryson and others didn't know this, so it had no influence on how he treated me.

 

- First of all, Bryson was unfailingly polite. Some of you may be disappointed by that... 😉 He was polite the several other times we met at tournament sites. The golf course is his world, like all professionals, so on course and off course can be very different. You may not be the same person in your work environment either.

 

- Is he driven? Of course, as all tour pros are, but I would say more than the average pro. He had spent time playing some practice rounds with Tiger, the ultimate driven professional, so he knew first hand what being driven looks and sounds like from the best in the world. There are plenty of guys (and women pros) who can be unpleasant to be around because their ego, but Bryson wasn't anywhere near some of the them. Now, on the other hand, I'll tell you who is really a.... Just kidding. I'm mot going to tell.

 

- In most all cases, the player doesn't want to know, or need to know, the gory details of the mechanics that's being looked at carefully. Their coach will translate it into a feel and a few words that the player needs to hear, based on their experience with the player. Bryson wants the details and drives the ship.

 

- OK, so Bryson started being interested in wrist movements. He was hitting irons on the range and not very well. He was frustrated and had been that way for half of the year. He couldn't cure the lefts he had, and that is trouble city. I have to give him credit, he listened to what I said after only 2 minutes after I showed up. He had been there for hours. I moved one part of his body and that one thought for him. The next ball and the rest after were perfect, and he was like a kid with a grin who just hit a ball flush for the first time. He just needed to hear a different voice and I give  him credit for listening.

 

One of my favorite ideas in engineering, business and golf is that you can't hear a good idea if you aren't listening.

 

- The next day was raining, so we were indoors. He was still asking a lot about wrist angles and he was working on driver and woods. Now, this was before bulking up and speed-distance quest. Even early on tour, Bryson was one of the longest guys out there and that is a fact. He had a "Fairway Finder" driver swing that he used a lot. His distance stats were affected by that, but trust me, he could flat bomb it even then when he chose to. Of course, today is a different beast. He's just trying to find the way for him to be as good as he can be.

 

- Here's his "Fairway Finder" swing back then. His swing is very different today in many ways.

 

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/594939223

 

- He was getting frustrated again because his launch monitor numbers for his 3-wood didn't match the ball flight. He was +4 path and -2 face to path, but the ball was starting a little right and dropping right from the top instead of a little push draw. Well, he decided that the balls were wet because they were brought in from the range and this was the cause of his angst and shot shape going awry.

 

Again, I have to give him credit. He did listen, but he didn't believe me.

 

The reason was obvious, but I had to prove it. He had to be hitting it a little on the heel, but he wasn't having any of that. We put a sticker on the face, and sure enough, there it was. Now he accepted it. But I told him that I didn't think it was good idea to change anything in his setup or make him try to manipulate the swing until I saw what his pressure trace from my other product.

 

He resisted again, but got him to do it and Voila, he had move that was a little too much toward his toward his toes in near impact. I asked him not change anything, but try to make more of a lateral move with pressure.

 

His next ball was not only that little push draw on target, he gained 20 yards (yes, 20 yards...) of carry. Boom, mic drop. I was done. 🙂 I'm kidding.

 

He's an athlete. Sure, he works hard and is intense when things don't go perfectly. Is that a fault? It can be if you start to think you know everything and you did it all by yourself.

 

He won The Memorial two weeks later. He won three tournaments within three months.

 

The only negative thing I have to say is that I think it was ungracious to not reply to my simple text of congratulations after The Memorial. Maybe the politeness only applies in person? I think a better man would have said thanks, that maybe I'd helped him a little, since he'd been hitting it poorly for six months, but I've never heard a word from him.

 

Don't worry, I don't need counseling... haha. I'm old fashioned, so I still think expressing a little gratitude is something people of substance do. He didn't figure it out all by himself and everything going wrong is not always something else or someone else.

 

I just thought I'd give a first person account of my short experience.

 

 

Good story. The part that stands out most is that he didn't text you back. It could be very telling about him in not a good way. As for him being nice and polite while in your presence, especially because you were helping him, to me that's just normal manners and nothing special. 

 

This 3D system, did you invent the product or are you just a local rep for the product? 

 

[Soloman1]

This is the first time I've said that I am the founder and president... I promise that I will not say it every post. 😉

 

And conceived and developed the products...

[Jack Pearsall]

Eric was once rather a skilled guitarist. He had some really fine moments. 

He is mostly a soulless player today doing rote runs. His blues takes...are as dead as the genre.

Been that way since the mid 70s....

 

His politics are just kind of ugly. He isn't a particularly educated bloke and that is on him. He shat on a lot of people on his way...

 

Jeff Beck is still trying to push it. He can still be amazing and sonically obnoxious too.

 

[benclab]

Nice story and I've always thought Bryson was a nice guy. However to be hurt over not getting a text back is kinda lame. He probably got hundreds of texts after that win.

[woodriff]

@Soloman1  thank you for a very engaging post. Enjoyed the read. I’ve got a few years of psychology but won’t attempt to delve into the layers that makes a professional athlete. 
I will mention that all great golfers tinkered with equipment. From Bobby Jones all the way up to present day. These are tools that golfers used in their generation. Due to technology the tools  today are far different than the tools used in Jones’s time when the greatest achievement was the change to steel rather than hickory. Hogan had the extra spike, golfers experimented with every shaft material available, Moe Norman and the one plane swing, Bubba Watson with a completely different approach to the game, Nicklaus and yardage books, and players with every imaginable shape and size of putter, along with the term anachronism MOI. 
Suddenly it’s 2021, and there comes a player who uses physics, and all technical tools available. I won’t criticize how Bryson got here. I’ll applaud it.  He is using the tools of his generation. 
Yes, there are eccentric  cases in every sport, and thank goodness there is. How boring life would be without them. 

[DoubleD24]

First, Bryson yells at cameramen, argues with tour officials and though the tour does not want to air dirty laundry, anyone with any sense knows that you do not gain that much functional weight in that short a time.  The chemist in Bryson has gotten some help beyond smoothies.  His most recent loss of weight only bolsters the theory.

 

He is an a** who has made his own bed and now complains because he has to sleep in it.  I do not agree with fans affecting to outcome of an event.  As far as I'm concerned the next person who yells "mashed potatoes" should join the brooksies outside the gate too.  I might feel sorry for Bryson when he stands up and takes ownership of his part in the current situation.

[Soloman1]

25 minutes ago, benclab said:

However to be hurt over not getting a text back is kinda lame. He probably got hundreds of texts after that win.

 

I wasn't hurt by it. I get enough texts already... 😉

[deathbymuffin]

I'm just a regular Joe Nobody golf fan.  Initially, when Bryson was coming up in the golf world I was a fan.  It was interesting to see a guy who was a little weird and outspoken and willing to separate from the pack with his "science-based" approach and idiosyncratic swing.  

 

However, that changed for me when I witnessed his immature behavior firsthand a few years back at a tour event.  My family (Mom and Dad) and friends were behind the second green as Bryson hit his approach.  The wind near the green had been consistently blowing towards the players, but just as Bryson began to swing, the wind abruptly whipped around in the other direction.  Bryson airmails the green (the ball actually hit my Mom and caromed off her back...lol) and ends up with a pretty difficult pitch off some hardpan.  When he gets to his ball, he goes absolutely apesh*t on his caddie (Tucker), childishly dropping f bombs at him, swearing at him the entire time he set up and hit his pitch, and then afterwards slamming his putter and chucking his putter cover at Tim.  It was completely classless and appalling behavior. Poor Tim looked like a beaten dog.  The group of us that witnessed it were disgusted and have actively rooted against him from that point on (think this was '17 or '18).

 

Having said that, I was at the U.S. Open this year and followed Bryson for a bit and he came across much better than I was expecting.  While walking down the fairway, he took time to come over to the ropes and chat with a young fan (probably 7 or 8 years old) wearing a Bryson-style driver's cap, told the kid and his Dad to meet him after the round behind the 18th green and he would give him a ball, a signed glove and some other tour swag.  Bryson didn't need to do this, but he did and if that was my only exposure to him, I'd tell you he seemed like a really good guy.  

 

So, yeah, he's a polarizing dude, and he probably gets a lot more garbage from fans and media than he deserves, but he's also brought a lot of it on himself with his seemingly bipolar behavior.  As for his dorky/cringy/annoying social media stuff, I give him a pass.  Anyone who's played junior golf or higher, knows that a lot of the best players aren't the most well rounded, likeable or affable dudes, so I just assume most of these tour guys aren't the type of guys I want to spend time grabbing a beer with.  🙂 

[Christosterone]

Off topic I know…but here is a very underrated musician…

 

And a badass mini-documentary about his epic super bowl performance…it was glorious

 

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by Christosterone

[Murphy76]

 

You've got to love a thread that starts out talking about meeting a golfer and devolves into ranking guitar players.

 

Makes perfect sense.

[stingerfade]

3 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

 

The stuff you're talking about was almost 50 years ago.

Clapton has admitted it was fueled by his alcohol and drug use then, and said he was not excusing himself. He took full responsibility and has said and done nothing like it in half a century.

 

I think people deserve a second chance.

 

 

No he’s still saying all the racist stuff he’s always said 

[stingerfade]

1 hour ago, Christosterone said:

Off topic I know…but here is a very underrated musician…

 

And a badass mini-documentary about his epic super bowl performance…it was glorious

 

 

Prince is definitely not underrated. He’s a freakin’ LEGEND and everyone knows it!! 

[Circaflex]

I was just thinking about this subject yesterday on the range. Part of me enjoys Bryson, however, part of me just wishes the guy would shut up and go away. Bryson seems like a likeable, stand-up guy in many of the GoodGood Youtube Videos and even his own channel. He comes across as a normal "bro" and someone who would be fun to hang out with. Do a complete 180 and put this guy on the golf course, with cameras, microphones and reporters around him and he just cant say anything without sounding like a child. Ill never criticize Bryson for being different, however, some of the excuses and things he has said really rub me the wrong way. I have never met Bryson in person, so all of my information comes from videos, stories and other folks providing information.

[Soloman1]

21 minutes ago, stingerfade said:

No he’s still saying all the racist stuff he’s always said 

Well, if that’s true, then I have no respect for him about anything 

[Christosterone]

23 minutes ago, stingerfade said:

Prince is definitely not underrated. He’s a freakin’ LEGEND and everyone knows it!! 

should’ve said underrated guitarist…

I loved it when he floored tom petty and Jeff Lynne…

Lynne said he was “gobsmacked”

 

 

[Shakespeare]

6 hours ago, ElephantTusk said:

Eh, or as the OP pointed out earlier, his website is probably wrong. For most universities that list will include anyone who has successfully applied to graduate - you don’t need to walk to be on it.

 

And besides… really not a lot of online underwater basket weaving options available to satisfy your senior year physics requirements. 

Well...joking aside...he had to write a thesis in his senior year and take 6 electives. With everything going on with him right now...do you think he would lie on his website? That would be the end of his endorsements and "brooksy "would seem like nothing... I haven't really thought  about it since his dad told me he graduated. The people that don't believe him  could  call him  out if they wanted....like I said ask him a question on his website..see if someone answers. Seems like a stupid thing to do when you are making millions.

[jgonz69]

3 hours ago, Murphy76 said:

 

You've got to love a thread that starts out talking about meeting a golfer and devolves into ranking guitar players.

 

Makes perfect sense.

It all comes back to the type of person and science, which is the subject of this thread and Eric is on the wrong side of both. 

[stingerfade]

2 hours ago, Christosterone said:

should’ve said underrated guitarist…

I loved it when he floored tom petty and Jeff Lynne…

Lynne said he was “gobsmacked”

 

 

Prince actually made the seinfeld puffy shirt look cool. 

Edited September 1, 2021 by stingerfade

[ElephantTusk]

1 hour ago, Shakespeare said:

Well...joking aside...he had to write a thesis in his senior year and take 6 electives. With everything going on with him right now...do you think he would lie on his website? That would be the end of his endorsements and "brooksy "would seem like nothing... I haven't really thought  about it since his dad told me he graduated. The people that don't believe him  could  call him  out if they wanted....like I said ask him a question on his website..see if someone answers. Seems like a stupid thing to do when you are making millions.

Thanks for the info and I hope you are right. I agree it would not be a great look (on top of the rest of the image issues he’s “managing”). Curious, indeed!

 

Cheers for the discussion.