Bryson statements on training for WLD while preparing for Ryder Cup

[DON SVO]

My only concern for Bryson is that there is a definite disparity between long drive and tournament golf swings. On another level, there's the common MLB adage that guys who work on their Home Run Derby plate appearance play like crap for a while after the All Star Game. Bubba Watson said he trained with a long drive club, got his swing speed to around 140 or so, but began losing distance control with short irons and wedges (hmmmmm, sounds familiar). 

[gsrjc]

2 hours ago, Shilgy said:

I recall he did go with the team a couple weeks ago to check out Whistling. Straights.  No “instead” needed.

Did he go with the group or by himself?  

[Shilgy]

1 minute ago, gsrjc said:

Did he go with the group or by himself?  

It was reported the whole team, less Koepka due to injury, went and played two rounds.

 

 https://www.golfchannel.com/news/us-players-say-scouting-trip-helped-build-unity-expect-lots-birdies-whistling

[oikos1]

I don't get all the Bryson hate.  Set aside his ego, awkwardness and occasional social faux pas.  He's still a bit of a kid.

 

Dude works his a** off and seems to have a genuine love and desire to improve daily.  How is this not loved, or at the very least appreciated, by Wrxers?!?!

[philly2kuk]

1 hour ago, oikos1 said:

I don't get all the Bryson hate.  Set aside his ego, awkwardness and occasional social faux pas.  He's still a bit of a kid.

 

Dude works his a** off and seems to have a genuine love and desire to improve daily.  How is this not loved, or at the very least appreciated, by Wrxers?!?!

I think his behaviour may have a lot to do with it - when he realised a cameraman had him filmed behaving like a baby, the fire ants, the comments about the bunkers at bay hill because he couldn’t get out of one, that augusta is a par 67/68, that he doesn’t mind being called brooksy but then ejects anyone that does, that he doesn’t shout fore often but pretends he does and gets snappy with the media, he tries to pretend he’s dead smart and a scientist but isn’t, the fact the grass grows quicker than he plays or that nothing is ever ever his fault, I could go on.
 

I’ve always been impressed by his work ethic and would actually like the guy if it wasn’t for his behaviour. He just comes across as a big spoilt cry baby.

Edited September 16, 2021 by philly2kuk

[oikos1]

1 hour ago, philly2kuk said:

I think his behaviour may have a lot to do with it - when he realised a cameraman had him filmed behaving like a baby, the fire ants, the comments about the bunkers at bay hill because he couldn’t get out of one, that augusta is a par 67/68, that he doesn’t mind being called brooksy but then ejects anyone that does, that he doesn’t shout fore often but pretends he does and gets snappy with the media, he tries to pretend he’s dead smart and a scientist but isn’t, the fact the grass grows quicker than he plays or that nothing is ever ever his fault, I could go on.
 

I’ve always been impressed by his work ethic and would actually like the guy if it wasn’t for his behaviour. He just comes across as a big spoilt cry baby.

Hey, I get it.  Please consider how soon you referenced a cameraman.  We view a lot more now than we used to.  Maybe it's my age, I suppose I'm just willing to give a bit more consideration than I used to.  I'd say he mellows with time.

[Hankshank]

10 hours ago, DON SVO said:

My only concern for Bryson is that there is a definite disparity between long drive and tournament golf swings. On another level, there's the common MLB adage that guys who work on their Home Run Derby plate appearance play like crap for a while after the All Star Game. Bubba Watson said he trained with a long drive club, got his swing speed to around 140 or so, but began losing distance control with short irons and wedges (hmmmmm, sounds familiar). 

Whatever works for a top athlete, works. I will not be suprised if he comes out playing brilliantly in RC after that training regimen. Don´t know whats physical and whats psychological, but some likes playing the week before a major, some not. Cross-country skiing is a big thing here in Scandinavia, and one of the best skiers, Sixten Jernberg, best in the 50´s and 60´s, heard the team leaders saying this and that about how to prepare for a tournament and he didnt give a d*mn. He did things like going out the day before a big tournament just giving it all in a long, fast training session. When the leaders told the team to relax. Worked for him, won the gold medals. There are of course science that tell truths about achievements, but the guys knows their minds and bodys pretty well, supposedly.

 

[philly2kuk]

1 hour ago, oikos1 said:

Hey, I get it.  Please consider how soon you referenced a cameraman.  We view a lot more now than we used to.  Maybe it's my age, I suppose I'm just willing to give a bit more consideration than I used to.  I'd say he mellows with time.

I hope he does mellow. He’s clearly talented and works hard. He’s just making it hard to like him right now.

[smashdn]

On 9/15/2021 at 10:06 AM, gsrjc said:

Like most on this forum have said. The US team doesn’t care about the Ryder cup and this is another example. If Bryson cared he probably be focused on his golf and checking out the site instead of long drive. 

 

Exactly what would be evidence that they cared (other than what you mentioned)?

 

If Bryson has been working this long drive thing for two years and he contends it is making him a better golfer, how is that not preparing for the Ryder Cup?

 

Brooks said in the interview what his day was like during a week of a major.  Guy has won a few up to the this point.  Not sure how we can argue that doing that is not "enough" prep/practice for the Ryder Cup as he has results to back up that approach.

 

These guys are all professional golfers who have demonstrated they can win against the best competition in the world on the golf course doing it their way.  This is Dream Team level stuff.  Roll the ball out there and let them play.  Don't overthink this.  No need for team building and strategy sessions.  Simple strategy, play the best shot you can from where you are.  If you execute to your ability nothing else matters.

Edited September 16, 2021 by smashdn

[smashdn]

15 hours ago, DON SVO said:

Bubba Watson said he trained with a long drive club, got his swing speed to around 140 or so, but began losing distance control with short irons and wedges (hmmmmm, sounds familiar). 

 

That's golf though.  It has always been give and take as to what aspect of the game you are going to focus on and hone.

 

You have a finite amount of time to practice, you have to prioritize what part of the game you are going to work on in that time.  

 

If I am reading the article correctly it sounded like BDC was practicing more than normal.

 

But I also see what you are putting down.  BDC is no killer with a short iron/wedge in his hands.

[iBanesto]

On 9/15/2021 at 1:47 AM, MattyO1984 said:

For being as smart as he tells us he is, Bryson is brain dead when it comes to being on message. Although does this now mean that he is speaking to the media again? I had enjoyed his radio silence 😂

 

Is he actually smart? Is he though?

 

[DON SVO]

5 hours ago, Hankshank said:

Whatever works for a top athlete, works. I will not be suprised if he comes out playing brilliantly in RC after that training regimen. Don´t know whats physical and whats psychological, but some likes playing the week before a major, some not. Cross-country skiing is a big thing here in Scandinavia, and one of the best skiers, Sixten Jernberg, best in the 50´s and 60´s, heard the team leaders saying this and that about how to prepare for a tournament and he didnt give a d*mn. He did things like going out the day before a big tournament just giving it all in a long, fast training session. When the leaders told the team to relax. Worked for him, won the gold medals. There are of course science that tell truths about achievements, but the guys knows their minds and bodys pretty well, supposedly.

 

 

I'm not too concerned with the volume of the training, but they type of training. The correlation I come to with your example involving Sixten is as a cross-country skier, Sixten proceeds to devote a massive amount of training time to... half-pipe skiing. Hey, they're both skiing, right? 

 

18 minutes ago, smashdn said:

 

That's golf though.  It has always been give and take as to what aspect of the game you are going to focus on and hone.

 

You have a finite amount of time to practice, you have to prioritize what part of the game you are going to work on in that time.  

 

If I am reading the article correctly it sounded like BDC was practicing more than normal.

 

But I also see what you are putting down.  BDC is no killer with a short iron/wedge in his hands.

 

We've beaten the "DJ worked hard on his short irons/wedges with Trackman" to death, I know, but it bears fruit. 

 

I personally feel, after watching BDC since college, that he does things in defined segments. My thoughts are that once he gets where he feels the "long game" is where he wants, he suddenly devotes himself to being a 150yd-and-in wizard. That would be in line with his typical approach to bettering his game.

[UAdamz]

Do people honestly believe he hasn't taken into account how it will affect his performance at the Ryder Cup and afterwards? If he hasn't, it would go against everything we've learned about him on the golf course and elsewhere so far...

[MattyO1984]

1 hour ago, iBanesto said:

 

Is he actually smart? Is he though?

 

 

He tells us that he is…often find that people that need to tell you they are something really aren’t all that.

[smashdn]

1 hour ago, DON SVO said:

I personally feel, after watching BDC since college, that he does things in defined segments. My thoughts are that once he gets where he feels the "long game" is where he wants, he suddenly devotes himself to being a 150yd-and-in wizard. That would be in line with his typical approach to bettering his game.

 

I feel the same.  What I question is at what point (distance) is driving it XXX yards "good enough?"  

 

I am by no means putting myself into the category of BDC or DJ or anyone else long but I had to come to that distance and decision at some point.  When you can reach every par 5 in two at the courses you play the most, and a few of the par 4's are drivable, and on the longer par 4's you never have more than a 7i in hand, then, for me, any extra driving distance was just gilding the lily.  I had to switch the bulk of my focus to a gap in my game.

 

For BDC his gap appears to be short irons and wedges, of which he is hitting a bunch by virtue of the distance he hits it off the tee.  In order to "make good" on that distance he needs to be at least average with those clubs.

 

^Having said all that, I didn't get the impression from the article he is happy with where he is regarding speed training.  In his mind their is still meat on the bone there, especially when compared to his peers in the long drive arena.  We can argue if that is a wise thing to chase after given where he stands within the PGA Tour peer group.  I'd say he needs to round out his whole game at this point.  But that is just me watching from the sideline.

Edited September 16, 2021 by smashdn

[gvogel]

On 9/16/2021 at 10:25 AM, MattyO1984 said:

 

He tells us that he is…often find that people that need to tell you they are something really aren’t all that.

At the very least, his open admission on working on his long drive while in preparation for the Ryder Cup, and lately that he "has wrecked his hands" in training, can only bring added scrutiny on his short game next week.  And if that isn't up to snuff, he sure has left himself open to criticism.

 

It would have been much smarter to not say anything about his preparation for the long drive event, and then discuss it after the Ryder Cup.