Nick Faldo's Equipment

[The Gachet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=562KD6jIkyc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGLliGhaYe8

[The Gachet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcea3xvsx-Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr4SpPrhqt4

[chip75]

[quote name='mat562' timestamp='1328130795' post='4193105']I reckon he's one of the three or four best bunker players I've ever seen. He always seemed to be fantastically good from the sand whenever I watched him. He was certainly a thump and run merchant, and not a nip and spin man like myself or the best I've ever seen, Tony Johnstone, but I'd happily put him up with Johnstone, Seve, Olazabal and Paul Azinger as the best I've seen from sand in my time.
[/quote]

If I had to choose a player (in their prime) to get up and down for whatever.... Faldo would be be on the top or very close to the top of my list. I think all of his majors had a great save to keep the momentum going in the final round.

I remember an article with Jamie Spence that one of the reasons for his poor bunker play was that he was standing too open to the shot. His stance was one of the reasons why he couldn't hit high nip and spin shots.

[astamm8]

Has anyone seen the Faldo match from Royal Westmoreland in Barbados? It was filmed in '97 but Faldo's play was very poor, and his bunker play was as bad as that 12 'capper who puts it out there 267. It was very surprising to see.

Edit, I just saw the earlier post about this. But his sand play was by far the worst I've seen from a pro [i]that day.[/i]

[Staffer]

[quote name='mat562' timestamp='1328136492' post='4193609']
I've got a programme from the 1987 Lawrence Batley (signed by Faldo as it happens), and he's listed as leading the sand saves stats that year (up to the point that the tournament programmes were printed, presumably in July or August) with 81%. That's surely pretty good over the best part of a season.
[/quote]

Anything over 80% for a full season is remarkable.

I guess it depends on how many bunkers one visits as well. Johnstone use to be around 80% but he visited an awful lot of bunkers to.

[HogansAlley]

I'm afraid not. It'll pop up on Sky Sports (UK) again at some point - they show reruns once week.

[quote name='Trap Junior' timestamp='1328128704' post='4192855']
Hogansalley: have you got footage of that match? would love to see that.
[/quote]

[The Gachet]

[quote name='HogansAlley' timestamp='1328190778' post='4196629']
I'm afraid not. It'll pop up on Sky Sports (UK) again at some point - they show reruns once week.
[quote name='Trap Junior' timestamp='1328128704' post='4192855']
Hogansalley: have you got footage of that match? would love to see that.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Here is a link to keep an eye on when the next rerun is showing in the UK.

http://library.digiguide.tv/lib/programmenextshowing/19683&hPage=1

[Trap Junior]

Thanks gachet but doesnt look like it will be on anytime soon. Does anyone have any footage of faldo getting a lesson from leadbetter in grenelefe or lake nona? Amazing how often he would have been filmed hitting balls yet there doesnt appear to be footage anywhere. Would be fascinating.

[faldofan1980]

The only thing i've ever seen is this piece from the golf channel from '01. It has a little bit of him and lead working. He still hit solid!


[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uXKxpdM31c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uXKxpdM31c[/url]


[quote name='Trap Junior' timestamp='1328206157' post='4198009']
Thanks gachet but doesnt look like it will be on anytime soon. Does anyone have any footage of faldo getting a lesson from leadbetter in grenelefe or lake nona? Amazing how often he would have been filmed hitting balls yet there doesnt appear to be footage anywhere. Would be fascinating.
[/quote]

[lead]

[quote name='Trap Junior' timestamp='1328206157' post='4198009']
Does anyone have any footage of faldo getting a lesson from leadbetter in grenelefe or lake nona? Amazing how often he would have been filmed hitting balls yet there doesnt appear to be footage anywhere. Would be fascinating.
[/quote]

I used to work at a Leadbetter Academy way, way back. There were several tapes of Faldo. One especially I remember is one when Faldo is using the
"right angle", if you remember it:) Anyways he was trying to hit balls, and you could clearly see he was not happy at all. After a while he rip's the thing of
and becomes "Faldo the golfer". According to the teacher who was present he hit 10 shots in a neat circle around the the pin. Everyone was really impressed how he could turn on/off technique thoughts.

I think that must have been one of his strengths to really play golf when he was in a tournament, where as many others got to bogged down with technique,
even in a tournament.

[Trap Junior]

Lead dont suppose you have any tapes that you could put up here?

If not could you describe the kind of stuff he was working on with leadbetter? p.s. yes the right angle. remember it well. :-)

[freddiec]

Its without a doubt Nick has accomplished the ultimate. Multiple Open Victories (British Open that is, wink wink Gachet) 1 at Saint Andrews and a 3 Masters victories. 2 hollow grounds. Not many other greats can brag about that.

.

[chip75]

[quote name='freddiec' timestamp='1328222626' post='4199597']
Its without a doubt Nick has accomplished the ultimate. An Open Victory (British Open that is, wink wink Gachet) at Saint Andrews and a 2 Masters victories. 2 hollow grounds. Not many other greats can brag about that.
[/quote]

Last time we checked it was 3 victories at Augusta....

Here's another picture of Nick with the Rossa, there's a Futura leaning on the bag (a Nike Ignite) as well.

[attachment=1007245:Nick Faldo 01.jpg]

[freddiec]

chip, yes, I realized that 2 min after my post and edited, your quick !! LOL

[Trap Junior]

It amazes me how faldo used to regularly change putters during majors. In 1987 he chose his putter for the week a couple of days before the first round. In 89 he switched putters before the last day and won. He changed again in 1990 during the tournament and won too! Usually pros switch putters very infrequently maybe every few years. Faldo used to regularly bring a handful of putters to majors as the pictures above show. Ive never seen anybody before or since do it.

[mat562]

Norman used to change putters pretty frequently (or, at least, a bit like me, to revisit various ones from a relatively small stash) but I don't think he necessarily had a travelling bag of putters like Faldo perhaps had.

The only other top golfer I can think of who used to swap the things willy nilly was Bernhard Langer. He always had a couple or three TP Mills wands propped up against the nearest fence or sticking out of that old Wilson bag next to the world's most knackered-looking Ping Anser, and it wasn't all that odd for him to be chopping and changing putters once or twice even in mid-tournament. Then again, he [i]was [/i]a bit up and down with the blade even in his banner years. One minute he was a lovely putter, statistically one of the very best on the tour after bravely coming back from his first bout of the unmentionables and was shooting a memorable -18 around Wentworth to win the 1987 PGA in fine style; in the process making the cream of the European Tour look very ordinary. And then? Well, the next time I saw him up-close was at Royal Lytham in the following year's Open Championship - cutting a forlorn-looking figure after taking what I remember as five putts from about a yard away on the 17th green

[okesa]

[size="3"]Makes sense though doesn't it?When you're playing different courses every week the same putter isn't guaranteed to work given the variations in putting surfaces and they can change quite dramatically during the course of a 72 hole strokeplay event.[/size]

[Trap Junior]

[quote name='okesa' timestamp='1328294835' post='4206461']
[size="3"]Makes sense though doesn't it?When you're playing different courses every week the same putter isn't guaranteed to work given the variations in putting surfaces and they can change quite dramatically during the course of a 72 hole strokeplay event.[/size]
[/quote]

Just seems strange that faldo would risk changing the feel mid tournament. I mean it takes a bit of time to get to know your putter and get the qeight of your putts right. You wouldnt see tiger use a scotty in rounds one and two then turn up with a 2ball. A player who always is chopping and changing is a bad putter. Thing is faldo putted better in 1989 in the last round aftet going to the taylormade.

[MoaningM]

[quote name='Trap Junior' timestamp='1328296907' post='4206673']
[quote name='okesa' timestamp='1328294835' post='4206461']
[size="3"]Makes sense though doesn't it?When you're playing different courses every week the same putter isn't guaranteed to work given the variations in putting surfaces and they can change quite dramatically during the course of a 72 hole strokeplay event.[/size]
[/quote]

Just seems strange that faldo would risk changing the feel mid tournament. I mean it takes a bit of time to get to know your putter and get the qeight of your putts right. You wouldnt see tiger use a scotty in rounds one and two then turn up with a 2ball. A player who always is chopping and changing is a bad putter. Thing is faldo putted better in 1989 in the last round aftet going to the taylormade.
[/quote]

Tiger I beleive has changed styles drastically of late, from using a plumbers neck to a heeled TPXVIII, hugely different in putter styles. Sometimes you pick up a putter and it just feels right, over time that initial feeling dissapears sadly and you back looking for the elusive magic wand.

I think back in those days the driver was more a club that would not get changed as opposed to any other in the bag, you only have to look at Jack why did he ever get rid of the old George Low, he only seemed to hole putts with that, but I guess you can only go to the well so many times before it dries up!

[okesa]

[size="3"]I'm not suggesting that he ditched a putter to go to a random alternative,any other putter chosen would have been a club that he was already familiar with so there would have been no problem with familiarisation.It's a question of being prepared to adapt to any given situation and choosing a piece of equipment best suited to meet the requirements at that time,he obviously felt that he was not getting the 'touch' required and changed and the results prove that he was right.[/size]

[lead]

[quote name='Trap Junior' timestamp='1328221699' post='4199511']
Lead dont suppose you have any tapes that you could put up here?

If not could you describe the kind of stuff he was working on with leadbetter? p.s. yes the right angle. remember it well. :-)
[/quote]

Sadly I don't. These tapes belonged to the academy, but I wish I would have copied them when I had the chance. There were also a lot of
footage of Anders Forsbrand if I remember correctly. Man, did he swing it great.

Most of the tapes were just players hitting balls not as the tape you are referring to "Faldo loves to practice" on YouTube, where you see him and Leadbetter working on specific moves.

I had the opportunity to have a few lessons with Leadbetter and they were great + fact you really believed in what he was saying ( at the time he was immensely popular). He signed my books and "The Golf Swing" is signed by both Spearman and Leadbetter which is quite cool.

One of Faldo's big idols when it came to technique and the golf swing was David Frost. I think I read somewhere Faldo once said "I want a swing like him"

Does anybody have any footage of him? There are a couple on youtube, i know.

[MoaningM]

[quote name='lead' timestamp='1328301878' post='4207279']
[quote name='Trap Junior' timestamp='1328221699' post='4199511']
Lead dont suppose you have any tapes that you could put up here?

If not could you describe the kind of stuff he was working on with leadbetter? p.s. yes the right angle. remember it well. :-)
[/quote]

Sadly I don't. These tapes belonged to the academy, but I wish I would have copied them when I had the chance. There were also a lot of
footage of Anders Forsbrand if I remember correctly. Man, did he swing it great.

Most of the tapes were just players hitting balls not as the tape you are referring to "Faldo loves to practice" on YouTube, where you see him and Leadbetter working on specific moves.

I had the opportunity to have a few lessons with Leadbetter and they were great + fact you really believed in what he was saying ( at the time he was immensely popular). He signed my books and "The Golf Swing" is signed by both Spearman and Leadbetter which is quite cool.

One of Faldo's big idols when it came to technique and the golf swing was David Frost. I think I read somewhere Faldo once said "I want a swing like him"

Does anybody have any footage of him? There are a couple on youtube, i know.

[/quote]

Am sure Faldo makes mention of his desire to swing it like Frost in his Autobiography (certainly read it somewhere), and did'nt Frost have a great chance to win the 87 open at Muirfield, as I remmeber he dunked it in the bunker at 16th?? and took a few attempts to get out and blew any chance he had!

Saw Frost a few weeks back on the box playing on the European senior tour, still swings it magnificently.

[Trap Junior]

Lead, any idea what they worked on? Apart from the obvious of course.

[okesa]

[size="3"]Any doubters of NF's sand skills should backtrack two pages to the shot from the bunker in Ryder Cup,should be a floaty enough shot to please the critics.May I also remind those same critics that unlike ice skating or ballroom dancing in golf you are judged by results,it's not HOW,it's HOW MANY.[/size]

[lead]

[quote name='Trap Junior' timestamp='1328370009' post='4211963']
Lead, any idea what they worked on? Apart from the obvious of course.
[/quote]

No I don't. Remember, I was one among many hundreds of instructors. We had great respect for DL, he was a superstar and he knew it.

When I had my first lesson he made me change the position of my left thumb 1--2 mm on the grip. It was that minute I couldn't
even feel the change.

None the less I hit the ball much better afterwards. That is what I guess they call the power of belief:)

[okesa]

[size="3"]That really is an interesting comment because it was suggested that Faldo would have become a great player without Leadbetter and that it was his attitude that required sorting out.I don't subscribe to that theory because it's obvious what changes were made to his swing in a technical way,but Lead,how big a part do you think the mental side played in his teaching?[/size]

[lead]

[quote name='okesa' timestamp='1328389916' post='4213553']
[size="3"]That really is an interesting comment because it was suggested that Faldo would have become a great player without Leadbetter and that it was his attitude that required sorting out.I don't subscribe to that theory because it's obvious what changes were made to his swing in a technical way,but Lead,how big a part do you think the mental side played in his teaching?[/size]
[/quote]

I truly believe that Faldo would have won majors ( maybe a few more or less ) without Leadbetter. Personalities like that find a way. I would even go that far saying that if Faldo had chosen another sport he would have excelled there as well.

What probably did him the most good during his years with Leadbetter was an understanding of his own swing, and a great belief from DL who was very sure
about what he was teaching. It also assured him that he had not left anything to chance.

The risk, as I see it, is that if you completely remove almost all your natural swing tendencies, they will always try to come back in your swing.
His swing was probably most of the time very high maintenance, demanding a lot of work to keep on track. Maybe this is why he lost his game so quickly when he did'nt put in those long working hours on the range?

I beleive that a swing that is not fighting all of It's natural tendencies will give you more time to focus on other parts of the game and also make the game more fun and "less hard work".

Saying that, I think what he did with his swing was an unbelievable achievement, and it gave us the opportunity to see one of most beautiful golf swings ( 1988 - 1992 ) of all time. Hence my obsession of finding videos from that era:)

[Trap Junior]

Lead I posted this already but leadbetter no longer teaches retaining the angle at the back of the right wrist throughout the swing like he preaches in faldos early videos and books. Why did he change? Was it because it cost distance?

[okesa]

[size="3"]Lead,thanks,excellent post and I'm sure that we would all agree as to the magnitude of his achievement and both the technical and aesthetic quality of his swing at the period you mention.[/size]

[The Gachet]