Right there with the best ever drivers of a golf ball. I was lucky to watch him first hand. Great balance and strength. An all round nice guy too - always pleasant to the viewing public and the gallery that followed him around.
You are correct, 1986 ! I worked with Greg 1990 putting " Ping Zing ", won Vardon ! Also 1991. We used the 1986 swings. His favorite at the time. He has all the slo motion video that I took from that period..Biggest change was his left hand grip had become weak vs 1986. Carl Welty
I believe Norman used a Joe Powell driver. He was incredible and watched him from the early 80s in Melbourne. I can tell you all he had at least 50 yards up his sleave when he got angry or when adrenaline set in.
@remmy100 Holding lag is not the end all be all to having plenty of power. There have been many golfers who released it a bit early and have had monster power - Jack, young tiger, and long distance legends mike austin and mike dunaway. There is also a sort of faux-lag that is caught in still shots when players use a ton of axis tilt. Lag something they stress to newbies who do not understand impact.
V good comments about the super late wrist set - great for power but it did cost him some tournaments, including a few majors. This is the only super slow mo video I have ever seen of norman in the 80's, that holding off of the wrist set until the club is almost parallel at the top and then it just flops under it's own weight is very apparent here. He was mega athletic and could make it work, but he was a better player in the early 90's with a more sophisticated technique.
As good as this swing looks (circa 1990), IMO it was even better a few years earlier (1986-87) when his backswing wasn't so long and he didn't lift his left heel.
I think Greg was head and shoulders above his peers. To think he one two majors and threw away so many it extremely disappointing. I think Tiger is the only golfer since that generated the excitement Norman did on a golf course. Even though Faldo has more majors I remember going to tournaments and Norman would have 3 times as many following him. Faldo then and still does put you to sleep with his style of play.
Totally agree, sadly history will not show Norman as one of the legends due to "only" winning 2 Majors, when he really could have easily bagged a dozen had luck and perhaps his own demons been kinder. Truely a great golfer that never quite lived up to his destiny. His name should be mentioned along side great such as Woods, Nicklaus, Hogan etc but history wont be so kind. Pity.
Greg would shoot at a pin out in the middle of a lake on a raft. Greg was the man to watch for me all day, I totally agree with you. I was always routing for Greg.
@dschultz6072 I do think you're basically right, though. It's crazy, seeing all these amateurs who have never learned to release fully and freely, talking about "lag" and "holding off" a release they've never learned in the first place. It destroys golf games to think that way. The clubhead passed Hogan's hands, it passed Nicklaus's hands, it passes every great player's hands, usually fractionally after to well after first contact. Shallowness is also critical to first-class striking.
Seems to lose some wrist hinge when club gets to parallel on downswing. And yet he still hits it far. Could the 90 degree wrist hinge at parallel on downswing be slightly overrated?
Hi Carl: What were the specs of the driver? It appears that Davis, Greg, JD and Freddie are using the same or very similar stick in your videos. I'm trying to get a sense of their CHS compared to today's players and think it's possible that today's longer, lighter drivers could add five mph or more. Any thoughts?
@dschultz6072 I don't know about "no such thing," since a lot of smart people--including Cochran and Stobbs--have said there is. But it's also true that to the extent that COAM makes you want to slow down your arms to the point of stopping them as force is slung into the clubhead, COAM may not be all good.
Butch Harmon. He was doing the same with Davis Love Ⅲ. With Greg, Butch was getting him to turn his right foot out a little, to help keep his weight from passing to laterally in the back swing. Made Greg concentrate on his turn. Lower a fraction his top of the backswing - which Butch did with all tall players he coached. And got Greg to use a slightly lower-spinning ball.
Huge shoulder turn. Lovely finish position. 👍👍
Maybe the greatest accuracy driver of any pro golfer ever.
Right there with the best ever drivers of a golf ball. I was lucky to watch him first hand. Great balance and strength. An all round nice guy too - always pleasant to the viewing public and the gallery that followed him around.
i just can't believe how flexible he was - how easily he rotated 180 degrees. Insane.
You are correct, 1986 ! I worked with Greg 1990 putting " Ping Zing ", won Vardon ! Also 1991. We used the 1986 swings. His favorite at the time. He has all the slo motion video that I took from that period..Biggest change was his left hand grip had become weak vs 1986. Carl Welty
love it how he slams his left heel down to complete his backswing and start his downswing, slots it to the inside....perfect and full power!
Boy, it's hard to get better than he is here at impact and just beyond.
The standard driver length back then was around 43". Today's 3 wood is 43".
I believe Norman used a Joe Powell driver. He was incredible and watched him from the early 80s in Melbourne. I can tell you all he had at least 50 yards up his sleave when he got angry or when adrenaline set in.
I love how he rolls his right foot instead of getting it up
Best I will ever learn from, thanks a MILLION.
best driver ever
@remmy100 Holding lag is not the end all be all to having plenty of power. There have been many golfers who released it a bit early and have had monster power - Jack, young tiger, and long distance legends mike austin and mike dunaway. There is also a sort of faux-lag that is caught in still shots when players use a ton of axis tilt. Lag something they stress to newbies who do not understand impact.
V good comments about the super late wrist set - great for power but it did cost him some tournaments, including a few majors. This is the only super slow mo video I have ever seen of norman in the 80's, that holding off of the wrist set until the club is almost parallel at the top and then it just flops under it's own weight is very apparent here. He was mega athletic and could make it work, but he was a better player in the early 90's with a more sophisticated technique.
As good as this swing looks (circa 1990), IMO it was even better a few years earlier (1986-87) when his backswing wasn't so long and he didn't lift his left heel.
I miss that old right foot drag on his downswing
I think Greg was head and shoulders above his peers. To think he one two majors and threw away so many it extremely disappointing. I think Tiger is the only golfer since that generated the excitement Norman did on a golf course. Even though Faldo has more majors I remember going to tournaments and Norman would have 3 times as many following him. Faldo then and still does put you to sleep with his style of play.
Totally agree, sadly history will not show Norman as one of the legends due to "only" winning 2 Majors, when he really could have easily bagged a dozen had luck and perhaps his own demons been kinder. Truely a great golfer that never quite lived up to his destiny. His name should be mentioned along side great such as Woods, Nicklaus, Hogan etc but history wont be so kind. Pity.
Greg would shoot at a pin out in the middle of a lake on a raft. Greg was the man to watch for me all day, I totally agree with you. I was always routing for Greg.
Awesome video. Love this stuff Carl....keep it up!
I am still here "THE GRAND GOLF CLUB" DEL MAR CA 92130 SEND ME AN EMAIL. WELTYCARL@GMAIL.COM
@dschultz6072
I do think you're basically right, though. It's crazy, seeing all these amateurs who have never learned to release fully and freely, talking about "lag" and "holding off" a release they've never learned in the first place. It destroys golf games to think that way. The clubhead passed Hogan's hands, it passed Nicklaus's hands, it passes every great player's hands, usually fractionally after to well after first contact. Shallowness is also critical to first-class striking.
I'm surprised how much the backswing looks like Jason Day. They both load up similarly.
Seems to lose some wrist hinge when club gets to parallel on downswing. And yet he still hits it far. Could the 90 degree wrist hinge at parallel on downswing be slightly overrated?
The grip change was back to 1986 grip , left hand was stronger in " 86 " Carl
Liv should sign him up.
Impressive lag. Great strength and flexibility.
Hi Carl: What were the specs of the driver? It appears that Davis, Greg, JD and Freddie are using the same or very similar stick in your videos. I'm trying to get a sense of their CHS compared to today's players and think it's possible that today's longer, lighter drivers could add five mph or more. Any thoughts?
I THINK YOU NEED TO GET A HOLD OF " TOM CROW COBRA GOLF " CARL E WELTY
Love Norman, but that superlate set on the backswing caused him a few timing issues under pressure (along with the lower-body action).
@dschultz6072
I don't know about "no such thing," since a lot of smart people--including Cochran and Stobbs--have said there is. But it's also true that to the extent that COAM makes you want to slow down your arms to the point of stopping them as force is slung into the clubhead, COAM may not be all good.
Wide one peice take away , Mikey wright , jack , Rory
Didn't know about the grip change. I do know that in 1988/89 he experimented with a 3/4 backswing.
Butch Harmon. He was doing the same with Davis Love Ⅲ. With Greg, Butch was getting him to turn his right foot out a little, to help keep his weight from passing to laterally in the back swing. Made Greg concentrate on his turn. Lower a fraction his top of the backswing - which Butch did with all tall players he coached. And got Greg to use a slightly lower-spinning ball.
@emomagica
That is so true.
"Powerful swing", said the high hcp:er - it look similar tom Slami'n Sam.
Conscious lag is a lie. It's all pivot driven. It is actually a throw type move from the top, ala Mike Austin, Nicklaus.
...as are many such arbitrary "positions" and angular measurements...
330+ yds