From the blog

A day with Lee Trevino

I recently had the pleasure of playing a round of golf with the immortal Lee Trevino. What I think most people do not appreciate about Lee Trevino is that he is one of the top two or three greatest ball strikers of all time. We have been playing this game for a few hundred years and that is a heady accomplishment for someone who taught himself to play golf. For me it was like a budding artist painting next to Leonardo da Vinci or playing guitar with Jimi Hendrix. To see the man up close and watch what he does was a real treat and a great lesson.

I met Lee on the range with our hosts Bob (friend of Lee's for many years) and Joe. Meeting Lee for the first time is like putting on an old favorite shoe - you immediately feel comfortable, it's as if you have known him your whole life. He was sparking up a good chat and I was about to find out that spark had some heat. He did not stop the whole day. I watched him hit a few balls and it was beautiful. Legs still working strongly, hips supple and powerful, hands soft and strong and the rhythm impeccable. He was hitting little draws little fades and at all times talking like he was preparing a fine musical instrument.

Lee started straight away talking about senior golfers and what they need to do to gain more distance, "it's all in the grip," he said. "As you get older you have to weaken your grip to be able to create speed" "the stronger the grip the less ability you have to release the club" This to me was like music to my ears as this is exactly as I see it. Lee typically played with a strong grip, drove his legs hard and held his left hand firm through the impact area to not allow the toe of the club to turn over the heel. (When you are young and supple and as athletic as Lee is, that is a wonderful way to play the game.) Not many people fall into the Lee Trevino mold though. Straight away what interested me was that he recognizes advancing years and what is required for most golfers to create speed and work with the lack of flexibility that comes with age. I could have gone home then.

So off we trot to the first tee. This took much longer than it should have as Lee had to stop and talk to everyone, some he was introduced to some he knew from days gone by and some just in case he missed them. There was a small crowd on the first tee and as was the case all day he was first to hit. Without missing a beat Lee piped one straight down the middle. I know Joe was a little edgy, as was I, but still we all managed to move one forward.

Lee was ready to discuss the swing and other ideas freely and readily. We continued to talk about the grip and the ability to release the club and how as he has got on in years (he's 68) he has weakened his grip to give him more speed. Lee talked about his dislike of Augusta, being too long and advantages to the long hitters, mentioning that just a couple of years ago Jack played Augusta off the newly lengthened course and shot 83. Lee said he called him up and said now you know how I feel. He showed me some of the short shots he has learned around the green . How to hit the high soft shot he showed Freddy Couples, how important it is to keep the clubface open going through the ball and to keep the body moving. He really understands how to hit these shots and has done for 50 years.

He weaved his way around the course like a conductor of an orchestra. At all times announcing what he was going to do with the ball, he hit shots at will " little draw off the right hand trees" " little fade off the left trap" always working the ball from the middle of the green. He would hit his rescue club anywhere from 160yards to 220yards, taking his hands up and down the grip like a flutist and at all times talking and dancing his way through it.

I now understand why Lee talked so much and bantered with the crowd so much, it kept him focused. He never hit a shot all day without affirming what he was going to do where he was going to hit the ball and what the ball was going to do. Every shot had full commitment. As a result his body listened to him and performed the movement. Once you have figured out how to hit the ball, this becomes the essence to playing consistent and effective golf. You have to make up your mind as to what you are going to do, tell yourself how you are going to do it, and then let it go. It works. For me, I have not played golf in a month and I hit the ball better than I hit it when I was playing on a daily basis, I was watching what Lee was doing.

As the day progressed, my game improved by watching this man's rhythm as it had an infectious effect on my own rhythm. I started to hit the ball long and straight and strung some great shots together missing only two greens in regulation.

I talked to Lee about Ben Hogan's impact position and he was amazed at how low Ben had his hands coming into the impact area and how open he had the club, the key to Ben's success. He also said that Hogan would be driving the ball 225 all day and then when a par five came along that needed some length that he would weaken his already weak grip which would then allow him to release the club harder and he would hit the ball 280. Of course Lee had equally amazing low hands at the impact position so from there you can draw your own parallels.

He talked about Sam Snead at the age of 78, where he saw Sam stand flat footed on the ground and with one leg kick a light bulb out of the ceiling.

Lee had just hit a beautiful, 30 yard shot that landed softer than your mother's sponge cake which prompted me to ask him about Jack's short game. He said when he won the US Open against Jack Nicklaus at Merion, Jack chunked chip shots three times into greens , he said he nearly drove the tenth hole and from thirty yards laid the sod over it, as Lee said, he won with his short game. He also commented, "Jack didn't have to chip too often."

On the 10th hole Lee made about a thirty foot putt that set him off. He then went off like a matador at a bull fight, explaining how he putted when he won all of his majors. He would look at the hole, forward press and then as his head came back to the ball he would swing the club. This movement all at once. In other words he purely reacted to the target. Up until this stage he was not doing that and at the start of the round pronounced he had a new putter and was likely to pull some putts which he did a little. We all then watched him putt on the green for a bit and he showed us again and again, he was like a kid with a new toy. Well he then proceeded to make three birdies in a row and at all times calling himself a dumbass for ever changing his style. At this stage I was suggesting his other style was better as he started to kick our butts.

I asked him of course about Tiger Woods. I asked him if he thought Tiger tinkered too much with his swing. "Hell no, that's what gets him up in the morning. I do that with my golf clubs. What motivation do I have to get up and go and practice so I am always trying new clubs to see what they do, that's what Tiger does with his swing. It keeps him motivated and working hard and at the top of his game"

We talked about the ball and the lack of curve to it and how the new equipment has taken a certain amount of the art out of the game. It has made everyone a lot more even. "In my day there were only 6 or so guys that you really had to beat, now there are a hundred guys you have to beat, that's what the equipment has done"

The stories are endless and I am sure you have heard a lot of them and more, what a great day though to get it from the horse's mouth. Aside from the stories, just watching this man play was a treat. Nothing ever stopped his mouth, his feet, or the ball. Every shot he hit did something, low , high, left to right, right to left and he called every one. " Here is a back door shot!" Off the back foot, right to left, under the wind, and of course perfectly positioned he had us in hysterics. Pure was every drive and almost every iron. One putt that he made hit something in its path and sent it off line. I said "Lee, it hit something along the way"; he said "yep my putter". His touch is that of a twenty year old and his imagination vivid, he has the hands of an engraver and a true pleasure to watch.

As I drove out of the gates, I tried to count up our scores as I had no idea what we had shot. Supposedly our bets were tied. Lee said, " never pay a millionaire" . Turns out Lee shot 69 and I shot 69. I didn't want to ask for shots on the first tee I figured giving him thirty years was something. Thank God for that! I can put it in the records, though, that I tied Lee Trevino. Amazing how much fun the game is when you are not playing for score but playing for the enjoyment of playing the game and trying to hit the best shot you can each time. To Lee I am grateful for once again showing me how to play golf.

Until next time great golfing
Cheers Two Iron