Michael:
I actually wasn't kidding. I think it would be pretty neat if they showed tour pros practicing more often. I realize that sounds sort of foreboding for what I might think of the interest of watching the rounds of today's tournaments but I don't mean it that way---I really do think it could be fascinating to watch some of those guys practice.
I've never watched them do that much but from the few times I have and times others have told me about watching them I think it would be neat. I'll give you a few interesting examples.
1. I watched V.J practice at last year's Open and as they say about him he pretty much was out there alone. But it was fascinating to see all his little drills or whatever you call them. He basically hit every shot with a glove tucked under his left armpit and he had a shaft stuck in the ground which he would adjust for different clubs. It was scary how close it looked like it was to his plane and even scarier when he started really stepping on some drivers. All I could think of was that if he came just a tad outside coming down----SUPER OUCH!
2. Watching Daly hit little delicate chips and pitches off really tight turf with one arm in an exhibition at Inniscrone.
3. A friend of mine said watching Couples practice at the 1995 Open at Shinnecock was the best. Couples was hitting these beautiful 5 irons about 170 yards with a draw and then a fade with one arm. And then he switiched and did the same thing with just the other arm.
4. But the funniest practice thing I ever knew about was this guy from around here who was a great amateur and then he finally turned pro, didn't like it and apparently pretty much quit the game. But in his amateur days he used to laugh that whenever he'd warm up for a tournament he would hit it on the range like a 20 handicapper most all the time---fat, thin, right, left, pop it up, you name it. And then he'd go tee it up and he won a ton of stuff including the Delaware Open (as an amateur!). He was a hilarious guy anyway and he said he just didn't know what that was all about but it was that way a lot. He was always funny about most everything. I remember one time we were playing the Mason-Dixon Matches (GAP team vs Mid-Atlantic team) down at Williamsburg and he was so late he just got there in time to tee it up (no-practice). I asked him what happened and he said he was running late so he was seriously speeding through Maryland and he got nailed by a State Trooper. The trooper came to his window and asked him why he was going so fast. So he said to the Trooper;
"Do you want me to tell you some story about why I was going so fast that sounds good or do you want me to tell you the truth?"
The trooper told him he better tell him the truth, so he said to the trooper;
"Well, I had the accelerator pretty far down and that makes the engine go faster, and that makes the drive shaft turn faster which makes the differential move faster which turns the rear wheels faster which makes the car......."
He said luckily he managed to get serious enough after that to prevent the trooper from hauling him down to the police station which would've caused him to miss his tee time.