Tom Bartlett. One of Ben Doyle's favorite swings.
 

our pal MGJordon posted this on my site:

mgjordan

"I have been watching the Bartlett videos that Brian has posted and I just wanted to say that I wish I had his swing. He looks like he just beats on the ball. I bet he hits it a mile."

brianmanzella response:

"He was just a kid then.

True story:

The Itallian Stallion and Lynn Blake were in the Golftek booth at the PGA SHOW this past January.

Lynn was really ripping it about 240 carry on the Golftek.

The Stallion was smokin' it about 255 carry.

Tom Bartlett, who was with us, was walking around the SHOW with a CAST on his right foot.

I said: "Tom, hit one for Lynn."

Broken Foot and all, no practice swings 298, 303.

....C-A-R-R-R-Y!!! :D :) :( :o :shock: :? 8) :lol:

Excuses, Excuses!
 

:-({|=

I didn't have my glove.

Plus, I was sick.

And I had on street shoes. [The Stallion had on a pair of athletic shoes that would bring tears to Michael Jordan's eyes.]

Plus, I was at a psychological disadvantage -- the driver had a really hooked-face and I hate hooked faces worse than Indiana Jones hates snakes!

Plus, the lighting was bad when I hit.

And, also...

Well, you get the picture!

Yeah, Yeah, yeah....

But EVEN WITH my $200 shoes and gifted athletic ability,

TOM STILL hit it by ME 50 yards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yikes!! :shock:

The Old Three-Wood Trick, Eh?
 

Plus, I think mine was the 3-wood.

Plus...

at some stage age catches up to you, eh Yoda :P

Aging Gracefully
 

Please.

I'm only 839.

Nice report.

Interesting, both the Stallion and Yoda would be considered short knocker on other golf forums, afterall it seems most everyone that posts hits the ball 300 yds. :lol:

LMAO!!! Great post Martee and i so understand what you say. I love looking at one of the club review sites. A normal line is "this is a great driver, i hit it 300 no worries where as with my TM XD580 i was only getting 280. I even hit one 345, but it was downwind to be honest"

Thank God they can't putt ! wink wink. :-s


"If you can't find a graphite shaft to help hit monster shots, find a graphite pencil with an eraser to lower your score."

Damn straight. Don't even think about posting on rec.sport.golf unless you hit your lob wedge 200 yards (from the rough into a two-club wind). :D

lmao Mike hahaha. What i forgot to post was that most of these also say how they are 15 years old or a 19 handicap hahahaha

:lol:
I just started checking out boards this past season and noticed something. It's not so much that they drive 300 yds. It's the ones that drove the ball 260, and drive it 15 yards further with a new driver. Then they are driving a new ball 15 yards farther. Then they buy another driver and that goes 15 yards farther. 260 to 305 with the same swing? There must be guys out there that can drive the ball 420, after 4 or 5 drivers in one season. :)

Distance is overated. When someone tells me that they can hit 300 yards I am thinking, so what....you may even be telling the truth but I don't care....

The real thing that MATTERS is all about how much control that you have over the little white thing called a ball... having an erratic 300 yard drive doesn't impress me much.... unless they can really control it but even then its just another skill in the bag... How do you putt, how is your shotmaking....etc -

Golf is a controlled game, it isn't hockey no matter what people want it to be ....

Trust me if you hit it deadly accurate with compression - that turns peoples heads:o ....

Well said Mathew, I am definately aiming to become the best ballstriker in my club not the longest hitter. I have decent length, it is nice, but flushing straight irons is just as satisfying.

I tend to disagree
 

watching Dubai yesterday just showed how much distance can be a factor if you are a solid ball stricker. Par 5 18th, Ernie hits a 6 iron compared to Jimenez 3 wood. Who on average is going to score lower on that hole.

Even at Doral you saw Tiger 30 yrds ahead of Phil at times and before that Phil was ahead of most others by that much.

Hitting 3 clubs less into a green is far more easier than 3 clubs more.


The guys in the top 5 are bombers. I have seen more tour guys say they can never be as good as those guys. ie. Toms said that last week. Dimarco has said the same. That length off the tee is a huge favor.

Re: I tend to disagree
 

You should try scotland - where the real golf is played :P ( i know im going to get stick from that ...lol)

Matthew, If the Americans dont give you any stick, I think that I should, real golf in Scotland? No, it is the land of St George where the real stuff is played!!

In scotland
 

and anywhere in the UK, don't you ahve to dodge sheep patties? :D

I'm not one for hitting a ball down the middle of the fairway and get into a bunker.

There are also places right here where "real" golf is played. Southern Hills in Tulsa and Colonial in Ft Worth. Both are short, narrow, and tree lined. Hogan loved both and won the US Open at SH in 1958. At Colonial, there is a larger than life statue of Hogan inside the entrance. That statue is reason enough to go to the Colonial Tournament.

It's interesting that in 2001, they attempted to set up SH so that Woods could win his 5th straight major there. The rough was a joke and they lengthened several holes including stretching the par 5 5th hole to 610 yds and one par 4 to 499 yds. But it was big hitting Retief Goosen who took advantage of it.

Re: I tend to disagree
 

Jimenez

Ernie, Tiger, Mickelson, VJ, Goosen - they are all pretty big guys and/or very strong.

I don't think you can really see this from TV - in fact I know my perception of them changed seeing them all in person. TV really doesn't do the players/courses any justice. I doubt there have ever been many players in as good of physical shape as Tiger, Player perhaps in his prime - but in golf size DOES matter. Having a longer lever, long arms/tall - being able to move that lever faster via strength, will always be an advantage. Guys like Weir, pound for pound are probably more powerful really. Given the same techniqe, the taller guys have a huge advantage.

As for Bartlett - yep, one of the best swings IMO - easy to see how powerful and accurate that motion is.