John Daly came into the 1991 PGA Championship as the ninth alternate. He hadn’t played a practice match at Crooked Stick and his caddy, Jeff Medlin, said he kept giving him a pretty simple instruction: “Kill it, John.”
Daly did. He won by three strokes and when asked later how he would describe the way he plays golf, his answer was as simple as: “Grip it and strap it”.
The phrase has become part of Daly’s identity, but is it good advice for the rest of us?
I have always believed in speed
When I was younger, my grandfather always told me to hit the ball hard. I gave my kids similar advice as they learned the game. I’d rather see them learn how to create speed and then figure out how to control it, instead of spending their early years trying to drive the golf ball around the course.
Speed is a good thing to have.
Does that mean I think you should stand over every driver and swing as much as possible? No. But I think the basic idea behind “grip it and strap it” has more merit than golfers sometimes give it credit for.
We tested what happens when golfers swing faster
MyGolfSpy tested this exact idea in 2022. Fifteen golfers hit the driver with three different intentions: a fairway-finder swing, their normal swing and a fast swing.
Every golfer in the test gained carry distance when they teed off faster. A 66-year-old 14-handicap golfer gained 34 yards.
As expected, there was a tradeoff. The fairway-finder swing produced the highest Straight Shot Percentage and Playable Shot Percentage. As golfers swing faster, the dispersion increases.
However, the faster swings also produced an 82 percent Playable Shot Percentage and the additional distance helped from a Strokes Gained perspective. Backsliding may help you hit a few more fairways, but that doesn’t automatically make it the best scoring strategy.
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“Rip it” doesn’t mean losing control
There is a difference between swinging fast and making a swing that you can’t control.
If trying to find another five mph causes you to lose your balance, miss the center of the face or put a penalty zone in play, that speed is not doing you much good. The goal is not to make your swing the fastest ever on the first tee. It is to become comfortable using more of the speed you have.
If you want faster, work on it. Get comfortable swinging faster on the range. Learn where the ball goes when you increase your effort and understand how much speed you can bring to the course without making your misses unmanageable.
Jack Grout told a young Nicklaus to get power first and accuracy later. The plan worked pretty well.
Final thoughts
Should you grab it and rip it off? If you have speed, don’t be afraid to use it.
My grandfather’s advice was quite simple: hit hard. I still think there is something to it.
Not even my other “Is that even true?” cliche golf articles?
- “Golf is 90% mental.” Is that even true?
- “Grab an extra club and swing Easy.” Is that even true?
- “You can talk to a slice, but a hook doesn’t listen.” Is that even true?
- “Hit It Thin To Win”. Is that even true?
- “Practice as you play.” Is that even true?
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