Article #56
To meet this week's teacher, or to purchase a copy of MUNIE ~ The Jitterbug Collection, go to www.bobbysteiner.com
I was always intrigued by the golf swing of a senior amateur named Bob Clock. Clock qualified for and played in a number of big tournaments, including the U. S. Senior Amateur, and on two occasions, the U. S. Senior Open, which is quite a feat for a guy who played most of his golf at Munie.
From the first I knew of him, I considered his swing one to learn. After all, who better to copy than someone who's enjoyed so much tournament success? Besides that his swing looked simple, with no real quirks or jagged edges.
I had the pleasure, along with Jitterbug, of playing with Mr. Clock one Saturday afternoon at Munie. I watched in awe as Mr. Clock went around the course with obvious ease, tackling the par fives with dart-like second shots, leaving him within eagle range on three different holes. At 63 years old, he was fairly long off the tee, but more than that his ball seemed radar guided, always falling on the friendly side of the course.
When the day was done, Mr. Clock had tied Jitterbug at 67 swings each.
Walking to our cars after the round, I said, "You know, Jitterbug, I picked up a few things watching Mr. Clock today."
Jitterbug's face lit up with interest. "Oh yeah? What'd ya learn?"
"Well, Mr. Clock doesn't swing his arms very high," I said. "In fact, he doesn't have much of a backswing at all. He just sorta turns through the ball without any excess upper body action. Plus, his posture is a little more upright than mine…except when he putts, and then he has more knee flex, uh, than I do…"
"So, let me get this straight," Jitterbug interrupted. "You're gonna try to learn Bob Clock's swing? Is that correct?"
"It would be a good one to learn, don't you think?"
Resting his clubs against the back bumper of his car, Jitterbug popped his trunk. "You know, Bobby, there's something about golf and golf swings you need to know."
"What's that?"
"All good golf swings have a few things in common, but on the whole, they come in all shapes and sizes. Yes, Mr. Clock has a sound golf swing, but copying him ain't gonna do you any good at all, because you can't copy what holds it all together."
"What holds it together?"
"Mr. Clock is a cool character," Jitterbug said. "He got that way by playing more tournament rounds than most have played casual rounds. He's had the same swing for years, but if you asked him, he couldn't tell you anything about his backswing, posture or knee flex. He knows what he can do with a golf ball, what he can't, and stays within his limitations. Of course, everybody in the whole world is willing to copy Mr. Clock's swing, everything except the time and experience it took to create. Don't you forget, Bobby, there's no magic formula. Each one of us has to dig it out for ourselves."