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The Syllabus: Spring has sprung

Ryan Herrington — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:53:00 GMT

By Ryan HerringtonThe house lights blinked this past weekend, signaling the end of intermission for the 2012-13 season. Yet it was anything but quiet from the end of November to the end of January as...

What's right about Hossler's decision to skip spring

Ryan Herrington — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:33:00 GMT

By Ryan HerringtonThe subject of Beau Hossler and when his playing career would begin at Texas seems to have come to a resolution as Longhorn coach John Fields confirmed two days ago that the 17-year-old...

Hossler to arrive at Texas in January, but golf will come later

Ryan Herrington — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:08:00 GMT

By Ryan HerringtonWhile there is still no official word on whether Texas sophomore Jordan Spieth will be back for the defending NCAA champions after the new year—he failed to advance past second stage of PGA...

Golf World's 2012 Newsmakers of The Year

GolfDigest.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Taking stock of 2012 by counting down the year's 25 biggest headliners.

Golf instructor Jim Flick a newsmaker in his own right

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:26:00 GMT

By John Strege

On a warm day in late September, I ventured over to the Kingdom, as TaylorMade's testing facility in Carlsbad, Calif., is called, where the renowned instructor Jim Flick kept an office near the lesson tee on which he plied his trade in the last years of his life.

A plate of food was on his desk, but he never touched it. "I'm kind of struggling with my health a little bit," he said. "But when you get to be almost 83, you're going to have some days. They've got me on some iron and I really get a reaction to food."

Nothing else suggested anything was disturbingly amiss, a diagnosis apparently yet to be made. He was his typical ebullient self, thrilled to be talking about Beau Hossler, his 17-year-old protege, the reason I was there, and the subject of the story that appears in Golf World's Newsmakers issue.

It might have been the last extensive interview he gave, lasting two hours and frequently and fascinatingly meandering off topic, as it did when he noted of his Wake Forest roommate, Arnold Palmer, that "he was the first player I played with who I thought willed the ball around the golf course."

The conservation eventually turned to Tiger Woods, as it is wont to do in golf circles, and the swing changes he has undergone.

"I wonder if he gets bored," Flick said. "I think he feels like there might be a better way. I've spent a little bit of time with him. Never really coached him. The only time I spent much time with him was 1996, I walked a practice round with he, Tom Watson and Jack [Nicklaus] at the Open at Oakland Hills. Tiger, Jack and I went into the lunch room and someone else wanted to talk to Jack, so I talked to Tiger for maybe an hour-and-a-half.

"I think Tiger feels like he needs to be motivated and I think he uses changes to do that. The truth is, in the year 2000, he [Tiger Woods] was probably the best player in the history of the game. I don't think we've ever had anybody whose concentration level is superior to Tiger's. I think he finds a way to get the maximum efficiency out of himself as a competitor. His short game is beyond belief. He had an incredible mind to find a solution for the challenge he was facing. He doesn't seem quite able to do that at the moment.

"I don't like his swing as well as I did in the year 2000. To me the major difference is that he's not changing directions from the ground up as he did when he worked with Butch [Harmon]. He's changing his directions a lot more with his shoulders and his upper body. To me, he's in a lot of different positions at impact, with his chest a little more open or a little more closed. That used to never be a problem.

"I've never quite understood why he changed his putting style. Jack said to me one time, 'I used to think if a putt had to me made I'd like to have the putter in my hands, but when I see some of the putts that Tiger has made...'"

Flick had the distinction of working with Nicklaus after Nicklaus' long-time instructor Jack Grout died in 1989.

"For me to tell you I taught Jack Nicklaus a lot of things would be an inaccurate statement," Flick said. "I think that why Jack trusted me after Mr. Grout passed was that he was seeing some fellows and they were all trying to take him down a slightly different path than what Mr. Grout had taught him. My thinking was, gosh, here's a guy that was the best player in the history of the game. Why would I not want to keep him doing the same things Mr. Grout had him doing? I would watch Mr. Grout teach Jack at Frenchmen's Creek [Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., where Grout taught during the winter months]. What I told Jack was, 'why don't you let me be a set of eyes for you for what Mr. Grout did with you, as best I can, and keep you on the same path?'

"I've been very fortunate. I've worked with 25 tour players who've won major championships. Not that I'm claiming I've helped all of them. I'm just saying I know what they thought about how they played the game and how they used their minds. I've learned a lot more from them perhaps than they've learned from me.

"Tom Lehman came to me in 1990. He'd lost his tour card three times and six years later he was the best player in the world. I learned a lot working with Tom. I always say that what really helped my teaching is I'd go to the Open with Tom and Jack and I'd watch Tom hit balls and every shot he hit his eyes saw right to left. I'd go over to Jack and he'd see left to right. Here was the best player in the world and the best player in history and they used the club radically differently. You'd better damn well know what you're feeding each one of them to fit how they're using the golf club."

Flick said that he considered Bob Toski "the best teacher in the history of golf by a considerable margin. The reason I say that is that Bob was the best player in the world in 1954. The guy won five times in 13 months and was the leading money winner. Most people don't know that, of course. But Bob understands what it takes to teach people and put the principals together that let you play better, not just the swing and looking good swinging, but understanding what works under pressure."

He did not have the same reverence for some of the contemporary instructors, however. "Beau's dad told me he had a few golf professionals say at the Open they could do a lot better job with Beau's swing than I've done," Flick said. "You're always going to have people second-guessing what you teach and how you teach it and so on and so forth. It's the world we live in."

We would speak once more, about five weeks later. I left a message for him on his cell phone, regarding setting up a photo shoot with him and Hossler. He returned my call later that day and said that there would be no photo shoot.

"I'm on my death bed," he said. "Cancer of the pancreas."

He died six days later.

Follow @JohnStrege

Flick's Legacy Will Live On

Tim Rosaforte — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Embracing what the storied teacher has meant to the game's greats.

Trending: Five other notable Ryder Cup snubs

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 15:57:00 GMT

By Derek Evers

Today, Davis Love III announced his captain's picks for the four remaining spots on the 2012 American Ryder Cup team, rounding out the squad with Brandt Snedeker, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker. While much will be made of the 12 golfers who will be representing the United States at Medinah CC, today officially marks the start of the second-guessing of the names left off of the captain's list. Many will point to notables like Rickie Fowler and Nick Watney as those overlooked by Love, but as any Ryder Cup veteran will tell you, it's as much about match-ups and intangibles as it is a player's performance. With that in mind, here are five golfers I think would have added some much-needed charisma to the U.S. squad.

John Daly: While much is made of his off-the-course antics, Daly has quietly put together a pretty decent 2012. With four top-20 finishes, including his first top-5 since 2005, why not play the hot-ish hand? And just think of the distracting impact his pants could have on the course. If America is going to put up a fight, I want a Hooters-eating, beer-drinking, home-schooling, badass in my corner.

Bill Clinton: He may not be the best presidential golfer, but he'll talk his way into making you think he is. It's that mental edge that the Americans need to overcome a European squad that boasts three of the top four players in the world. And all of the women and McDonald's wrappers lining the greens will undoubtedly get under the skin of the notoriously tidy Euros.

Beau Hossler: With a youth movement led by World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, many believe the Europeans have a decided advantage, so why not start grooming some of the American prospects early on? The future is bright for young Hossler, who at one point was atop the leader board during last June's U.S. Open, but I think it's imperative we get the hazing rituals out of the way before he turns 18 so as not to stunt his growth as a player. Besides, no one wants to see Jason Dufner or Keegan Bradley take part in the Elephant Walk or Boob Ranking anyway.

Bill Gates: Despite some rather underwhelming scores, the Augusta Member -- and second-richest man in the world -- could bribe a win out of at least two of the matches he plays in. That could provide a huge advantage for Captain Love should a momentum swing be needed.

Bill Murray: Rounding out my three-Bills selection, the pro-am icon is overdue for some real action in a tournament. Murray could use his chumming with fans as a tactical maneuver to slow down play, while his antics on the course are sure to aggravate whomever he plays against. And like his movie career, he'll gladly play the lesser, more-compelling role of the 12th man picked -- he may not play his best golf, but critics are sure to be impressed he turned down a higher-profile match, giving the Americans their first-ever Oscar nomination. When the European team points out this does nothing for the actual match, we'll remind them we can always send Chevy Chase in 2014, thus resulting in the first ever intentional forfeit.

Other notables who just missed out my list of other notable Ryder Cup snubs: Willie Nelson, the ghost of Bob Hope, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jordan, and Hunter Mahan.

Follow @derekevers

(Photo: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Readers opine on Sawgrass' 17th and Hossler in last two Front 9 Contests

Steve Hennessey — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:48:00 GMT

Our Front 9 Punchline Contest allows our Golf World fans' to help us write our magazine. Every Sunday, we invite readers to contribute a snappy comment for one item in the Front 9 feature...

Weekend Tip: Like Hossler, change clubs in the bunker

Roger Schiffman — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Beau Hossler, 17, is using his lob wedge on this short explosion in last week's U.S. Open. Golf Digest photo by Dom FuroreOne of the game's cliches is that the long explosion is the hardest...

My picture-perfect week at the U.S. Open

Matt Ginella — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:36:00 GMT

From playing iconic golf courses, having breakfast with legends and witnessing historical performances, it was as if the Bay Area was trying to steal me back from Brooklyn.My dream U.S. Open week in pictures and...