What If

One of the fun things on social is media is finding out what post cause people to respond. Anything PGA Tour/LIV related is bound to get major response. Other things are hit or miss. Recently I posited a question which generated a ton of interest. It was one of those nostalgic sports related questions fans love to contemplate. If you are on X (Twitter), you can follow me on there at jcmmartin65. So, what was the question?

What past PGA Tour professional do you wish you could see play with today’s modern equipment?

I received tons of responses. There were typical names, some surprise names and newer names. The newer names, like John Daly, really missed the spirit of the question, but John Daly would have been fun in his prime with today’s equipment. Overall, the names came from every era. From the original superstar, Old Tom Morris to Bobby Jones to Ben Hogan to Palmer and Nicklaus, there were some pretty common responses. And all the different responses got me to thinking who would be my top five. Here they are in order.

5. Moe Norman

   

   The eclectic Canadian with the unique swing is considered by many to be the greatest ball striker of all time. He marveled golfers of all ages and abilities with his prowess of solid, straight flying strikes of the golf ball. Shot after shot. Nothing but solid contact. Moe was a proponent of the one plane swing. His swing looked odd in many ways, but it produced consistent contact and ball flight.

   

   It would have been fun seeing what golf’s eclectic genius would have done with modern equipment. If you’ve never seen Moe Norman swing a club, there are countless videos on YouTube. Go and take a look.

4. Sam Snead

   

   Many people consider Sam Snead the most natural swinger of the club ever. The West Virgina native is currently tied with Tiger Woods for the most PGA Tour wins with 82. His powerful, smooth swing also led him to win 7 majors.

   With his trademark straw hat, Snead produced effortless power. It would have been fun to see how far he could have hit the ball with today’s equipment. No doubt, he would have been one of the longest players today. Check out the picture below and tell me Snead wasn’t an athlete.

   

3. Bobby Jones

   

   The only player to win the traditional Grand Slam, Jones spent his entire career as an amateur. Jones played with hickory shafted clubs. It is estimated he hit swing speeds of 117 mph which would put him just over the current PGA Tour average of 115 mph. Even in his day, Jones was known for hitting drives over 300 yards when needed. Considering hickory shafted clubs were notoriously inconsistent along with the golf ball technology of the day, Jones being able to have distance and accuracy at that speed is truly remarkable. Understandably, for many golf fans, Jones held the title of GOAT until Jack Nicklaus arrived on the scene.

   This is always a fun exercise for the imagination. Would the greats of the past still be great today using modern equipment? For me, the answer is yes. I believe the greatness of the players above would have been enhanced with the technology of today.

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   Feel free to leave a comment on players you would like to see on this list.

   As always, be thankful when you get to play this amazing game. Be grateful for every shot. Appreciate every moment on the course. Now, go golf!