LI pros says lessons are the way to go

Nearly a month later, people still are amazed by the quirky swing and massive intentional hook that won the Masters. In golf's hyper-technical and mega-analyzed age, it is refreshing to know that Bubba Watson earned the green jacket without having taken one golf lesson in his life.

It is a nice story, a major champion having developed his game by hitting Wiffle balls in his backyard. Except that experts believe it should come with a warning label: Don't try this at home.

Local pros insist that Bubba Golf just won't work for most of us. Just about everybody would be better off by having a trained pair of eyes watching them swing.

"My argument is, somebody taught him something. He didn't just pick it up," said Bob Posillico, head pro at Eisenhower Park, who was at the range last Saturday, giving free 10-minute lessons as part of a Play Golf America campaign.

Club pros would be out of business if everybody were like Watson and eschewed teaching. But they aren't terrified of that just yet. They know that not everyone is a 6-3, 180-pound specimen with the natural ability to hit the ball a mile.

"For the most part, a lesson cuts down the learning curve," Posillico said. "If you hit enough balls and practice long enough, you could probably figure it out. But with instruction, you can develop better habits, quicker. We've given lessons to five-year-olds. There's a 90-year-old who comes for golf lessons."

His staff at the public facility is trying not to get too technical. "My theory is to go out there and help them have fun, and don't worry that your left toe is pointing seven degrees one way," he said.

Gil McNally, the pro emeritus at Garden City Golf Club, said it helps any golfer to see the right golf swing. "Bubba was certainly a visual learner," said McNally, who also was giving free lessons at Eisenhower Park Saturday. "Some people are more analytical. For most people, the best approach is to learn little pieces at a time."

He has seen that work, with hundreds of amateurs, as well as George Burns, Len Mattiace and Jean Bartholomew, Long Island golfers with whom he worked when they were young and who went on to become tour pros. He loves seeing people get better, no matter what their handicap is.

"I think you have to have a good foundation. A person has to have a plan," McNally said. "And you have to have balance. That's true in every sport you play, and in life in general." He likes to tell students to move freely through a swing, thinking of their two feet as boundaries.

Shinnecock Hills pro Jack Druga has played in the U.S. Open and taught all levels of golfers. So he appreciates Watson's creativity, but he said, "The fundamentals are the fundamentals." He added that 99 percent of golfers -- especially beginners and young people -- are better off if they learn and follow the basics.

"There is a way to grip the club consistently, align the club consistently and consistently get the club on plane. For most players, it really helps if you can get them to that point," he said.

Improvement is good for the golfer, good for the pro and good for the game. "The better we play," Druga said, "the more we want to play tomorrow."