Joe LaCava and Tiger Woods at last year’s Masters.
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You’re not Tiger Woods, Joe LaCava says.
And in four words, that’s one of the biggest mistakes Tiger Woods’ former caddie sees amateurs make.
There’s a fix, though. And all of it made for a good listen during this week’s On the Mark podcast (which you can — and should — listen to in full here).
To begin, host Mark Immelman, a coach and an announcer for CBS, was talking to LaCava, his guest, about pro-ams. It’s a topic he knows well, having worked for several stars over the past 30-plus years, including Woods, Fred Couples and Patrick Cantlay, his current player — and having seen players of all shapes and sizes in the event that typically precedes a tournament.
And Immelman wondered.
“Most of our audience,” he said on the podcast, “you see them Wednesdays; you’re going to have it tomorrow at the FedEx St. Jude Championship; you’ll be in a pro-am, right on Patrick Cantlay’s bag, and you’ll see a selection of amateurs. And everyone’s wanted to drive it longer. Look, I understand that. But for most club golfers, hitting hybrids and fairway woods well and having a good short game, that’s kind of the key to success, wouldn’t you say?”
LaCava did. He then went deeper.
“First things first,” he said on the podcast, “I worked for Fred Couples for 20 years and I think Tiger for 10 so I try to calm the guys down on the first tee because obviously how can you not be nervous playing with those guys.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Immelman said.
“So first things first, just try to let them relax,” LaCava said. “I mean, I’d be a nervous wreck, too. And then the other thing is, you know they’re playing in front of a couple thousand people on these pro-am days, which is not easy. Most people haven’t done that, but if you try and do that, that is not an easy task. But when I’m in the pro-am, settle the guys down a little bit and then I find a couple things happen in the pro-ams.”
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It was at this point where LaCava talked Woods.
“Guys usually never hit enough club,” the caddie said on the podcast. “You know they’re always coming up short — like, oh my god, I hit that good. I said, well, yeah, you’re two clubs short because you just think you can get a 7-iron there because Tiger is over there hitting an 8-iron. That’s just not the case. I mean, check the ego at the door; hit a little less club. And I tell the guys the same thing.”
LaCava also noted another amateur mistake, but before we go further, an observation from a GOLF.com reporter fits well here. On Wednesday, during the FedEx St. Jude pro-am, an amateur was to the right of the 18th hole on TPC Southwind, on a slight upslope. The player swung with a fairway metal. The player missed. It happened twice more. The player’s pro then shouted this:
“Take a wedge.
“But it’s your money.”
Now back to LaCava.
“When I play my local golf with guys and they’re trying to break 80 or whatever, listen, you got to take your medicine,” he said on the podcast. “When you’re in the rough, hit less club, hit it out of the rough, get it back in play, don’t compound the problem and turn a four or five into a six or seven and then you get back into the clubhouse, drinking your beer, and you think, oh my god, I shot 81, but coulda, woulda, shoulda.
“So I always tell people the same thing, just get it out of the rough, get it back in play, hit a wedge in there and try and make four for par; if not, worst-case scenario, just keep it to bogeys and you’ll be just fine.”
Editor’s note: To listen to the entire podcast with LaCava, please click here.
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