GOLF / MAL FLORENCE : John Daly’s Big Swing Leaves Lasting Impact

Long John Daly may never win another major tournament, or even a PGA Tour event, but his victory in the recent PGA Championship is the golf story of the year.

It’s not because he got into the tournament as the ninth alternate at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., and won, but because of the aggressive manner in which he did it.

He did it in Paul Bunyan fashion, overpowering the golf course with his driver. For example, on eight measured drives, he averaged 309 yards.

He even hit a sand wedge 143 yards for his second shot on the par-four, 438-yard eighth hole and watched it sail over the green.

On the 18th hole, a 445-yard par four along a lake, he routinely used a driver and left himself with seven- or eight-iron to the green.

Jack Nicklaus, recognized as one of the game’s longest hitters in his prime, marveled at Daly’s power.

Steve Pate, the former UCLA star and member of the Ryder Cup team, is another admirer, saying: “When he (Daly) walks onto the practice range, I just stand back and watch.”

Bruce Lietzke, who was paired with Daly, is regarded as a long hitter, but he was overwhelmed. “He’s going to be able to overpower 15 courses on tour,” Lietzke told Golf World. “He could be a guy winning seven or eight tournaments a year. We haven’t had that guy since Johnny Miller.”

That remains to be seen, but Daly has already had an impact on fans, who want a new, exciting star to emerge on the tour, which is marked by parity and blandness.

Hackers are scurrying to driving ranges, inspired by Daly, and trying vainly for more distance.

So why is the 25-year-old Daly so long? Is it some technique that he has perfected?

Mike Miller, the teaching pro at Mountaingate Country Club, says there is no secret to his power.

“He’s talented. There is no (technical) reason,” Miller said. “What did Babe Ruth do when he hit home runs? Why does Nolan Ryan throw the ball so hard and so fast?”

Bob Harrison, teaching pro at Brentwood Country Club, says Daly’s swing when he moves into the ball is reminiscent of the late Bobby Jones.

Eddie Merrins, the pro at Bel-Air CC, says Daly appeals to fans because of his boldness, using his driver in the late stages of the PGA Championship instead of playing it safe.

“I think the thing that the public fancied in him was his bravado, not only did he hit it long, but he kept pulling that driver out of the bag,” Merrins said. “It was like watching a guy with a hot hand at Las Vegas at the crap table. He kept stacking it up. He never pulled in the horns even the last three, four or five holes when he had things pretty much in hand.

“Four out of five people, including commentators, would expect him to take an iron and put the ball in the fairway. But he kept hauling out the driver and the public loved that. And he played to them, which was the unusual thing.”

Said Harrison: “I think he has changed the status quo concept of the golf swing. Before we talked about the 90-degree shoulder turn and parallel at the top being ideal. Here, this young man has blown this right out of the window.

“A lot of people are comparing him to Nicklaus, but I what I see is Bobby Jones. When television showed a shot of him (Daly) from the rear, watch his left hip pocket. He makes a lateral movement to the left, more of rotating, almost behind type of movement and has tremendous lash action.

“In the tapes of Jones I’ve seen, he has a long, lazy backswing, but when he comes into impact, his left side posts up like a wall. This kid does that and more.”

Harrison said that Daly’s style may have a negative effect on the average golfer.

“I think people will begin over swinging right away,” he said. “If they copied the things he does, rather than the things he appears to do, they might achieve some help from it.

“To me, he looks like Tom Sawyer--a likeable charisma--with a Bobby Jones swing.”

Miller doesn’t believe that a special technique is the reason that Daly hits the ball so far.

“He’s (just) physically strong and very talented for distance,” Miller said. “There are also people who have a talent for hitting the ball straight or a very good short game.

“Or, another way to put it, they have talent for scoring. That’s why many times long hitters don’t score well.

“If you made 1,000 calls, you’d get 1,000 reasons why Daly hits the ball so long. If any one of those pros on tour could do what he’s doing technically, they’d do it in a second. But they can’t.

“As talented as they are, they’re not talented (in that area).”

Merrins said Daly is typical of today’s breed of young golfers inasmuch as he’s an athlete who was even invited by Coach Ron Meyer of the Indianapolis Colts to kick in an exhibition game.

“His swing, although suspect, is natural in the sense that he uses the club and body in unison,” Merrins said. “And his swing is much longer than average. So if the coordination of things within his swing is correct, you see what happened at Crooked Stick. But when it’s off a little bit, you see what happened at the first round of Firestone. (He shot an 80 Thursday in the World Series of Golf at Akron, Ohio.)

“But this, too, captures the imagination of the public. They don’t expect him to win every week. But he rolls the dice, and occasionally he does win and they love it.”

Asked why he considers Daly’s swing suspect, Merrins said:

“It’s suspect in that it’s so big. He reminds you of a woman who over-swings. But the difference is that he’s a strong male instead of a not-so-strong female.”

Merrins expects that Daly will eventually adjust his swing, much like Davis Love III, who was an extremely long hitter, but erratic when he first came on the tour.

“However, you may see more John Dalys. He may start a different trend with youngsters, which will, in turn, cause architects to tighten their holes farther down the fairway,” Merrins said. “He should have an advantage if he’s long, but he should have a disadvantage if he’s wild.”

Harrison and Merrins agree that Daly has already had a positive impact on the game by playing faster than the average pro.

“That would help the world if more people did that,” Harrison said.

Said Merrins: “I like that very much (fast play). All of us can learn from that.”

Golf Notes

A trial program that would provide incentives for golfers who play a round in under 4 1/2 hours will be conducted at Griffith Park’s Wilson course starting on or about Sept. 1. Golfers will pay an extra 50 cents, which will cover the cost of a trial marshaling program. Players who complete a round in less than 4 1/2 hours will be entitled to bonus coupons, such as a free round at the Los Feliz nine-hole course (four coupons). Players who can’t keep up with the group in front of them will be asked to speed up play. If they are unable to keep up, they will be asked to leave and their green fees will be refunded.

The 17th annual Frank F. Kowski memorial tournament will be held Sept. 16 at the Sunset Hills course in Thousand Oaks. The tournament is named in honor of the late Southwest Regional Director of the National Park Service. . . . Eight Los Angeles-area youngsters are receiving all-expense paid trips to Japan for the Japan Cup World Junior Championships starting Friday. They are among 49 youngsters from the United States and around the world invited to the inaugural tournament. They are: Alicia Allison, 15, North Hollywood; Ted Oh, 14, Torrance; Darren Angel, 14, Northridge; Allison Wilson, 14, North Hollywood; Julie Lee, 14, Cerritos; Jason Semelsberger, 12, Newhall; Todd Brown, 9, Encino; and Melissa Martin, 8, Altadena. . . . The Los Angeles Women’s Senior Championships will be held Sept. 4-5 at Woodley Lakes.

The Sandpiper and La Purisima golf courses will be the site of the 19th annual Santa Barbara County Championships Oct. 5-6. The tournament is a 36-hole stroke-play event for all handicap levels. . . . Tickets, including for practice rounds, are on sale for the 1992 U.S. Open championship June 15-21 at Pebble Beach. Ticket information can be obtained by calling 800-832-1992. . . . The second annual Disneyland Pigskin challenge tournament will be held Monday at Tustin Ranch golf club. . . . Don Rohrer and Cliff Hugoboom won their divisions in the Aug. 12 Los Angeles County Lifeguard Assn. tournament. . . . The ninth annual Pomona Valley Workshop tournament will be held Sept. 10 at the Butterfield Stage course in Chino.

The fourth annual Heart of Jesus Retreat Center charity tournament, hosted by the Arvida Corporation, is scheduled Sept. 16 at the Coto de Caza Golf and Racquet Club. . . . The Scoring School at Industry Hills Recreation and Conference Center, in cooperation with the Centinela Hospital Fitness Institute, will conduct a golf school Sept. 28-29. . . . The second annual Saint John’s tournament will be held Oct. 7 at Riviera Country Club. Actor Robert Wagner is honorary chairman of the event. . . . The Paso Robles High Alumni tournament, hosted by the class of ‘51, will be held Oct. 11 at the Paso Robles Country Club.