Sam Snead_PGA |
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5'11"
185 lbs
Hot Springs, Virgina
Masters Champion 1949, 1952, 1954
British Open Champion 1946
PGA Champion 1942, 1949, 1951
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"It’s only around impact", Snead says, that he feels like he stops making an arm swing and starts using his body to rotate. That’s not what’s actually happening — his body is constantly rotating — but nevertheless, that’s his feeling. That the first half of his downswing is a pull with his arms, and the final part of his downswing is a rotation with his body."It’s the “final punch,” as the he describes it.
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"Golf is played with the arms"
--Sam Snead
wait-once loaded-- swings above never stop
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Samuel Jackson "Sam" Snead (May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was one of the top players in the
world for most of 4 decades. He and two others of the greatest golfers of all time, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, were born within
six months of each other in 1912. He won a record 82 PGA Tour events and about 70 others worldwide. He won seven majors:
three Masters, three PGA Championships and one British Open.
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"Good golfing temperament falls between taking it with a grin or shug and throwing a fit."
--Sam Snead
"Of the mental hazards, "being scared is the worst. When you get scared, you get tense."
--Sam Snead
"The three things I fear most in golf are lightning, Ben Hogan, and a downhill putt.
--Sam Snead
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wait-once loaded-- swings above never stop
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"Make the basic shot-making decision early, clearly, and firmly, and then ritualize all the necessary acts of preparation."
--Sam Snead
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wait-once loaded-- swings above never stop
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During his peak years, he was an exceptionally long driver, particularly into the wind, with very good
accuracy as well. He was a superb player with the long irons, which says a lot about his ball striking abilities. He and Mickey Wright were both well known for their long iron play.
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wait-once loaded-- swings above never stop
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Sam Snead’s nickname was "Slammin' Sammy."
John Schlee, U.S. Open runner-up in 1973: "Watching Sam Snead practice hitting golf balls is like watching a fish practice swimming."
Phil Mickelson: "I don't think there's ever been a golf swing as aesthetically pleasing as Sam Snead's."
USGA president
William Campbell: "He was the best natural player ever. He had the eye of an eagle, the grace of a leopard and the strength of a lion."
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wait-once loaded-- swings above never stop
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wait-once loaded-- swings above never stop
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“No matter what happens – never give up on a hole….In tossing in your cards after a bad beginning you also undermine your whole game, because to quit between tee and green is more habit-forming than drinking a highball before breakfast.”
--Sam Snead
When your spine goes up during down swing, the arms and club go out, not down and around.
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In spite of his great achievements, his reputation has always been slightly tainted by his failure to win a U.S. Open.
Snead shares the record for most second-place finishes in that championship with four, along with Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus,
and Phil Mickelson.
wait-once loaded-- swings above never stop
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"Sure, it bugs me that they make
such a big deal of it because I never won the U.S. Open, but I must have been playing pretty good and sinking putts when I won
those three Masters, three PGAs and the British Open."
"When I'm coming down the stretch and the adrenaline is flowing, I try to maintain a slower pace and keep it even. I try to stay loose.
Walter Hagen once told me that he was all right as long as his legs felt nice and loose, but the minute they began to tighten and feel tense,
he knew he was in trouble. In general, for all shots under pressure, I just try to shake my arms a little and get as loose as a goose.”
-- Sam Snead
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Known for a very creative
short game, Sam pioneered use of the sand wedge for short shots from grass .
In 1954, Ben Hogan accepted $10,000 from Time magazine for a story titled “Ben Hogan’s Secret: A Debate.” Seven pros in the story guessed what it was, with Sam Snead saying,“Anybody can say he’s got a secret if he won’t tell what it is.”
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Sam also pioneered croquet-style putting in the 1960s,
where he straddled the ball with one leg on each side. The United States Golf Association banned this technique shortly afterwards,
since until that time, golfers had always faced the ball when striking.
Snead then went to side-saddle putting, where he crouched and
angled his feet towards the hole, and held the club with a split grip. He used that style for the rest of his career.
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"Making the ball roll the right distance is a lot like pitching pennies. You make a nice, smooth swinging motion with your arms.
The longer the putt, or the slower the greens, the farther back and through you want those arms to swing. You want the ball to die at the
target. Don't be thinking "never up, never in" on anything you might three-putt. Remember, you're putting on a green, not bowling down an alley."
--Sam Snead
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Sam hit the Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field scoreboard with a golf ball teed off from home plate.
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