Guys a real crackpot. I personally don’t even believe in range finders. Golf a game of various skills including judgment, feel, imagination . Designers use many concepts to create illusions on a golf hole. The fun is to figure them out and defeat the hole design, not to use devices .

    In the military, a compass was a round device that was used to plot one's way from one grid point to another on a map, differentiating north from south, east from west. You had a magnetic north, and a true north, because of the magnetic pull from the north and south poles. We called this declination.

    I assumed what he was using was a similar device, but then again - maybe the nomenclature of said items have changed over the years.

      Furthermore... I think (to me) this would be more of a benefit regarding wind direction, much more so than the location of holes cut on a putting green.

      I wonder if he stays up late at night during a tournament week trying to figure out the moon's position and how that impacts the flight of his golf ball...

      Tinker I personally don’t even believe in range finders. Golf a game of various skills including judgment, feel, imagination . Designers use many concepts to create illusions on a golf hole. The fun is to figure them out and defeat the hole design, not to use devices .

      I totally disagree. I do not believe guessing the distance to things is a part of golf. If it was, there wouldn't be sprinkler heads with distances listed or 150yd markers, etc. One should always know the numbers - planning and execution is the game.

          My favorite Bryson quirk-

          SEVEN top 10's, and a WIN, this year!

          Also, I just watched the end of his episode of playing lessons with Sean Foley.....they showed his swing from overhead with what they called 360 view....amazing, truly amazing how.consistent he is with that plane!

          ZWExton Not to be nosy, but how many times will you hit that 150 yd. green? Even after knowing exactly how far it was????

              Par4QC 8/10ish. But knowing whether it's 140, 150, or 160 to the front/middle/back makes a big difference in club selection too. 145 vs 157 is a different club for me.

                PA-PLAYA Compass:

                1 : a device having a magnetic needle that indicates direction on the earth's surface by pointing toward the north

                2 : an instrument for drawing circles or marking measurements consisting of two pointed legs joined at the top by a pivot —usually used in pl.

                I guess you had to have gone to school in the '50s(or earlier) to know about #2.
                Old sailors would have been seen using both types at once.

                  Par4QC I think that is beside the point! Everyone calculates the yardage to the best of their (willing) ability. Where it becomes real guess work is when the player goes far off the beaten path.....then, if lasers or gps are not an option it truly is guess work. I have no problem with folks who want to judge yardage by eyesight or guess, but dont bust my balls because I want to have all the relevant info. The outcome has more to do with technique and skill, but knowing the numbers is absolutely crucial. You think Bubba just guesses....no he knows every crucial yardage point on every shot, every time.....as does every other pro golfer...not because they are scientists, because the info is readily available to them and easily calculated!

                      ode

                      No doubt. It's just that some of us (myself included) think that Bryson could be so much better if he perhaps reduced some of his analytics. I mean - we are talking about him using a compass. lol

                      But granted - that's coming from an armchair warrior who's lucky to break 80 on a good day these days at his home course he's played hundreds of times. So what do I know...

                      I think, however, that he has a lot of untapped potential that is being clouded by too much technical thought too much of the time. He seems like a great kid and I find it very hard to root against him. I hope he can get through this obsessive compulsive stage in his career where he feels like he has to be perfect.

                      • ode replied to this.

                          PA-PLAYA by better you mean better than Brooks, Dustin, Patrick, Justin, Rickie, and Jordan....cuz those are the only guys who are better in the US....and Bryson is trending up. You have John Rahm, Rory, Justin Rose, and Tommy Fleetwood from Europe and i suppose Paul Casey and Alex Noren deserve mention too....pretty impressive list...bag on him all you want for slow play or pouting, but his play is stellar. The criticism is starting to go past the point of being constructive and is now getting negative and unnecessarily so, like in social media and the main stream media. It's unacceptable IMO.

                              ode

                              I don't think he plays any slower than a lot of notoriously slow players. It's not like he's in danger of becoming the poster child for the tour for slow play. And he's still lightyears away from ever being in a position to supplant Sergio and a few other epic whiners on tour (perhaps Bubba at times) in the pouting department.

                              I wish him well. My criticism isn't so much a negative criticism as it is just an unbiased observation. One could easily argue that what he did last week isn't all that different from the common practice of a tour player spending 2-3 minutes reading and dissecting every last detail in a green-reading book once their ball is on the green.

                              But given his analytical nature, both he and his diehard fans had to recognize that using a compass during a professional tournament was naturally only going to exacerbate the perception.

                              He's enjoying a very good start to his career, already winning twice since turning pro back in 2016. He's had some solid finishes in those tournaments he hasn't won this season, which is evidenced with his #6 ranking in the FedEx Cup points currently. He's making a lot of money.

                              There's enough there for someone to assume that he's already good and only gonna get better, especially if he becomes better on the greens. But there's also enough there for some to question whether or not his talent is being held back because of the analytical way he approaches the game. Not trying to be overly critical or negative, but just basing my own thoughts on what I've observed, not what has been said or written in the media by those looking to create negativity.

                              Bubba was/is unorthodox in his approach to the game, just as much as Bryson is. They just come from two entirely different playing spectrums. And it's also worth noting that Bubba often faced criticism because of his homemade swing and his attitude on occasion. Once he won two major championships - his critics pretty much swallowed their tongues.

                              • ode replied to this.
                              • ode likes this.

                                  PA-PLAYA I never really got the Bubba critics....he did have a crappy year when he switched to Volvik (was that why? I'm sure it played a role), but he seems to be what a lot of critics want.....works the ball, plays a myriad of shots, not robitic at all, his own swing, etc. Etc. IMO too many critics are just that critics, talking out both sides of the mouth!

                                  These two guys could be Ryder Cup teammates! And they could be paired together, lol...one thing to play together in a stroke play event, but a pairing in a team competition would be fascinating!

                                      ode

                                      I think Bubba's occasional whining over the years, blaming his caddie when he'd hit a bad shot, etc. didn't exactly help his reputation within the golf media.

                                      He's definitely a lot more laid back than he used to be, to his credit. And too - I think him revealing that he struggles with his ADD tendencies and admitted that he's uncomfortable in social settings when it comes to big crowds and such - I think they stopped being so critical of him.


                                          PA-PLAYA - Bubba starting changing himself from within when he realized his 'Debby Downer' schtick would not lead to being named a Cup co-captain, which was a goal of his before he retires.

                                            10 days later

                                            The kid has a world of talent. If he lets go of some of his obsessive-compulsive analytics - he'll fair better in the long run.

                                            Not a huge fan of the USGA for numerous reasons, but their decision only helps Bryson imo.

                                            I like Bryson's approach to the game, it's different. It seems to keep his mind from wandering during those 6 hour PGA rounds ala Freddie Couples. For me maintaining concentration is a huge part of the game. I use a gps to get a number and keep score. That's all the info I need to swing confidently. With a general number in my head I pull a club and don't think about anything but executing the shot. It seems once the Bryson has all the info he feels he needs he swings with confidence. A plus is all the calculations he makes while waiting to hit keeps him focused.

                                            I get a kick out of some of the old timers I play with. Although having just turned 60 myself I guess I need to rethink the term "oldtimer" 🙂. They have played the same course over and over again for 30-40 years. Of course they know where they are at any given spot on the course. They snark at my gps technology yet I'm walking, playing a half set of old set blades I built for fun, an old anser putter and they always have the latest and greatest driver, irons and high MOI putters their bag.