John Daly, a two-time major champion, remains one of the PGA Tour’s most recognisable personalities.
Few players have matched Daly’s natural ability. But while he made his mark on the course, it is fair to say he also enjoyed life away from it – and that may have held him back from reaching even greater heights.
Even so, there was no question about his ability to compete at the top level. He had every shot in the bag and played with real imagination. On top of that, his length off the tee was a significant weapon.
Despite that advantage, Daly has always been quick to point out that distance is not everything in golf.
John Daly reveals what he believes is the most important skill in golf
Daly does not hold back when sharing his views, and fans have seen plenty of his opinions across social media in recent years.
Back in 2022, he appeared on the Full Send podcast and shared what he believes is the most valuable skill for professional golfers to develop.
“Everyone in golf who plays on a professional level, they can hit a driver. They can hit a five iron, a six iron, but it’s 125 and 150 yards and in that means a lot.
“Nobody ever talks about. No guy that wins a tournament ever says ‘well you know I hit that wedge from out the rough from 122 yards to gimme range’. They talk about the drive they hit to get there or whatever.
“Golf is all about 150 yards and in,” Daly concluded.
John Daly shares his top advice for amateurs looking to improve their driver game
Daly may have emphasised the importance of short-game play here, but he was also known for his distance off the tee throughout his career.
This advice was part of what he had to say about hitting driver better: “I don’t think it matters if you have a real quick swing or a real slow swing, but for me it has to be slow on the backswing to set up.
“You know, as a pitcher, he gets up and he winds, he’s not putting his foot up real fast, he’s getting that hip up and he’s loading. To me, it’s the same thing in golf.
“Like in baseball, you’re loading on your right. You’ve got to load, and I think a lot of amateurs don’t load.
“To hit a good golf ball, everything is right here, but you’ve got to be able to load. To me, it’s loading the right side and finish on your left.”
Daly knows how things work out. There could be an argument had circumstances gone another way – we would have more than just two major titles we are talking about today.
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