Tom Watson is an eight-time major winner and one of the greatest golfers to ever live but even he had a few quirks in his golf swing over the years.
Like any top player, Watson had his own way of swinging the golf club and getting around the course.
In the end, it was good enough to win him eight majors and also produce enough PGA Tour wins to put him inside the top ten of all-time for wins.
However, just because he was so good doesn’t mean that he was conventional and followed everyone else’s lead with his golf swing.
In fact, looking back at a clip from Johnny Miller explaining Watson’s swing, it’s revealed how he actually took something from the great Byron Nelson.
Johnny Miller explains the ‘pause’ Tom Watson had in his golf swing
Being a two-time major winner himself, Johnny Miller is well placed to assess the swings of the greats.
Indeed, when it comes to Tom Watson, Miller had a front row seat really having played in the same era.
And speaking in an old clip for Golf Magazine, Miller revealed to amateurs just what Watson does in his swing that could actually help them.
“The thing I like best about Tom Watson and I probably knew him as well as anyone because he was the top player after Nicklaus in the Trevino era, etc. Watson came along and challenged and he had an interesting move that he learned from Byron Nelson,” Miller explained.
“And that is completing your backswing and pausing at the top and then coming down, sort of a rock up, and rock down. So like go up, pause, and down. It’s really a great way to swing.
“The one common factor in all ugly looking swings that have worked on TOUR over the years is almost every bad swing pauses at the top. You have got to up and even if you have a big loop, it’s good to pause and then drop it in.
“But Watson, he was right on the money and just one-two, one-two and that’s the way he hit every chip. He paused up there. A good way to do it is to practice, and I did this, take it to the top, check it out, then hit balls from that position.”
What Jack Nicklaus said about competing with Tom Watson
With Miller revealing the swing secrets of Watson here, it’s interesting to see just what one of the best players of all time did.
However, as discussed, it also didn’t stop him from being a winner and in fact, aided him.
Indeed, speaking on the subject of Watson and competing, Jack Nicklaus has revealed previously that Watson and Lee Trevino were his toughest competitors.
“If I saw Palmer, Player, Casper, Watson, Trevino on the leaderboard, I knew I better play,” Nicklaus revealed.
“Watson and Trevino were probably the two guys who gave me the most trouble down the stretch. They were both terrific competitors.
“Trevino and I came down the stretch several times, and Watson and I came down the stretch, and frankly, they got me probably more than I got them. But truth be known, I probably got them a few times too.”
As Nicklaus says, Watson was a true competitor and eight majors show just how good he was.
Taking Miller’s observations on board, then, might well be a good start for amateurs struggling with their backswing.
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