In search of the perfect golf swing, the Golf Channel’s Charlie Rymer showcased the swings of professionals David Duvall, Jim Furyk and Michelle McGann.
But it was golf legend Jack Nicklaus who came up with the answer.
“You all have the perfect swing,” Nicklaus told about 800 people sitting under the blazing sun Monday at the Polo Fields for The Villages “A Lesson with the Legends.” “You just have trouble finding it.”
Proceeds from the event benefited two veterans organizations, Combat Veterans to Careers and K9 for Warriors, which provides service dogs to wounded veterans.
Nicklaus, who is widely considered the best golfer of all time, praised the dedication to golf in The Villages, but said the sport’s challenge is to attract more young people.
“We’re starting to get the kids involved through the park systems now,” he said. “We’ve got to make it so it doesn’t take three hours.”
That could mean reducing the number of holes in a typical golf game to 12 or playing with larger holes, Nicklaus said, adding that the barriers to playing golf are the same at any age – cost, time of the game and difficulty.
Nicklaus said he plans to address one area of confusion next month when he begins selling a new selection of golf balls on his web site, www.nicklaus.com. The balls are colored black, blue and white and golfers can choose a color based on the color of the tee they usually play.
During the event, Nicklaus and the other professional golfers hit autographed balls into the crowd as they offered tips. McGann, a Ladies Professional Golf Association champion, U.S. Open champion Furyk and British Open champion Duvall demonstrated their swings. Duvall, whose father, Bob, also a professional golfer who spoke to the crowd, said pinpoint accuracy is not necessary on long drives.
“If I could get a drive in a 20-yard window, that’s a good drive,” he said.
Before the main program began, instructors from The Villages Golf Academy conducted an on-stage golf clinic while Rymer and the professional golfers signed autographs for those sitting in the V.I.P. Section. Glenn Kaye of the Village of Tierra Del Sol brought a painting of Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods from the 1996 Masters Tournament for Nicklaus to sign.
Catherine Herridge of Fox News also spoke at the event and Marc Melzer, a look-alike of comedian Rodney Dangerfield, entertained in the V.I.P. Section. After the main program, a veteran’s tribute concert featured country music artist Garrett Miles and other Villages entertainers.
