Scotty Scheffler boring to watch?

[PedronNiall]

20 hours ago, DJDJ said:

For the record, if you are driving to win, your car is always on a razors edge. So is every other car, unless they aren’t trying to win.

 

To an extent, yet there's a massive difference between how Hamilton, Vettel, Schumacher, Lauda, Hunt, Senna, Verstappen, and any of the other most exciting drivers do or did it and how the also-rans did. Fans of racing might remember Button or Raikkonen setting lap records but fans of sport in general know the other names because focused as they all are in the moment, their personalities came out before, during, and after races. Everyone knew how badly they wanted it, how much it hurt when they fell short, and how sweet it tasted when they finally snatched the victory. And on top of that they truly push their equipment to the edge; there's a notable difference in the performance the greatest drivers get out of those cars. Telemetry and the like have shown that the best manage lap times with underperforming cars that most simply cannot even with better setups. 

 

Some of the things Scottie does are absolutely amazing if you're a fan of golf--regardless of handicap it's clear how amazing--but his way of plodding to victory isn't sending fans into fits of excitement to the point of leaping up and down or chasing him up fairways the way they do and did for some others. Tiger was reserved as can be in pressers and mostly stoic hitting even some of his best shots, but you saw and heard the effort in the swings and you saw what it meant to him when he pulled off the biggest ones in the biggest moments. The Tiger roar wasn't a thing because of simple appreciation of great shots that most others couldn't hit; Scottie does that almost weekly now and doesn't get anything approaching those noise levels.

 

Why is it unsurprising that a guy who says golf is just his job and who is 99% even-keeled sameness in his approach isn't seen as exciting by many? Even listening to the commentary during rounds you can hear the difference in how much they're pulled in by Tiger's or Rory's or a few other's greatest shots because of their intensity and reaction to the shot vs most of Scottie's.

 

If he isn't excited about what he just did why should anyone else be? I didn't see anyone talking about how exciting KJ Choi was to watch, and he and Scottie are in the same boat when it comes to being reserved and then some at almost all times. 

[iBanesto]

3 hours ago, PedronNiall said:

 

To an extent, yet there's a massive difference between how Hamilton, Vettel, Schumacher, Lauda, Hunt, Senna, Verstappen, and any of the other most exciting drivers do or did it and how the also-rans did. Fans of racing might remember Button or Raikkonen setting lap records but fans of sport in general know the other names because focused as they all are in the moment, their personalities came out before, during, and after races. Everyone knew how badly they wanted it, how much it hurt when they fell short, and how sweet it tasted when they finally snatched the victory. And on top of that they truly push their equipment to the edge; there's a notable difference in the performance the greatest drivers get out of those cars. Telemetry and the like have shown that the best manage lap times with underperforming cars that most simply cannot even with better setups. 

 

Some of the things Scottie does are absolutely amazing if you're a fan of golf--regardless of handicap it's clear how amazing--but his way of plodding to victory isn't sending fans into fits of excitement to the point of leaping up and down or chasing him up fairways the way they do and did for some others. Tiger was reserved as can be in pressers and mostly stoic hitting even some of his best shots, but you saw and heard the effort in the swings and you saw what it meant to him when he pulled off the biggest ones in the biggest moments. The Tiger roar wasn't a thing because of simple appreciation of great shots that most others couldn't hit; Scottie does that almost weekly now and doesn't get anything approaching those noise levels.

 

Why is it unsurprising that a guy who says golf is just his job and who is 99% even-keeled sameness in his approach isn't seen as exciting by many? Even listening to the commentary during rounds you can hear the difference in how much they're pulled in by Tiger's or Rory's or a few other's greatest shots because of their intensity and reaction to the shot vs most of Scottie's.

 

If he isn't excited about what he just did why should anyone else be? I didn't see anyone talking about how exciting KJ Choi was to watch, and he and Scottie are in the same boat when it comes to being reserved and then some at almost all times. 

 

You didn't mention Prost.

 

Prost the Scheffler of F1 or is Scheffler the Prost of golf? 😅

 

[chillybilly]

Obviously it's easy or tempting to equate steady and/or successful with boring. It's also easy to get taken in by flash or showmanship. As good as Tiger was, many of his fans were attracted to the fireworks more than the golf.

 

And I have no problem with either. Nicklaus hit countless skillful and dramatic shots but was 'Teutonic' or 'icy' most of the time, to use phrases frequently trotted out by golf writers.

 

Scheffler occasionally hints at his Nicklausian mindset - drive the competition nuts with consistency. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he hits it a mile and can land it on the hood of a VW Beetle but still....

 

 

 

[J13]

2 hours ago, chillybilly said:

Obviously it's easy or tempting to equate steady and/or successful with boring. It's also easy to get taken in by flash or showmanship. As good as Tiger was, many of his fans were attracted to the fireworks more than the golf.

 

And I have no problem with either. Nicklaus hit countless skillful and dramatic shots but was 'Teutonic' or 'icy' most of the time, to use phrases frequently trotted out by golf writers.

 

Scheffler occasionally hints at his Nicklausian mindset - drive the competition nuts with consistency. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he hits it a mile and can land it on the hood of a VW Beetle but still....

 

 

 

 

Agree overall but we live in a time where every player is a brand.  PGA Tour needs cash and they need to sell sponsorship and TV packages to survive.  Whether they like it or not they need to put on an entertaining show.  

[NoTalentLefty]

Kinda like watching Nicklaus at his best. Boring?  maybe but his short game is something to behold. Nicklaus had putting , Scheffler has pitching , chipping, and putting. Does it without the bravado of Woods, nothing wrong with it.

[TiScape]

Where’s @Obee at?! Ya finally tap out? Never seen ya post so much!
 

😂 

[Barfolomew]

Gotta give it to Scottie and his caddie that they laugh a lot.... some them dudes look miserable

[J13]

2 hours ago, NoTalentLefty said:

Kinda like watching Nicklaus at his best. Boring?  maybe but his short game is something to behold. Nicklaus had putting , Scheffler has pitching , chipping, and putting. Does it without the bravado of Woods, nothing wrong with it.

Not a question of right or wrong.  More about is it entertaining to the masses to watch.  Judging by the poll he's not connecting/ entertaining with half the crowd.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

35 minutes ago, J13 said:

Not a question of right or wrong.  More about is it entertaining to the masses to watch.  Judging by the poll he's not connecting/ entertaining with half the crowd.

Not exactly correct. One of the survey questions is silly.  Lets say you ignore the ZJ votes because it's irrelevant.  Then even if you give all the "sometimes" votes to the Yes he's boring, that's still only 48/130 - 37% votes that think he's boring.  That leave 63% that don't think he's boring at all.   I think it goes to show people on WRX find greatness to be entertaining.

 

Plus as @Barfolomewpointed out, he and Ted seem to do a whole lot of smiling and laughing out there.  While others look miserable.  Now sometimes people find entertainment in others misery... I believe the German term is schadenfreude 

Edited June 5 by BlackDiamondPar5

[TiScape]

2 hours ago, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

Not exactly correct. One of the survey questions is silly.  Lets say you ignore the ZJ votes because it's irrelevant.  Then even if you give all the "sometimes" votes to the Yes he's boring, that's still only 48/130 - 37% votes that think he's boring.  That leave 63% that don't think he's boring at all.   I think it goes to show people on WRX find greatness to be entertaining.

 

Plus as @Barfolomewpointed out, he and Ted seem to do a whole lot of smiling and laughing out there.  While others look miserable.  Now sometimes people find entertainment in others misery... I believe the German term is schadenfreude 

Gotta admit. I’ve been basing my opinion on just the vibe I get from Scottie. Haven’t taken into consideration the smiles exchanged between him n Ted. And I’m not sure it would have changed my mind! 😂 

[mosesgolf]

The more and more Scotty wins the less boring he will become.  We have someone playing like Tiger did in his prime.  That kind of winning is not boring.  It seems some are equating his "boring" style to his ah shucks I didn’t know I was that good personality.  10x better than FIGJAM.  

[J13]

4 hours ago, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

Not exactly correct. One of the survey questions is silly.  Lets say you ignore the ZJ votes because it's irrelevant.  Then even if you give all the "sometimes" votes to the Yes he's boring, that's still only 48/130 - 37% votes that think he's boring.  That leave 63% that don't think he's boring at all.   I think it goes to show people on WRX find greatness to be entertaining.

 

Plus as @Barfolomewpointed out, he and Ted seem to do a whole lot of smiling and laughing out there.  While others look miserable.  Now sometimes people find entertainment in others misery... I believe the German term is schadenfreude 

 

I had to put the ZJ option in because lets be honest it's a golf forum and it's not that serious of a question.  Scotty is unquestionably the best player on the planet right now.  Selfishly, I'd like to see more fire from him when he comes through on a big shot.  

[BlackDiamondPar5]

16 minutes ago, J13 said:

 

I had to put the ZJ option in because lets be honest it's a golf forum and it's not that serious of a question.  Scotty is unquestionably the best player on the planet right now.  Selfishly, I'd like to see more fire from him when he comes through on a big shot.  

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the humor in the question. Made me laugh when I first read it 🤣

[Dave230]

5 hours ago, Barfolomew said:

Gotta give it to Scottie and his caddie that they laugh a lot.... some them dudes look miserable

To be fair Scheffler can lose temper and look miserable too when he’s not playing well… the key is that he is playing well so often that why wouldn’t you laugh? Making $100m in a few years and winning every few times he turns up.

[PedronNiall]

9 hours ago, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

Not exactly correct. One of the survey questions is silly.  Lets say you ignore the ZJ votes because it's irrelevant.  Then even if you give all the "sometimes" votes to the Yes he's boring, that's still only 48/130 - 37% votes that think he's boring.  That leave 63% that don't think he's boring at all.   I think it goes to show people on WRX find greatness to be entertaining.

 

Plus as @Barfolomewpointed out, he and Ted seem to do a whole lot of smiling and laughing out there.  While others look miserable.  Now sometimes people find entertainment in others misery... I believe the German term is schadenfreude 

 

How did you not pick the Zach Johnson answer? Too hilarious while also being true to not go for it, especially since we all know how ho hum Scheffler is.

 

 

It's not a slight to say that he's about as reserved as they come out there, just who he is. 100% on the left side of the bell curve for being excitable. 

[Barfolomew]

Did ya see the Grant and Sheff YouTube vid..... Sheff isn't great at talking non golf stuff.... real nice guy BUT he is so dialed into golf and just talks golf stuff lol

 

But to be fair he said he didn't know how to act on a YouTube video lol cause never watches them

[J_Tizzle]

The best golf is always the most boring to watch be played.  I'm a firm believer in that.

 

Oh hit 12 fairways and 15 greens, had about 32 putts = fantastic score.

 

I strive for that boringness, but my game is too much "miss a green and get up and down from 40 yards or hit a stupid chip shot from jail to a gimme".  But we all have things we can strive for.

[J13]

20 hours ago, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the humor in the question. Made me laugh when I first read it 🤣

 

With that avatar, i figured youd appreciate a splash of humor

[2over]

I think he's boring (I'm a 2 hdcp, not sure why that matters but someone asked). The charisma thing as stated above, can't define it but know it when I see it and Scottie doesn't have it. Tiger, Rory, Bryson have it in spades. Guys like Justin Thomas, Fleetwood, Hovland, Lowry are extremely cool guys that are just fun to watch, not 100% sure why. 

 

I do know why Scottie is not fun to watch. His swing is awkward and ungainly looking. His feet are all over the place, he doesn't finish in balance half the time, looks like a 10 hdcp. I know he is elite in clubface control, low point, ball striking, but it isn't pretty and golf on TV is for entertainment and grace and beauty are entertaining. Rory's swing is pure poetry and I could watch it all day. I've never agreed with whoever said "It's not how, it's how many" (Karl Marx?). How matters. I could watch Rory hit it all over the lot and shoot 75 and be hanging on every shot! Bryson's swing isn't conventionally pretty but it is graceful, well-balanced, highly athletic and very pleasing to watch--especially when he hits it over his house for a hole in one.

 

Scottie cuts nearly every shot (because he has a little "over the top" move) and that is not an aesthetically appealing move or ball flight. A draw with a little inside out swing path is pretty. Brushing the ball off the turf without a divot looks cool and is cool. Digging a trench looks like you're digging a trench. Not as cool. Most of your D 1 studs and club champs are natural drawers of the golf ball. 20 'caps all slice. He just plays the same cut 90% of the time. He's not the longest hitter, not the best putter, the only thing he's best at is distance control with his irons, which is great for making money, and something I wish I was that good at, but it doesn't make me go "WOW! Pin high again!" Even though the announcers were trying to rave about it, it's not great TV.

 

Oh and he's a "great strategist" which another way of saying he plays very boring high percentage golf. That is good for making money and putting me to sleep. I want to see the risk takers and gamblers, the go-for-broke guys!

 

Players like Tyrel Hatton and Lowry who show real emotion are very fun to watch. I like it when they destroy tee-markers. It shows they care and not just about making money. I hear what a cut-throat competitor Scottie is from his friends. But I don't see it on the course. 

 

So, to sum up: lacking charisma (whatever that is, that thing Tiger, Rory, and Bryson have in spades!), having an awkward and ungainly looking golf swing, hitting a mild slice most of the time, not being either an amazingly long hitter nor a fabulous putter, playing very conservatively all the time, and showing zero emotion on course adds up to BORING!

 

Flame away.

Edited July 20 by 2over

[Titleist99]

4 minutes ago, 2over said:

I've never agreed with whoever said "It's not how, it's how many" (Karl Marx?). How matters. Bryson's swing isn't pretty but it is graceful and highly athletic and very pleasing to watch.

How can you believe anyone who makes a statement like this?

 

Bryson's robotic swing is the most awkward looking golf swing I've ever witnessed.

[2over]

11 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

How can you believe anyone who makes a statement like this?

 

Bryson's robotic swing is the most awkward looking golf swing I've ever witnessed.

You're wrong. He never loses his balance, ever--swinging over 130 mph! I said it's not conventionally pretty but that it is graceful, sticks the landing every time, and is incredibly powerful and athletic and hits gorgeous tight baby draws. You'd really rather watch Scottie shoot 68 than Rory shoot 75? Seriously? How can you believe someone who says something like that?

 

Edited July 20 by 2over

[Titleist99]

27 minutes ago, 2over said:

You're wrong. He never loses his balance, ever--swinging over 130 mph! I said it's not conventionally pretty but that it is graceful, sticks the landing every time, and is incredibly powerful and athletic and hits gorgeous tight baby draws. You'd really rather watch Scottie shoot 68 than Rory shoot 75? Seriously? How can you believe someone who says something like that?

 

Simply put, it's not how, it's how many strokes when it comes to the game of golf.

 

And yes, I'd rather watch Scottie put on a clinic like he did this week.

[bscinstnct]

1 hour ago, 2over said:

I think he's boring (I'm a 2 hdcp, not sure why that matters but someone asked). The charisma thing as stated above, can't define it but know it when I see it and Scottie doesn't have it. Tiger, Rory, Bryson have it in spades. Guys like Justin Thomas, Fleetwood, Hovland, Lowry are extremely cool guys that are just fun to watch, not 100% sure why. 

 

I do know why Scottie is not fun to watch. His swing is awkward and ungainly looking. His feet are all over the place, he doesn't finish in balance half the time, looks like a 10 hdcp. I know he is elite in clubface control, low point, ball striking, but it isn't pretty and golf on TV is for entertainment and grace and beauty are entertaining. Rory's swing is pure poetry and I could watch it all day. I've never agreed with whoever said "It's not how, it's how many" (Karl Marx?). How matters. I could watch Rory hit it all over the lot and shoot 75 and be hanging on every shot! Bryson's swing isn't conventionally pretty but it is graceful, well-balanced, highly athletic and very pleasing to watch--especially when he hits it over his house for a hole in one.

 

Scottie cuts nearly every shot (because he has a little "over the top" move) and that is not an aesthetically appealing move or ball flight. A draw with a little inside out swing path is pretty. Brushing the ball off the turf without a divot looks cool and is cool. Digging a trench looks like you're digging a trench. Not as cool. Most of your D 1 studs and club champs are natural drawers of the golf ball. 20 'caps all slice. He just plays the same cut 90% of the time. He's not the longest hitter, not the best putter, the only thing he's best at is distance control with his irons, which is great for making money, and something I wish I was that good at, but it doesn't make me go "WOW! Pin high again!" Even though the announcers were trying to rave about it, it's not great TV.

 

Oh and he's a "great strategist" which another way of saying he plays very boring high percentage golf. That is good for making money and putting me to sleep. I want to see the risk takers and gamblers, the go-for-broke guys!

 

Players like Tyrel Hatton and Lowry who show real emotion are very fun to watch. I like it when they destroy tee-markers. It shows they care and not just about making money. I hear what a cut-throat competitor Scottie is from his friends. But I don't see it on the course. 

 

So, to sum up: lacking charisma (whatever that is, that thing Tiger, Rory, and Bryson have in spades!), having an awkward and ungainly looking golf swing, hitting a mild slice most of the time, not being either an amazingly long hitter nor a fabulous putter, playing very conservatively all the time, and showing zero emotion on course adds up to BORING!

 

Flame away.

 

“Most of your D 1 studs and club champs are natural drawers of the golf ball.”

 

Then many/most switch to a fade eventually if they want to make it on the pga tour

 

JB Holmes said when he first got on tour, he’d hit a draw and fly bunkers 330 yards out….but he saw he couldn’t score so he switched to a fade, lost 15 yards but his scoring was much better. DJ did the same.

 

As far as SS being boring, I posted this on the open thread, but definitely applies to the here and now…

 

Gotta say as someone who once found Scheff really borrrinnng

 

He ain’t boring no more!

 

Guy is kicking the crap out of everything in his way like TW and Jack.

 

Wanna see if he keeps running this hot for another year and then what happens next. 
 

Even TW and Jack had periods of off years so that would be expected. But SS so good that if he just keeps up his practice regiment, his game is such that there should be a lot more to come over the long haul. 

Edited July 20 by bscinstnct

[Duct Tape]

[mosesgolf]

Scotty might have been boring in 2021 but he is not boring in 2025 lol.  Was also not boring in 2024.

[Duct Tape]

Winning is never boring.  🏆 

[Hawkeye77]

Hogan didn't have what would be called a lot of charisma when he was winning.  Nicklaus was very methodical in his taking apart golf courses, hardly seemed to bat an eye over his 2 iron into 17 at Pebble in '72 - watch some of his major rounds, leave '86 out of the mix.  Heck, watch the film of the '75 Masters - the famous Nicklaus moment on 12 was about the only personality showing though, except for his caddie, Miller wasn't all that demonstrative.  Some guys project some attitude (and some can back it up) but by and large most of the pros aren't doing much but going about their business on the PGAT, LPGA, DP World.  

 

The tension of the moment and the competition and watching great golf under pressure is "it" for me.

 

To me, the "Scottie is boring" is just "I don't like Scottie", which is fine but then again, if he bores someone he bores them.  

Edited July 21 by Hawkeye77

[tatertot]

Has anyone done a welfare check on Ferguson?

[JungleJimbo]

 

 

British Open 2025: If you can't appreciate Scottie Scheffler, that's your problem | GolfDigest.com

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

Even the kid thinks it's no big deal.