Aregular reader directed me to this article on Robert Allenby.
I like Robert Allenby. I think he’s a great player and one of Australia’s most consistent performers. This year he has made 24 cuts out of 25 tournaments and finished the year ranked 19th in the FedEx Cup. All up he has made US$2.8 million. Not a bad year and good work if you can get it.
But (there’s always a but)…
I think he has underachieved so far in his career.
Despite winning tournaments all over the world and being a member of the Presidents Cup team on numerous occasions I think he still has plenty to offer.
He has always been a great ball striker and I don’t think he can get much better at it. It’s hard to improve on perfection if you ask me.
Allenby needs to learn to play. By “play” I’m referring to bringing his A game to the course more of the time. His A game is as good as most and would probably give Tiger a run for his money.
Not sure if it would happen but I’d like to see Robert approach 2009 in the following way;
- Sack all of his coaches starting immediately.
- Ignore all technical swing advice from the golf gurus. Seriously, he has been very good for so long now that I doubt they can help him much.
- Play carefree and without fear.
- Rediscover a natural putting game. His current putting looks stiff and contrived and seems to hold him back.
- Practice less. I don’t think he needs to hit so many golf balls. He is not going to lose his swing with less practice and it might just help him regain some enthusiasm for play.
- If he does feel the need to practice spend that time on the short game.
- Let go and play the way he really wants to. I think he would do well to forget all of the rules and regulations and play golf in a way that is fun for him.
I don’t expect for a minute for Allenby to do this but I believe it would make an interesting experiment. After 17 years on tour he could do with a break from the usual grind. Making the game more fun and returning to a natural method of play might rejuvenate his career – and just maybe help him do something remarkable, like win a major.