Q&A with Steve Stricker, Your input required

Guys/Gals

I've just come off an interesting phone call with one of the companies I provide some business services to. I'm off out to the states the day after the Sunday of the PGA for some work with them. They have kindly set up some time with the Current World No4 Steve Stricker for a bit of a meet and greet. Basically i'm hijacking some of his practice time for a chat so to speak, all thanks to the director of the company being a friend of the Stricker family.

I know he's not everyones cup of tea as he is a relatively shy guy and a quiet one at that. But he has been at the top of the game for a long while now and personally speaking someone I enjoy watching. However as were all golf fans I thought i'd open this out to you all as a chance to give me some questions that you may wish to put to one of the games top players, so that I can then in turn ask him some of them.

Now lets keep this clean and sensible much like the man, but there are many talking points especially when you consider the depths he went to after being so high in the game in the 90's and rebuilt his game to return to where he is now.

What was the biggest factor in making his successful comeback?

What is his favourite course?

Can I have a putting lesson?

Well Mav, it seems you've won the lottery because we all know that when lying next to Mrs mav, you see the face of Stricker Hope it goes well and you don't embarass yourself looking like a tripod when speaking to him

I would really love to get the lowdown on the Steve Williams situation and know that SS was buddies with Tiger, so Tigertalk would be good, oh and don't try and perfect that swing of his

People are forever saying how unorthodox his swing is (minimal wrist hinge etc). How does he maintain the strength of mind to not let any of that get in his head?

Doc I dribble everytime I see his swing. I think it's something every player at club level can learn from. What i'd give for his wedge play and putting stroke.

I will certainly be asking about his swing, unorthodox or not it's my favourite one on tour

That 6-iron from the bunker, over water from 175 yards was awesome, and it won him the tourney. Does he practice that shot or is it just trusting that he can play that shot so cleanly that he thinks he can pull it off

The yanks are trying to big-up the Presidents Cup, would like to hear his views about Presidents versus Ryder Cups.

would he rather be world number 1 or win a major?

Do you ever visit 606v2?

pedro wrote:Do you ever visit 606v2?

Here's hoping he might after. Can't see it though

Maverick wrote:

pedro wrote:Do you ever visit 606v2?

Here's hoping he might after. Can't see it though

Yeah that's a good one, see if you can get him to sign up!

Steve Stricker played on the Nationwide Tour during its first year in 1990 (came second in his first N'wide event) and played the Canadian Tour in the early nineties. I remember him coming fourth at Glen Abbey in 1993; never heard of him before but he graduated from Q-School that autumn and then finished 2nd at Tucson in his second event as a Tour member.

I'd like to ask him:
Q: Lots of chat about caddies recently. (Stricker's wife caddied for him for years before they had children.) What qualities do you look for in a caddie?

Q: Do you ever think about Golf when you're stuck 30 foot up a tree on the off-chance a deer might come along, and it's snowing and you're freezing?

Q: The PGA Tour has become increasingly Southern State-centric. What can be done to bring the Tour back to places like Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia, Central New York?

Great opportunity Maverick, hope he answers some of these.

Mav:
You could ask him whether he sees any mileage in the much talked about 'World Tour' - (which kind of ties in nicely with the fifth major question). Does he think the World tour should reflect the dynamic growth of golf in Australasia and South Africa and should there be a series of events in those regions leading up to a fifth major towards the end of the year hosted on a rotational basis in each region (much like what they are trying to achieve with the footie World Cup)?

Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup.
Which one does enjoy more?

Sorry D4S skip read yours [silly old pappa]

That sounds really interesting !

I would be interested in why he holds the heel of the putter off the ground [i.e. he has the toe down and heel slightly up] when putting

- is there a scientific reason for this ?
- has he always putted that way ?

Enjoy your trip...

Please tell Mr Stricker that he's a great ambassador for the game.

There might well be some overlap with others' questions, but I'd ask some along the following lines:

* I've heard commentators say that his "fewest moving parts" swing might become the model for the future pro. What does Steve think?
* how does he generate the clubhead speed / distance that he does with minimal wrist hinge?

On a scale of 1 to 10.. 1 being chilled to perfection, 10 being forgetting everything, including your own name, how nervous is he standing on the 1st tee of a major?

Do you think Mav will still get to see him should Steve win?

How cool would it be if his first interview after winning was with us!

Hi Mav

This might be a good one to ask him.

Q: How much influence does a caddy have, in deciding what type of shot and club to use.

Did you get to meet your hero then?

Davie, I got to meet him very briefly, we had a mere 10mins in passing, I was not really able to ask him any questions due to him being on a schedule! But I have managed to pin him down to a return meeting when i'm back out in the states end of october and he has agreed to answer my questions and said if weather permits a quick 9 holes.

Even having had such a brief passing all I can say is a very humble man

Glad you got to meet him Mav - even if it was only briefly! I know how much you were looking forward to it

Mav I really hope you didn't embarass yourself, as theres nothing worse than talking to a guy who's got the horn

I hope you didn't grope him in desperation.

Have you ever missed a putt inside 10 feet Steve?