.gif)
John Erickson (golfer)
Encyclopedia
John Erickson is an American professional golfer
who played the Canadian Tour from 1987 to 1994 and the PGA Tour of Australasia
Tour from 1987 to 1992.
champion, NCAA All American as well as a quarter finalist in the 1983 U.S. Amateur. As a pro he won several events worldwide including the 1991 Windsor Charity Classic shooting a 17 under par tournament record score of 271 (68-67-67-69) on the Canadian Tour. He was one of the last players to win an international event using a persimmon driver. In 1991, Erickson was a Sony World ranked professional player.
In November 2008, Erickson made a return to professional competition and the winner's circle taking home a 7 stroke victory in the Las Vegas Classic Club Open played at Las Vegas National Golf Club which hosted the Las Vegas Invitational on the PGA Tour
throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The event was unique in that it required players to use equipment no later than 1979. No metal woods, long putters, or wedges over 56 degrees were allowed. The event followed the rules and guidelines of the Traditional Rules of Golf (TRGA).
. The Golfing Machine drew from physics
and geometry
, breaking the golf swing down into 24 components, 4 power accumulators, 16 variations, and 4 imperatives. The objective nature of the teaching methodology differs from the past in that the teacher must remain objective and not inject a subjective or mysterious nature into instruction. "Complexity is far more simple and workable than mystery" quoted from "The Golfing Machine" (preface). Bobby Clampett
, and Mac O'Grady
were also having success using the Golfing Machine model around this time period.
, strongly opposed perimeter weighted irons, and believed golf courses were sacred sites to celebrate and play the ancient game, not a vehicle to sell real estate home lots. Erickson believed golf should be a game of physical and mental skill, much like Chess
where the rules for play are honored and respected. He believed the USGA sold out to equipment makers, prostituting the game for profit, forcing a new technology upon golf, which in the past had been a game of integrity and tradition. Erickson believed the world's classic old courses were not meant to be lengthened and in doing so, disgraced the design, shape, and intent of the holes these visionary architects so masterfully crafted. Erickson is outspoken about his support for famous golf architect Alister MacKenzie
's ideals, who believed golf should be walked, and the game should be more about skill than the pursuit of technological advances in equipment.
Erickson lives in the San Francisco Bay Area
and still plays golf
with persimmon
and blade style irons, and rarely plays a round with anyone using metal woods or perimeter weighted irons.
Erickson is also working on a book about the golf swing.
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who played the Canadian Tour from 1987 to 1994 and the PGA Tour of Australasia
PGA Tour of Australasia
The PGA Tour of Australasia is a professional golf tour for men. Official events on the tour count for World Golf Ranking points. The tour was formed in 1973 as the PGA Tour of Australia and adopted its current name in 1991....
Tour from 1987 to 1992.
Competition
Erickson was a top national collegiate player at Fresno State - Sun Bowl All American, 1985 Big West ConferenceBig West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
champion, NCAA All American as well as a quarter finalist in the 1983 U.S. Amateur. As a pro he won several events worldwide including the 1991 Windsor Charity Classic shooting a 17 under par tournament record score of 271 (68-67-67-69) on the Canadian Tour. He was one of the last players to win an international event using a persimmon driver. In 1991, Erickson was a Sony World ranked professional player.
In November 2008, Erickson made a return to professional competition and the winner's circle taking home a 7 stroke victory in the Las Vegas Classic Club Open played at Las Vegas National Golf Club which hosted the Las Vegas Invitational on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The event was unique in that it required players to use equipment no later than 1979. No metal woods, long putters, or wedges over 56 degrees were allowed. The event followed the rules and guidelines of the Traditional Rules of Golf (TRGA).
The Golfing Machine
Erickson was an early protege of the controversial teaching method "The Golfing Machine" that was based upon the book of the same name written by Homer KelleyHomer Kelley
American Homer Kelley was the author of The Golfing Machine, one of the most comprehensive descriptions of the golf swing.- Acknowledgements :Sports Illustrated...
. The Golfing Machine drew from physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, breaking the golf swing down into 24 components, 4 power accumulators, 16 variations, and 4 imperatives. The objective nature of the teaching methodology differs from the past in that the teacher must remain objective and not inject a subjective or mysterious nature into instruction. "Complexity is far more simple and workable than mystery" quoted from "The Golfing Machine" (preface). Bobby Clampett
Bobby Clampett
Robert Daniel Clampett, Jr. is a television golf analyst, golf course architect, writer, and professional golfer, who played on the PGA Tour from 1980 to 1995. Clampett began playing on the Champions Tour in April 2010....
, and Mac O'Grady
Mac O'Grady
Mac O'Grady born Phil McGleno, aka Phillip McClelland O'Grady, is an American professional golfer and golf teaching professional who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s, known mainly for his eccentric behavior and brash statements, in addition to his attending PGA Tour qualifying school...
were also having success using the Golfing Machine model around this time period.
Retirement
In 1994 Erickson retired from competition to pursue other non golf interests. As a golf purist, he believed woods should be made of wood or persimmonPersimmon
A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...
, strongly opposed perimeter weighted irons, and believed golf courses were sacred sites to celebrate and play the ancient game, not a vehicle to sell real estate home lots. Erickson believed golf should be a game of physical and mental skill, much like Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
where the rules for play are honored and respected. He believed the USGA sold out to equipment makers, prostituting the game for profit, forcing a new technology upon golf, which in the past had been a game of integrity and tradition. Erickson believed the world's classic old courses were not meant to be lengthened and in doing so, disgraced the design, shape, and intent of the holes these visionary architects so masterfully crafted. Erickson is outspoken about his support for famous golf architect Alister MacKenzie
Alister MacKenzie
Dr. Alister MacKenzie was an internationally renowned, British golf course architect whose course designs, on three different continents, are consistently ranked among the finest golf courses in the world...
's ideals, who believed golf should be walked, and the game should be more about skill than the pursuit of technological advances in equipment.
Erickson lives in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and still plays golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
with persimmon
Persimmon
A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...
and blade style irons, and rarely plays a round with anyone using metal woods or perimeter weighted irons.
Author
Erickson has been a consultant for the Traditional Rules of Golf Association (TRGA) and has been a contributing author and part of the TRGA brain trust.Erickson is also working on a book about the golf swing.