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ToggleThese days, there’s so much buzz surrounding Joaquin Niemann that the man himself can become obscured.
Let’s look at it more specifically. It’s clear to anyone who closely watches professional golf that Niemann is one of the most talented players in the world. But exactly where he belongs on that list is where the debate begins. Phil Mickelson poured kerosene on the fire earlier this year when he added to the conversation, “What’s the top five? Let’s try number one.” Niemann has five wins at LIV this season, which is definitely a testament to his ability. However, he finished T29-T8-MC-MC in the majors, another disappointing season for a player who knows this will define much of his career.
Anyway, that’s the conversation around it he. As for Neiman himself? He is genuine and fun. He will soon celebrate his 27th birthday. Celebrating his 8th year as a professional. He’s fierce in tournament play, but he’s quick to laugh when he steps away. Although he still has the energy of a successful teenage sensation on the Tour, he is also contemplative and spends much of his time writing in his diary. And even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t be able to change the unique swing that cuts grass, flies rocks, and rotates your hips. (He doesn’t.) And ask him about anything other than his favorite golf club. After all, they are listening…
Here’s what I learned from Niemann in 30 minutes at the practice range.
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1. I may not have said his name correctly.
I’m sure you understand everything. However, “Joaquín” is often shortened to “Hoaco.” I tend to pronounce it as a very American “wacko,” but he pronounces it with a slightly more subtle “fag-go.”
“Americans have accents that are difficult to say ‘JO’ together,” he says mercifully.
2. He used to have a certain 40-yard swing, but not anymore.
Nieman, like many of his colleagues, begins his warm-up with a 60-degree wedge. But I was interested to hear him say that over the years he has actually become less mechanical with his intermediate wedge shots. When he warms up and starts thinking about yardage, say 60 or 70 yards, he uses his head. and his eyes.
“I feel like I’m getting better at hitting numbers once I see something,” he says. “Let’s say I want to put the ball on the green. I think I know more about where to put the ball than just a number, so I just go with my feelings.”
Neiman says that’s a slight change from his younger self.
“I used to be stronger. I had 40-yard swings, 50-yard swings, 60-yard swings. But now I’m freer and I play with my own vision.”
3. He is thinking about throwing the ball at the target.
This is related to No. 2, but is interesting enough to be considered separately.
“For me, if it’s like, ‘Hey, Joaco, throw the ball 50 yards (target),’ I’m not going to calculate how far I’m going to throw it. I’m just going to go.”
(Throw the ball to the height of the pin.)
4. He is stuck with an 8 iron.
Niemann said he typically uses all his wedges (60, 56, 52, then his pitching wedge), then alternates between hitting the irons (sometimes 9, 7, 5, but usually 8, 6, 4), doing everything he can to “make sure the irons don’t get ignored.” But then he gets stuck.
“I mean, when I was a kid, I hit a lot of 8-irons, like all day long, and then my 8-iron broke,” he says.
This resonated with me because I, too, was stuck hitting a million 8-irons during my through-the-bag range sessions. There’s something appealing about clubs other than wedges for the first time.
5. As a child, he used a club as a weed whacker.
Niemann’s father, a 20-handicap Chilean college basketball player, introduced him to golf. But it may have been his mother’s backyard bribery that took him to the next level.
“I lived on the edge of town in a house with a big garden. My brother probably played video games or soccer or something, and I worked at a club.”
Niemann would toss a ball around the yard for hours at a time, and then also participate in yard work.
“I remember my mom would pay me $5 to cut (the weeds),” Neiman says. “Sometimes I think that’s why I dig in the ground so much. And I’m like, ‘Phew.’
6. He is a big thinker.
After his practice, physical therapy and cold plunge sauna routine, Niemann plays some video games, he says. But he also spends more time on intellectual pursuits than you might think.
“Reading a little bit and things like that help me develop myself better. I feel like I’m getting to know myself more, so I need to go ahead with reading, journaling, things like that. I can evaluate myself and how I’m doing in my life, golf, relationships and everything else,” says Neiman. “I think I’m a very thoughtful person. I like to be quiet and just think about what’s going on outside.”
7. Trajectory is everything, he says.
“I feel like I rely more on trajectory than numbers,” Niemann said, showing creativity in how he thinks through shots. “If the green is going to leave you, drop it 10 short and hit it low and it will fly and spin. Or if the pin is close to you, you have to hit it pretty high. I value the window more than the actual numbers, you know.”
8. He likes to cut things a little.
Niemann prefers to hit the iron straight, but if the ball moves, he wants it to fall slightly left to right.
“Every time I ‘miss’ a shot, I want to start from the left and cut,” he says. “That’s my feeling. If you hit it to the right, the cut is bad. If you hit it to the left and get a draw, it’s terrible. So if the ball starts a little to the left and you get a cut, you know everything’s going to be fine.”
To make the cut, Niemann positions himself a few yards to the left of his target and then, as he puts it, “rotates as hard as he can.” It works pretty well for him.
9. He says the golf club is listening.
I asked Neiman if he had a favorite club. he answers seriously.
I can’t tell you. They’re here and they listen,” he says. I like them all, so they’re all in my bag. ”
10. He has 5 hybrids.
After all, it says “5”. But Neiman claims it flies “4” or at least “4 distances.”
“When you were a kid, you wanted to have a 2-iron,” he says. Now I can only hit a 5 iron. ”
To be fair to Niemann, he does have a 3-iron that he uses from time to time. But if you need more permission to get your hands on some lofted metal, know that he has a 7-wood in his arsenal. He has a 4-slash-5 hybrid.
And they are listening.
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