MIND / 75TH ANNIVERSARY M
Editor’s note: In celebration of Golf Digest’s 75th Anniversa- ry, each issue Writer-At-Large
AS A YOUNG MAN, DAVID LEADBETTER wanted to be a touring pro in just about the worst way. An obsessive reader of golf books and magazines, Leadbetter by his late teens was steeped in the swing technique of every great player and well-versed in the theories of all the top teachers. As he set out on South Africa’s Sunshine Circuit, ostensibly loaded with differ- ence-making knowledge, he became that doomed stock character of the game’s professional minor leagues – the marginally talented perfectionist. “I knew all about good technique but was never happy with my own,” now says Leadbetter, 72, with a chuckle in his home office in Sarasota, Florida, the shelves filled with his lovingly cu- rated collection of golf titles, includ- ing the eight he has authored. “So a lot of doubt, a lot of frustration, a lot of negativity. Ripped up many gloves and
Jaime Diaz will interview key figures in the game to explore what happened when they were at the height of their powers. In June of 1985, instructor Da- vid Leadbetter teamed with Nick Faldo. Faldo willingly suffered through a dif- ficult transition period that threatened to derail his career. But under Lead- better’s steady guidance, the fiercely determined Faldo won the 1987 Open Championship and then five more ma- jors. The success of the pair’s intensive synergy and willingness to risk dramat- ic changes revolutionised the player/ coach relationship. To date, Leadbet- ter students have won 25 majors in the men’s and women’s game. The master instructor considers his contribution to the first as the most significant moment of his career.
‘THE BEST I EVER DID’ When David Leadbetter met a student of equal intensity BY JAIME DIAZ
20 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JUNE 2025
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