Dan Majerle knows a thing or two about the jump shot. The 14-year NBA pro built his game around the fundamentals of his own jump shot to great success as a three-time All-Star and Olympic medalist. In his second life as a professional basketball coach — first as associate head coach of the Phoenix Suns, and now as head coach at Grand Canyon University — Majerle spends significant amounts of time dedicated to teaching and helping others understand those same fundamentals.
On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar podcast, hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz had a simple question for Majerle: if you can teach a jump shot, can you also teach a putting stroke?
“God I hope so,” he said. “Depends on what you say is great. I think you can obviously become a much better putter.”
For Majerle, the connection between putting and shooting is very real. Ultimately, both come down to fundamentals — those with a strong sense of them can become both good shooters and good putters, but it’s all about consistency and repeatability.
“I think with your shooting, there’s always guys who have different shots and different forms, but if you do it a lot, and you have great form, you can become a good shooter,” he said. “You guys know golf obviously a lot better, if someone could teach you putting, does that make you a good putter?”
For “Thunder Dan,” success in sports — golf in particular — comes down to feel, and feel is the product of hours of commitment to one’s fundamentals. For proof, look no further than some of basketball’s greatest shooters.
“Reggie [Miller] has done it millions and millions of times,” he said. “It’s repeatable, he knows what he’s doing. I actually had really good form on my jump shot, and I used to work on it all the time. So when I was doing it I didn’t have to think about it, it came more of a feel to me.”
James Colgan is a news and features editor at GOLF, writing stories for the website and magazine. He manages the Hot Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and utilizes his on-camera experience across the brand’s platforms. Prior to joining GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse University, during which time he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.
