The right (and wrong) way to rake a bunker, according to a legendary caddie
Mike "Fluff" Cowan has been caddying on Tour for long enough to master the tricks of his trade. He's pretty good at teaching them, too.
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Old dogs might not be great at learning new tricks, but they’re pretty good at teaching time-worn skills. Take Mike “Fluff” Cowan as a case in point.
At 76, the veteran Tour caddie, best known to many fans as the mustachioed former bagman for Tiger Woods, has been at his trade for nearly half a century, so he knows a thing or two about the job requirements.
He’s got a knack for giving master classes on them, too.
That talent was on display this week during a practice round in advance of the PGA Tour Champions Chubb Classic, in Naples, Fla., where Cowan took a break to provide a course-care lesson.
The topic: how to rake a bunker properly.
In a social media video posted Friday, Cowan, who now works for C.T. Pan after amicably parting with Jim Furyk last year, is seen entering a green-side bunker at Tiburon Golf Club when he is asked if he hates it when his players knock it in the sand.
“No,” Cowan replies. “Because they get it up and down all the time.”
Besides, he adds, “one of the craziest things about this whole job is I actually like raking bunkers.”
What’s the secret?
On cue, Cowan gives a demonstration, narrating his actions as he goes.
The key, he says, “is to work away from you.”
After decades traveling the world, Cowan still speaks in the Pepperidge Farm accent of his native Maine.
So, really, what he says is, “work away from ya.”
Either way, though, it’s clear what he’s doing, walking backwards out of the bunker while pushing the broom to smooth out the sand. Working in both directions by pushing and pulling is a no-no, Cowan notes, while mimicking the flailing motion used by many golfers who don’t know — or don’t want to take the time — to do it right.
“Look how sloppy this is,” Cowan says of that haphazard technique.
“Now look how much better this is,” he says, returning to the proper method. “You just rake away from you. Always away from you. It might take a few seconds longer, but you’re leaving it in good shape.”
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