Why playing ‘wild golf’ will make you better, according to Padraig Harrington

Over the course of his Hall of Fame career, Padraig Harrington has made a name for himself as one of the game’s most insightful personalities, doling out wisdom on instruction, the state of the game, and even parenting.

It goes without saying that Harrington makes an subject for Michael Bamberger’s GOLF Originals series. In the latest episode, Bamberger caught up with Harrington on the range at the recent Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, a PGA Tour Champions stop in Endicott, N.Y.

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“To use that old Ben Hogan line that everybody knows, ‘The secret’s in the dirt,’ the secret is in the dirt,” Bamberger said. “And I think one of the reasons we gravitate toward Padraig Harrington is he’s been in the dirt himself. He’s figured it out and he’s here to share things with us, and really, along the way, help us with our own golf game.”

One of Harrington’s many charms is the fact that he enjoys engaging in pro-ams, obligatory weekly staples on the pro tour circuit that many pros aren’t fond of. But in Endicott, Bamberger got to see Harrington in his element alongside his group mates for the day.

Throughout the round, Harrington was happy to dole out advice.

“It’s not like he exudes joy, it’s just like, he loves what he does so much, it’s contagious,” Bamberger said.

At one point in the round, Harrington hit a shot with a fairway wood from the rough. Bamberger asked if Harrington thinks about moving the ball forward in his stance when he’s faced with a shot like that. Harrington answered in typical thoughtful fashion.

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“That’s experience. Trial and error,” Harrington said. “Because moving it up could be right, and it could be terribly wrong. It’s trial and error.

“If you’re trying to be a decent player, you need to go and play on your own, late in the evening time when you can play two or three balls, and experiment.”

Harrington then shared some sage game-improvement advice that he gave to some young players in Houston.

“Play wild golf,” he said. “You need to be wild. Hit it everywhere. Learn to play from all over the place. Because hitting it straight is an easy skill that you’ll learn when you’re 18, 19. But having that ability, to know what shot to hit in each situation, you can only get that by being a little bit out there, a little bit wild. Going for par-5s and taking all shots on and doing silly stuff when you’re practicing, and knowing when not to do it when you’re playing tournaments.”

For more from Harrington, including a sneaky putting hack to try, check out the full episode of GOLF Originals with Michael Bamberger below.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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