Charley Hull has become one of golf’s most popular players but she is certainly not in love with the modern game believing the sport has lost its art compared to the style of golf played up to thirty years ago.
Hull would love to play a tournament using hickory clubs and she feels that the creativity has been taken out of the game with the ever increasing influence of power hitting since the 2000s.
“I think it would be so much fun. I think the to be fair, I think golf back 20, 30 years ago, say 19 — up to like 2000s, it was more of an art. The players, even then men, would have to hit draws and fades and stuff it in, where I think now it’s become more of a power game and where it’s become — the technology has advanced so much everyone can just hit it straight and far, and it’s kind of taking the art away from it.”
The Englishwoman admits she doesn’t watch golf but prefers to watch highlights of old Open Championships.
“Whenever I watch golf, I watch golf and all that lot, like who won the British Open in the 1970s and that. I find it way more interesting back then. Like I wouldn’t really watch golf now really.”
The 29-year-old is one of the favourites ahead of today’s AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl but she isn’t overly confident about her chances in Wales this week.
“To be honest, I don’t think the British Open on links suits me the most,” she concedes. “When we play in Walton Heath or Woburn, I always find those kind of courses suit my game a lot more. It’s more visually off the tee. I find links quite intimidating. That’s why I always find that I play well at the US Open, but I think I’ve got to get that out of my head.”
It’s been a strange summer for Hull, after top-15 finishes at the US Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA, an illness forced her to withdraw from the Evian Championship.
She revealed that she lost 4kg in weight and 8mph in clubhead speed due to a virus which she only felt she truly shook off last Sunday at the Scottish Open.
“I feel like the last two years I’ve been on autopilot, where even when I’m hitting it bad, I’ve got enough confidence to go out and rip it,” she says. “Even leading up to this event, I had 12th at the US Open and 12th at the Women’s PGA of America, and then a third. Last week I was coming back and I finished 21st, and then I had to pull out at Evian.
“It annoys me because it’s such an important part this time of the season, and it’s something I look forward to all year. At the end of the day, just get me making a few birdies to start with and I think I’ll get my confidence back straight away. I’m feeling good now. Hopefully all the practice I’ve done the last two days is going to make a difference.”
