The Amazing Golf Swing Story of Joaquin Niemann (& 10 Other Things He Taught Me)

Today, the conversation surrounding Joaquin Niemann threatens to overshadow the man himself.

Let’s be more specific: To anyone who regularly watches professional golf, Niemann is one of the most talented players in the world. But just how high he ranks on this list is where the debate begins. Phil Mickelson certainly added fuel to the fire when he added “Top 5? Try #1” to his speech earlier this year. Niemann’s five wins at LIV this season certainly prove his ability. But he also went T29-T8-MC-MC in the majors, another disappointing season for a player who knows much of his career will be defined.

Anyway, that’s the conversation About he. As for Niemann himself? He is a genuine and pleasant person. He is about to celebrate his 27th birthday. He is finishing up the eighth year of his career. He’s intense in the game but quick to burst into laughter when he leaves. He still has the boyish side of the teenage years when he was coming up on tour, but he’s also brooding and spends more time writing in his diary. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t change that unique swing—the grass-cutting, rock-hopping, hip-rotating swing. (He doesn’t.) You can ask him anything except his favorite golf clubs. After all they are listening…

Here’s what I learned from Niemann in a half-hour on the range.

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1. You may not have said his name clearly.

I bet you’ve got it all written down. But “Joaquin” is often shortened to “Joaco,” which I tend to call the very American “Wah-ko,” but he pronounces it with the slightly more subtle “Hwa-go.”

“Americans have a thick accent when they say ‘J-O’ together,” he said kindly.

2. He used to have a specific 40-yard swing, but not anymore.

Niemann, like many of his peers, starts his warm-up with a 60-degree wedge. But I was interested to hear him say that his wedge shots have actually become less mechanical over the years. Once he starts thinking about yardage in warm-ups (like 60 or 70 yards), he uses his head and his eyes.

“When I see something, I feel like I’m more on target,” he said. “Let’s say I want to land the ball on the green. I feel like I’m going to have a better idea of ​​where the ball is going to land than just a number, so I go with my feel.”

Niemann said it’s a little different than his younger self.

“My swings used to be longer – I had a 40-yard swing, I had a 50-yard swing, I had a 60-yard swing. But now it’s more free and I’m playing with my vision.”

3. He considers throwing the ball toward the target.

This is related to #2, but is interesting enough to stand on its own.

“To me, if it’s like, ‘Hey Jocko, throw the ball 50 yards [target]it’s not like I’m calculating how far I’m going to throw it. I’ll go right away. “

4. He got stuck on the 8-iron.

Niemann said he usually runs through all the wedges — 60, 56, 52, then wedges — and then alternates irons (sometimes 9, 7, 5, but usually 8, 6, 4), trying to “make sure they don’t get overlooked.” But then he got into trouble.

“I mean, growing up, I used to hit a lot of 8-irons. Like all day long. But my 8-iron was ruined,” he said.

This resonated with me because I, too, once got stuck with a million 8-irons in a bag session. There’s something attractive about the first club that isn’t a wedge.

5. As a kid, he used a golf club as a lawnmower.

Niemann’s father, a college basketball player in Chile with a 20 handicap, introduced him to golf. But his mother’s backyard bribery may have gotten him to the next level.

“I used to live outside the city in a house with a big yard. My brother was probably playing video games or soccer or something, and I was working at a club.”

Niemann would play ball in his yard for hours at a time and then also pitch in on some of the garden work.

“I remember my mom used to pay me five bucks, I don’t know. [weeds]”, Nieman said. “Sometimes I think that’s why I’m digging so much in the ground, and then I’m like, ‘Fuck–‘. “

6. He is a great thinker.

Niemann said that after practice, physical therapy, cold showers, and saunas, he would play some video games. But he also spent more time on intellectual pursuits than you might think.

“A little bit of reading, stuff like that helps me develop myself better; I feel like I’m getting to know myself better and I need to make progress in reading, journaling, things like that. I can evaluate myself and see how I’m doing in life, in golf, in relationships, etc.,” Niemann said. “I feel like I’m a great thinker and I like to be quiet and, you know, just think about what’s going on outside.”

7. He said trajectory is everything.

“I feel like it’s more than just a number, I’m more about trajectory,” Niemann said, showing off his creativity through the way he thinks about his shot. “If the green is going to be free, I can hit the ball 10 short and hit something low and it will jump and spin. Or if the pin is in front, I have to hit something really high. I tend to use windows more than actual numbers, you know?”

8. He likes to cut back a little.

Niemann likes to hit his irons straight, but if the ball is going to move, he wants it to drop slightly left to right.

“Every time I ‘missed’ a shot, I wanted it to start on the left but cut in,” he said. “That’s how I feel. If I hit it to the right, it’s not going to cut good. If I’m hitting it to the left, it’s going to hook, and that’s going to be bad. So I know when the ball starts going a little bit left and it’s going to cut, everything’s going to be okay.”

To hit the ball, Niemann aimed himself a few yards left of the target and, as he put it, “spun as hard as I could.” It worked well for him.

9. He said his golf club was listening.

I asked Niemann if he had a favorite club. He answered seriously.

I can’t tell you. They’re here to listen,” he said. “They get jealous. They’re all in the bag because I like them all. “

10. He owns a No. 5 hybrid car.

It says “5” after all. But Niemann insists it was a “4,” or at least flew “4 distances.”

When you’re a kid, you think about owning a 2-iron,” he said. “I had to give up my childhood dream. I only [go through] Now it’s the 5-iron. “

To be fair, Niemann does use the 3-iron at times. But if you need any further permission to grab the high metal, just know he has a 7-wood in his arsenal. He has a 4-slash-5 hybrid.

They are listening.

You can watch the entire thing below or here.

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