Pau Gasol didn’t pick up golf until his late 30s, but the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer quickly became a low handicap.
However, his on-course strengths might surprise you.
The two-time NBA champion joined the latest episode of GOLF’s Subpar Podcast and gave a scouting report on his game. The 7-foot-1 Gasol has a good short game but needs to improve off the tee and with his approach play.
“I’ve always had good hand-eye coordination, good hands, good feel, good touch,” Gasol told co-hosts Drew Stoltz and Colt Knost. “I think when it comes to the shorter shots, the feel shots and the putting, it’s all about focus, rhythm, routine and confidence. So you visualize things and you feel them. I feel like there’s less moving parts, which for a 7-foot-1 guy is a challenge when it comes to longer clubs.
“And then, I’m a competitor. I like to scramble and get myself out of tricky situations. I love getting up and down, and I kind of get used to that, even though I’d like to get used to just hitting greens in regulation and putting for birdie more.”
Gasol is working to build a “more consistent” swing with his longer clubs to use his size to generate more power. But Gasol has run into a common issue: he’d rather play than practice.
“I need to spend more time doing lessons and doing drills and spend less time time playing, which is what I enjoy a lot,” Gasol said. “And when you get to a certain handicap, you get kind of comfortable with that handicap because there’s a cushion that you have. So that competitive side, it’s kind of a double-edge sword where you enjoy winning matches but you’d like to win them with a lower handicap without having to get any strokes. That’s what any competitor wants.”
To hear more from Gasol, check out the video below.