John Erickson | |
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
Personal information | |
Born | January 5, 1964 |
Nationality | United States |
Career | |
College | Fresno State |
Status | Professional |
Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour of Australasia Canadian Tour |
Professional wins | 1 |
John Erickson (born January 5, 1964) is an American professional golfer who played the Canadian Tour from 1987 to 1994 and the PGA Tour of Australasia Tour from 1987 to 1992.
Erickson was a top national collegiate player at Fresno State - Sun Bowl All American, 1985 Big West Conference champion, NCAA All-American as well as a quarter finalist in the 1983 U.S. Amateur. As a pro he won several events worldwide including the 1991 Windsor Charity Classic shooting a 17 under par tournament record score of 271 (68-67-67-69) on the Canadian Tour. He was one of the last players to win an international event using a persimmon driver. In 1991, Erickson was a Sony World ranked professional player.
In November 2008, Erickson made a return to professional competition and the winner's circle taking home a 7 stroke victory in the Las Vegas Classic Club Open played at Las Vegas National Golf Club which hosted the Las Vegas Invitational on the PGA Tour throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The event was unique in that it required players to use equipment no later than 1979. No metal woods, long putters, or wedges over 56 degrees were allowed. The event followed the rules and guidelines of the Traditional Rules of Golf (TRGA).
Erickson was an early protégé of the controversial teaching method "The Golfing Machine" that was based upon the book of the same name written by Homer Kelley. The Golfing Machine drew from physics and geometry, breaking the golf swing down into 24 components, 4 power accumulators, 16 variations, and 4 imperatives. The objective nature of the teaching methodology differs from the past in that the teacher must remain objective and not inject a subjective or mysterious nature into instruction. "Complexity is far more simple and workable than mystery" quoted from "The Golfing Machine" (preface). Bobby Clampett, and Mac O'Grady were also having success using the Golfing Machine model around this time period.