x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
What ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ can teach you about golf etiquette, technique
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
Lifestyle

What ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ can teach you about golf etiquette, technique

By: Josh Sens
  • Follow on Twitter
February 20, 2024
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
larry david sitting on bench at golf course

Like his golf swing, Larry David's etiquette could use some work.

Getty Images

This past week in Los Angeles golf offered us a big batch of teachable moments. From Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama, respectively, we learned to (1) always double-check your scorecard, (2) never strike a drive until the group ahead has cleared the fairway and (3) take care when grounding the club behind your ball.

But perhaps the most memorable lesson came not from a competitor in the Genesis Invitational but from famed comedy writer and Riviera member Larry David.

If you follow David’s work, you know that golf often features in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the comedy of manners on HBO in which David plays a close facsimile of himself. In the most recent episode, which aired Sunday night, David is back at his home course (a loosely fictionalized version of Riviera), this time sitting on a bench behind the driving range, watching and listening as the club pro gives a private lesson. Whatever David does tends to irritate someone, and, in this case, his actions irritate the pro, who asks David to stop eavesdropping (“If you want to book a lesson, call the pro shop,” he says) but not before David has picked up what turns out to be a game-changing tip about the downswing and the move through impact: “vertical drop, horizontal tug.”

With those key words as his cue, David goes out and has the best ball-striking round of his life, ruffling more feathers along the way. 

Funny guy, David. But golf is serious business, and for those of us tuning in at home, the scene brought two questions to mind:

Is it really bad form to eavesdrop on a lesson? And what about that tip? Vertical drop, horizontal pull. Does it translate into anything meaningful at all?

First, the etiquette question. According to GOLF Magazine 100 Teacher Tony Ruggiero, drafting on a lesson is a fairly common practice and it is indeed bad form — though not for the reason the “Curb” episode suggests. The real issue isn’t that you’re stealing info that you should be paying for. It’s that you risk making the student uneasy.

“Novice recreational golfers get anxious in front of people anyway,” Ruggiero says. Spying on their lessons only makes matters worse. 

In addition to being bad etiquette, Ruggiero says, eavesdropping is also a bad way to learn, as the problem being addressed might not be your problem. 

“I equate it to going into a drug store and taking one of everything off the shelves,” he says. “Everything in there can help you if it’s for what is wrong with you. But taking one thing or all of them can make you really sick.”

But what about the tip in the “Curb” episode: Vertical drop, horizontal tug. What, if anything, might it cure?

Possibly a slice-inducing over-the-top move, Ruggiero says. What the pro on “Curb” appears to be addressing is the sequence of the downswing.

“My guess he’s trying to get the student to get the arms to fall from the top and allow the club to shallow” so he can attack the ball from the inside. “If right from the top you rotate your upper body or turn before you shift or get on to the lead leg, the club goes too far outside.”

Starting the downswing instead with that vertical drop puts the club on a shallower path, Ruggiero says, “which gives the player time to shift onto the lead foot.” From that position, “they can then turn horizontally” toward the target. In all likelihood, Ruggiero says, that last part is the horizontal tug.

So, there you have it. While imitating Larry David’s on-course conduct is a bad idea, emulating his new action might not hurt. The results could be pretty, pretty good. 

Latest In Lifestyle

1 day ago

2025 Zurich Classic betting guide: 5 picks our expert loves

1 day ago

This protein bar helped fuel Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Masters win

3 days ago

How to smoke brisket at home, courtesy of a Texas golf resort pitmaster

5 days ago

He beat Vegas in blackjack. Now, he's helping golf (and golfers) cash in

Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.

  • Author Twitter Account

Related Articles

Instruction
abraham ancer swings during liv singapore

2 keys for playing golf at elevation, according to LIV pros

By: Zephyr Melton
Driving
justin thomas swings driver during the 2025 valspar championship

The secret behind Justin Thomas’ crazy clubhead speed

By: Zephyr Melton
Bunker Shots
Andrew Novak plays a shot from a bunker

How a simple grip change can fix your bunker shots

By: Parker McLachlin, with Maddi MacClurg
Putting
PGA Tour pro Justin Rose lines up putt on No. 6 at the Masters

Make more putts using this tour-trusted alignment hack

By: Maddi MacClurg
Instruction
teacher shows student how to grip golf club

What's the difference between a weak grip and strong grip?

By: Zephyr Melton
Instruction
Golfer writes in scorecard while sitting in golf cart at sunset

The fastest ways to lower your scores, according to top teachers

By: Maddi MacClurg
Instruction
woman sits on laptop while golfers swing in background

Should you turn to YouTube for quality golf instruction?

By: GOLF Editors
Instruction
jack nicklaus swings

Jack Nicklaus: How to hit draws and fades with the same swing

By: Zephyr Melton
Instruction
bryson dechambeau hits a tee shot on the 12th hole at augusta national

Bryson DeChambeau's range session offers insight into Masters Sunday strategy

By: Zephyr Melton
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version