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Charley Hull of England walks during the Pro-Am prior to the AIG Women’s Open 2025 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club on July 30.
Charley Hull has made a headline-grabbing confession: she “doesn’t really watch golf anymore.” After years on tour, the two-time LPGA winner said she’s grown bored and even exhausted by the sport’s relentless power evolution. In an interview ahead of the AIG Women’s Open, she lamented how the artistry of past decade–from subtle draws and fades–has been replaced by straight-line bombers and launch monitor obsession.
For Hull, watching golf now feels like watching technology instead of technique. She shared that she prefers viewing historical footage–from The Open in the 1970s–rather than modern broadcasts dominated by money shots and distance stats. The power era, she believes, has stripped the game of its soul.
A Gamble on Art Over Distance
Hull didn’t mince words: golfing back in the ’90s and early 2000s felt like an artful craft. Players shaped shots, worked angles, and relied on feel–elements that Hull says have given way to brute force. “Nowadays everyone can just hit it straight and far,” she argued, adding that high-tech improvements have sucked out the challenge and nuance.
“I think golf back 20, 30 years ago, say 19–up to like 2000s, it was more of an art,” Hull said. “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.”
She expressed skepticism about the future of golf’s spectacle. With the ball rollback already being discussed, Hull sees the signs of fatigue even among players themselves. She’s not alone: many pros have spoken about whether the sport has tipped too far into big hitters versus course strategy. But few do so as candidly as Hull.
A Personality at Odds With Power Metrics
Hull’s disdain for modern golf extends beyond what she watches–it influences how she practices. She’s vocal about shunning conventional golf training in favor of general fitness and mental focus. Hull revealed she doesn’t train for golf performance as many would expect; rather, she trains to stay fit “as a hobby,” aiming to lower her 5K time and challenge herself beyond swinging clubs.
That mindset aligns with her broader personality: independent, unconventional, and refreshingly honest. Her career has been dotted with memorable moments–like smoking on course in protest of conformity or skipping yardage books, and a public insistence she’s more athlete than swing technician.
Recovery From a Health Scare As Focus Turns Homeward
Just weeks after collapsing on course during Evian Championship due to a severe viral illness, Hull is recovering both physically and mentally. She recounted fainting twice mid-round after vision and hearing failed her at once; security staff intervened before she hurt herself. Her exit from the tournament came despite being one under through 12 holes.
Recovery has been slow: Hull admits she still feels “80 percent” and has avoided training to rest her immune system. Doctors have urged downtime, but as someone who thrives in motion, she confessed that rest “drives me bonkers.” Still, with the AIG Women’s Open and Scottish Open ahead, she remains focused on returning fully for major title runs.
Not Watching Doesn’t Mean Not Caring
Despite her distance from watching the modern game, Hull remains passionately invested in competing at the highest level. In fact, part of her frustration with televised golf stems from the mismatch between what she believes makes the game great and what gets broadcast. Fans see numbers and power; Hull sees the soul of shot-making slipping away.
Her goal remains simple: she wants her name on the trophy. She clarified that headline fame doesn’t motivate her; it’s the G.O.A.T.-ing moment–seeing her name etched on a major trophy–that fuels her. That ambition persists even as the golf world shifts into a new era that doesn’t align with her values.
Alyssa Polczynski Alyssa Polczynski is a multimedia journalist covering Major League Baseball for Heavy.com. She has experience as an editorial producer for MLB.com and contributed to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). More about Alyssa Polczynski
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