Do it your own way
By Kim Jeong-kyoo
What golf fans rarely expect took place during recent PGA Tour events. Bryson DeChambeau won the 2020 U.S. Open trophy with an unusual swing; and Sergio Garcia sank his winning putt with his eyes closed at the Sanderson Farms Championship. The two players pleasantly surprised amateur golfers who stick to textbook theory.
DeChambeau secured the U.S. Open trophy by six shots with his unorthodox swing last November at Winged Foot, one of the most treacherous golf courses on the planet. He was the only player in the field to post an under-par score Sunday, shooting a 3-under 67.
His swing does not look standard, especially the address posture. He carries his hands high at address and positions his left arm high with the wrist noticeably arched. He sets his right arm slightly below his left so the right arm and club shaft form nearly a straight line. This allows him to swing differently from anybody else on the PGA Tour; and makes his swing look a bit weird.
Namely, he uses single-length irons, swinging the club on a single plane. And setting the club shaft more in line with his forearms at address, he makes an easier backswing with his arms working in sync with his body rotation. Also, he repeats his swing on a single plane every time, which is the hallmark of all great players. After all, by having his club and right forearm in line through the shot, he hits the ball far and straight with pinpoint accuracy.
Sergio Garcia won the Sanderson Farms Championship weeks ago with his eyes closed while putting. Closing his eyes an instant before rolling the ball was part of his efforts to improve his putting stroke. The 40-year-old hadn't had a win on the PGA Tour since the 2017 Masters. And surprisingly he clinched this victory by putting with his eyes closed.
“I would say I putt with my eyes closed 75 percent of the time," he said in a post-round interview. “This way I feel like I just feel it and I just let my natural ability kind of take over instead of telling myself what to do.”
Similarly, golf fans around the world could see a unique golf swing as Matthew Wolff, paired with DeChambeau, competed for the 2020 US Open championship.
The club shaft position at the top of the backswing features his weird, tradition-upsetting swing. Wolff takes the club back very steeply so the shaft matches or is parallel to the angle of his spine, tilted sideways, with his left arm resting nearly vertical and left heel off the turf. Then, he bows his left wrist and re-routes the club with a big loop to the inside on the downswing, slotting it into the proper path. With a swing that blows up conventional theory, he took second place, finishing behind DeChambeau.
It might be time to change your ideas of what great golf is. What a golf swing looks like is not important. Critical is how a swing works under pressure, producing the same good results.
Your swing is perfect as long as it feels as natural as walking and consistently works great for you. Indeed, there exist tens of thousands of different-looking swings. Individual golf swings are similar to fingerprints in that they vary from individual to individual, and your swing needs to match you and your own build.
Stay clear of remaining caught up in pulling off what others tell you to do for an effective golf swing. Purge your mind of or rest free of complicated conventional swing theories, and hit the ball your own way. Nearly every swing theory involves some fallacy. Sticking to any particular swing style, you will have dissatisfaction and frustration thrust on you. Contrary to the popular myth, there is no one golf swing that fits all golfers.
The author lives in a rustic town near Seoul, studying and teaching golf.