Gainey's Grip, Swing and Success

[delav]

Golf Central discussed this briefly today.  Strange swing and even stranger grip.  He's got a true baseball grip with his left thumb curling around the shaft.

How will he fare in the remainder of the WM tournament?  Thoughts and comments welcome.

[bkoguy07]

My friend grips the club similiar to him.. crazy. (my friend isnt a pro though..)

I guess what ever works for him.. if someone asked me if i wanted to be a pro and gave me a swing like that i'd have no complaints lol i just wanna be a pro at least for a day or two

[xxsoultonesxx]

He's a scrappy player, but he keeps it in control for the most part. I like watching him because he looks like he just goes balls-out on every swing.

Earlier he said he went from a job wrapping hot water heaters to playing pro golf. I hope he makes good money on tour, even with a crazy swing/grip/gloves, etc.

[delav]

Makes me wonder why I'm in grad school.  Need to play more golf.

[Zeph]

His swing always reminds me of Charles Barkley.

[mojojojo7176]

Its a swing only a mother could love. I do root for him though. I want to see him do well since he got his chance off The Big Break.

[uttexas]

He can get really hot with all clubs and go very low when he's in the zone.  Fun to watch when he gets on one of his streaks.

[MSDOGS1976]

I remember seeing him on the Big Break. I thought what a joke, no way he would make it to the pga tour. Looks like he may get the last laugh. I hope so anyway.

[walk18]

I like his swing. Nothing textbook about it but I still like it.

[Aquaguru]

I like how he never takes his gloves off even when putting.

[xxsoultonesxx]

He's sitting at 19 under with a 3 shot lead right now. Wow.

[Shorty]

Can some people think of nothing to say about Gainey other than the obvious fact that his swing is unusual?  Obviously it's hard to ignore, but It's pretty clear that at impact the clubface is in a good position. That's what matters Charles Barkely? You must be kidding.

I really hope that he wins because then we won't have to read 500 comments where the wise armchair analysts can sagely say that they knew his swing would not stand up to pressure.

[delav]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Can some people think of nothing to say about Gainey other than the obvious fact that his swing is unusual?  Obviously it's hard to ignore, but It's pretty clear that at impact the clubface is in a good position. That's what matters Charles Barkely? You must be kidding.

I really hope that he wins because then we won't have to read 500 comments where the wise armchair analysts can sagely say that they knew his swing would not stand up to pressure.

No reason to get that way.

I created this thread because far too often (especially on this site) the emphasis is to fit the mechanics of an 'ideal' swing into a well-defined box.  There is a good chance that there isn't a single member on the board who holds the club the way Gainey does, let along swings like him.

I hope he wins as well, and I agree with your point.  It's interesting to see such a non-traditional player at the top of the leaderboard.  He is sinking putts and hitting the ball confidently and consistently.  As you said, it goes show that impact is paramount to the surrounding mechanics.

[Zeph]

I like how he never takes his gloves off even when putting.

Perhaps his hands look weird. :-P [quote name="Shorty" url="/forum/thread/43714/gainey-s-grip-swing-and-success#post_572057"]

Can some people think of nothing to say about Gainey other than the obvious fact that his swing is unusual?  Obviously it's hard to ignore, but It's pretty clear that at impact the clubface is in a good position. That's what matters Charles Barkely? You must be kidding.

I really hope that he wins because then we won't have to read 500 comments where the wise armchair analysts can sagely say that they knew his swing would not stand up to pressure.

[/quote] Who's said anything negative about his game? How did you jump from the conclusion that because I think his swing reminds me of Barkley mean I don't think his swing is good or holds up under pressure? Stop assuming and putting words in others mouth. Or rather putting words in their posts.

[Missouri Swede]

Kostis showed some shots of his swing and compared them with a baseball player's swing. If I understood correctly, Gainey played baseball as a (younger) kid. No negative comments about it, really, other than saying that although some of his swing wasn't conventional, it still puts him where he wants to be at impact.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by delav

I created this thread because far too often (especially on this site) the emphasis is to fit the mechanics of an 'ideal' swing into a well-defined box.  There is a good chance that there isn't a single member on the board who holds the club the way Gainey does, let along swings like him.

I think that's directed at least a teeny bit at me. So let me say this...

Geometry doesn't change because of who you are or how you swing the club. Physics don't change.

If Tommy Gainey came to me (Dave would give the same answer here too), my first question would be "what shot's giving you trouble"? If he says "I'm hitting the ball too low" then he's given a piece or two to help get it up. If he says "I hate it when I hit a big block" then I'd be able to explain that.

Dave and I use the example of Jim Furyk coming to us. 99.9% chance we don't do a thing to change the backswing. It's something he does, and he does it pretty well. Same first question: "what shot's giving you trouble?"

The physics are the same for everyone. The geometry is the same for everyone.

It's much easier, generally speaking, to work towards some sort of "ideal" than to just randomly guess and hope that everyone has some sort of Gainey or Furyk swing in them. Most people don't. They're the exceptions.

And that said, our students swings look different. My swing looks different than Dave's. We are all working on different pieces and different things...

I feel like I can explain pretty well how Tommy Gainey swings, why his ball does what it does, why he might have one particular miss... though I'll admit I haven't seen more than about two minutes of the coverage this weekend. :-)

If the post wasn't directed at me, but people take direction from me (and some do, which is fine), then I hope me saying all this might have some effect. My approach to the golf swing is about fixing the issues the player faces. For the higher handicappers that's almost always a contact issue. For a good player the change is more subtle. I could coach anyone because the geometry and the physics are the same...

BTW, Mike and Andy worked with Dustin Johnson last year (it may have been two years ago... time is slipping). Guy doesn't do a very "S&T" type move, but he was hooking the ball too much. Why? Because his path was being sent too far to the right. His fix? Lowering the handle through impact and into the release. One piece, one fix, and his swing doesn't "fit" the model or anything, but it was enough that he could go on to play some good golf.

P.S. I hope he pulls off the comeback and wins, because maybe we'll get some good video and we can discuss what he does in his swing.

[delav]

Originally Posted by iacas

Quote:

Originally Posted by delav

I created this thread because far too often (especially on this site) the emphasis is to fit the mechanics of an 'ideal' swing into a well-defined box.  There is a good chance that there isn't a single member on the board who holds the club the way Gainey does, let along swings like him.

I think that's directed at least a teeny bit at me. So let me say this...

Not directed at any particular figure or entity on this board.  More pertaining to commonly accepted 'ideal' positions and swing mechanics among users.

[SVTGolfer]

I cant take the guy seriously… He's a hack! Every time I see him on TV I just shake my head and laugh. I cant even watch him for more than a swing, I have to change it…