Can anyone explain Tommy Gainey's swing

[bigoak]

I know he is effective but I cannot figure out what and how he is swinging.

[Topper]

I have no answers for you.  But I like seeing such an unorthodox (to put it nicely) swing in the mix.

[GJBenn85]

I'd be curious to have his swing broken down.  I was watching him the other night and was a little shocked by his swing.  Surely an amateur would be criticized for it...

[Chilli Dipper]

This is from the Heritage back in April. Even Peter Kostis isn't sure where to begin.

[clubchamp]

Back fast, down hard...

[visiondr]

Really only a 2/3 to 3/4 backswing there. That ultra slow motion camera really shows it all.

[allin]

I would describe him as a hitter not a swinger. These kinds of moves are not uncommon in athletes moving from baseball, hockey, even football. If you are physically strong and have exceptional eye hand coordination you can pull it off. When these type of players slump it can get really ugly. I think history shows that these players tend to fade sooner than more conventional swingers. Now in my 50s I am moving from a right side upper body dominated hitting motion to a more classic motion.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Peter Kostis said it was an adapted baseball swing and that he even uses a real baseball grip - not the ten-finger grip that people say call a baseball grip.

[Leftygolfer]

He hits the center of the club consistantly and hits it a long way.  I like seeing it too.  You don't have to have a perfect move to be able to play.  I think the one thing I like about his swing is how he keeps his inclination to the ground so consistant and really drives the club (Irons) into the ground.  That is look I'd love to have at impact.

[Chilli Dipper]

Originally Posted by allin

I would describe him as a hitter not a swinger. These kinds of moves are not uncommon in athletes moving from baseball, hockey, even football. If you are physically strong and have exceptional eye hand coordination you can pull it off. When these type of players slump it can get really ugly. I think history shows that these players tend to fade sooner than more conventional swingers. Now in my 50s I am moving from a right side upper body dominated hitting motion to a more classic motion.

Dig around golf swing videos on YouTube, and you'll find a clip of Colin Montgomerie explaining how he doesn't hit the ball, but swings in an arc that coincides with the ball's position. Most modern golfers swing this way, but Tommy Gainey obviously does not.

If you watch film of some pros from the 1950s (or footage from senior events in the 1980s), you'll see a lot of capable players with swings not unlike Gainey's. It's not necessarily a weird swing, but rather a throwback to times when swing mechanics weren't as ingrained into the minds of top professionals, and when many didn't pick up the game until later in life.

[nevets88]

Look how far his hands are in front of the ball at 0:43 and how down his shoulder is at 0:49. I bet he rarely ever hits it fat.

I like eclectic swings too, but I wonder if there is added stress on the body due to his swing.

[Zeph]

It is a bit unorthodox, but two things stand out to me that lets him play consistently well. Hands well forward of the ball at impact. Clubface stays square to the plane long after impact. No rolling of the hands, which shuts down the clubface. By keeping the clubface that well on plane, the margin for error increases. His dynamics is the same story as Furyk really. It looks weird, but it works. Both of them reach a good impact position.

[uttexas]

He does a wonderful job of maintaining his spine angle--jk Agree with Zeph--not many golfers maintain the flying wedges (right wrist hinge/flat left wrist) as well as Gainey going into impact and long into the follow through. Also, look how far forward Gainey gets his left hip in the backswing and then even more forward going into impact. His right knee is forward of the ball at impact--amazing. reminds me of combination of Lee Trevino and Ben Doyle through impact. Trevino [VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dZ_sjFzINM&feature;=related[/VIDEO] Doyle [VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVZ0wY03rjk[/VIDEO]

[Keep It Simple]

Originally Posted by visiondr

Really only a 2/3 to 3/4 backswing there. That ultra slow motion camera really shows it all.

Whenever you see a player swing that fast you can pretty much gaurantee they have a short backswing.  If Tommy were to take the club all the way back and swing that fast, even as strong as he is he wouldn't be able to stop his wrists from unhinging too early.

[Mr. Desmond]

Describe it?

How does one describe a swing that makes women, children, and men -- scream.

Don't watch it, just accept it.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Keep It Simple

Whenever you see a player swing that fast you can pretty much gaurantee they have a short backswing.  If Tommy were to take the club all the way back and swing that fast, even as strong as he is he wouldn't be able to stop his wrists from unhinging too early.

I disagree, and put forth the long drivers or John Daly or Bubba Watsons of the world. They swing back pretty far but don't unhinge the wrists too early.

Perhaps you're talking about tempo, and the rate of acceleration. John has a slower rate of acceleration even if he reaches a higher peak (impact) speed.

[nevets88]

It almost looks like he's getting ready to unload on a pitch he thinks is coming low and away. Really low and away.

[FLOG4]

It's all about repetition thru impact zone....Grip, who cares.....take it back...who cares.....Impact zone, that's the money ticket.  Now even in it's unorthodoxy if it repeats inself you can do wonderfull things with it.....But that's just half the battle....Now get that ball in the hole. Tommy has talent and is comfortable with his swing.  He'll do well.  Candidly if Tiger had Tommy's confidence in his swing he'd be passing Jack's record about now.  Go Tommy Go.