I can only call this new swing phenomenon what it looks like to me.

I will forever now call it the “Squat & Dump” Golf Swing, and I will say “Rest In Peace” at this time to all of the leading legs that will be destroyed by this horrific move.

If you look at the mechanics involved, there is no way that people will be able to swing this way for many years before, at the least, they destroy their leading knee joint.

Let’s take a look at the way it’s being taught, and the person or account that features this is no more guilty of malpractice than any pro out there teaching this:

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Before I continue, thanks to WAX Nation citizen Peter Allenby for alerting me to the newest NCAA Champion, a young man named Michael LaSasso, and his swing mechanics are absolutely terrifying to anyone who cares about physical well-being:

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And let me get this out of the way – Michael LaSasso is obviously a huge golf talent, as proven by his winning the NCAA, but what I’m talking about here is the physical well-being of swingers and how their mechanics are causing or will cause damage that could be avoided with mechanically-correct swinging.

It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are, all that matters when I’m looking at a golf swing is, “Is this mechanically correct and, if not, how to change that to reduce risk of injury?”

Mechanically-sound also means efficient and powerful, so that takes care of the side factors such as consistency, distance, accuracy, repeatability etc.

And this:

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… the hyperextension of the leading leg (see the red arrows in rear of the demonstrator), not to mention the rolling of the front ankle, is going to wreak havoc on countless swingers from this generation because of the malpractice being committed teaching this stuff.

It is garbage.  There are so many better ways to swing that won’t cause the damage this move is going to cause.

I took a look at a Reddit page dedicated to LaSasso, and it is filled with Olympic Gold Medalists in the sport of Point-Missing and Know-Nothingness.

Here are some comments, with my answer to them, because I don’t waste my time with comments sections and the like – you want my opinion, you’ll find it right here on this blog:

Redditor A: If someone scores better than you, then as a golfer, you keep your mouth shut. Full stop. Jim Furyk’s swing makes me sad, but he’d kick my teeth in, even at his advanced age.

DJ’s Response: Jim Furyk’s swing has an idiosyncrasy that makes it look funky, but at no point is it mechanically-unsound and likely to cause injury.  Gold Medal for Missing The Point, that LaSasso’s swing is incredibly unsound, mechanically, and likely to cause him harm in the future.

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Redditor B: He’s probably gotta make changes as he ages just hearing his name will cause me to wake up in the middle of the night with low back pain.

DJ’s Response: Give this man a cigar.  I would only quibble with the back pain and substitute it with “leading knee pain.”  Still, someone who can sense an unsound mechanical move if not exactly where it’s taking place.

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Redditor C: …i also think it’s a very SAFE pattern. people have a very poor understanding of what creates lumbar stress and just see side bend from a DTL view and think duhhh that’s bad for back. my back feels great.

DJ’s Response: A Gold Medal here, Know-Nothingness – it is NOT a safe swing because of the hyperextension required in the leading knee, and I’m sure this gent’s back feels great, because that’s not what is going to be harmed with many repetitions of this move.

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Redditor D: There is nothing to indicate that unique swings do or do not lead to back injuries. Golfers get back injuries like basketball players get knee and ankle pain.

DJ’s Response: Absolute Know-Nothing – I played basketball (and competed in the long jump in track) and developed Jumper’s Knee in just a couple of years from the repeated stress of planting and jumping off of my left foot:

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… and I have swung golf clubs now for twenty years, probably have hit well over 1 million balls on the range and the course, fast and hard enough to exceed 190 mph ball speed and drive it up to 375 on the golf course:

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… and I have never, ever hurt my back swinging a golf club.  Never even had a twinge, because I don’t twist my lower back when pivoting, nor do I anchor my trailing foot and put strain on my back trying to “stick the landing” like these fellows:

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Bad golf swings, as in just about any model of the Modern Golf Swing, will lead to back injuries. 

That much is already conceded by experts who have done the research on the X Factor type of swinging, but a mechanically-sound golf swing will not cause back damage to someone who doesn’t already have back issues.

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I could go on, but depression was setting in, so I bailed from that page.

The massive point everyone misses is that a golf swing doesn’t have to look like Ben Hogan’s to play good golf, but a mechanically unsound golf swing, no matter how well one plays with it, is a ticking time bomb of injury.

So, I would tell Michael LaSasso, “Congratulations on your win, and good luck with your pro career – but for the sake of longevity and your physical well-being, find a swing coach who can teach you a mechanically-correct swing. In other words, get rid of this Squat & Dump swing.”

The End