I’ve been quiet in recent weeks due to not having much to say about golf swing mechanics, due to the fact that I’m deeply into the issue of the grip and how it changes everything in the swing process.
I can say at the moment that the likely reason my efforts to replicate Mike Dunaway’s swing action comes down to the grip issue.
I came across a video clip on Youtube – it is a home movie taken in 1956 at a golf club called Lakeview, with Sammy Snead, Porkie Oliver and Moe Norman hitting shots in an exhibition round.
I have already shown WAX Nation Moe’s swing from the 50’s where he had a conventional Classic Golf Swing action complete with the full hip and leg action with a lifting leading heel, and he’s doing the same in this clip.
I’m not a doctor, while I do have a bit of knowledge regarding kinesiology attained through swing research and a lifetime of athletic pursuits, but this article really set my Spider Senses tingling when I read about Jordan Spieth’s wayward ECU tendon.
Basically, the sheath that holds his left ECU tendon in place is torn and it pops out from time to time, leading to his having to WD from events or miss them altogether when this occurs.
I don’t think I’ve ever showcased Al Geiberger, the original “Mr. 59” and someone who had a golf swing model that was near bang-on, as you will observe.
There are only a couple of critiques I would have of the setup and pivot action but, other than that, there’s not really anything at which to pick.
I have talked about how, when I began my golf swing research, I had chosen Moe Norman’s swing to study because of how it was always being called the “perfect swing.”
I have of course concluded that, while he could strike a ball nearly perfectly straight time after time, it wasn’t an optimal golf swing.
I’ve taken Jack Nicklaus’ driver swing from the Masters in 1963 to illustrate the power of hip & leg action regarding the leveraging of the golf swing, something that has been lost with both the Modern Golf Swing models & the Flying Foot Syndrome.
It would likely surprise modern golf students to learn that what makes it so difficult to get a 90 degree shoulder turn at the top with a planted leading heel is also what makes the Classic Golf Swing so effortless in power production via leverage.
It is now becoming evident to me that, out of all of the issues that people investigate with regards to swing modelling (ball position, stance, etc.), the grip is most overlooked part of it all.
I have spent years believing simply because he set the standard over a century ago that Harry Vardon’s grip was the correct one to employ.
Back in June 2013, I posted the following on my old blog DJ Watts Golf (I’ve edited it slightly due to its age) about the ever-raging debate about who was greater, Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods:
Someone finally had the wherewithal to do some number-crunching to put to rest the old canard that even if he never wins 18 majors, Tiger Woods is still better than Jack Nicklaus because Tiger won his majors against “better players” and “deeper fields.”
I found a swing from a session back in July of 2021 and am looking forward to comparing how my mechanical action looks down the line in comparison to now.
I’ve made the complete transition to a right-dominant throwing action and, although the swing below is a very passable action, driving the ball past 300 yards, it was still very “pulling” with the left arm.
I have talked about how rotation is the enemy of gravity, and for some this may seem strange, as the popular opinion is that one must rotate in the golf swing.
That opinion is wrong, mechanically-speaking, and I’ll show you an example in the extreme to illustrate the difference between a proper rotation around the supporting leg over rotating in place during a swing.
WAX Golf 