10 of the Strangest Golf Swings

MUCH is made of the search for the perfect golf swing. We could all spend hours watching the likes of Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen and Collin Morikawa, with all their perfect lines and wonderful balance. But there are, of course, many ways to get the job done and the world of golf is full of players who have achieved huge success by throwing away the rule book and doing it their own way. Here we look at 10 of what could best be described as the most idiosyncratic swings the game has seen.

Lee Trevino

Remember everything you have ever been taught about how important alignment is - feet, hips and shoulders aiming straight at the target. And then throw it all out the window. Trevino addressed the ball with everything aiming to the left. And boy did it work. He knew that he was going to fade everything - and almost every tee shot would finish in the middle of the fairway. It served him pretty well. He did, after all, win six majors.

John Daly

Daly turned golf upside down when he arrived at Crooked Stick and won the US PGA Championship with a display of driving the likes of which we had never witnessed before. And, of course, he also won The Open. His backswing was enormous, his driver passing way, way, way beyond parallel at the top of a never-ending backswing. But he always maintained perfect poise and balance.

Doug Sanders

The American had the shortest backswing in the professional game, barely ever taking the club beyond hip height. Despite that, he was one of the longest hitters of his day. He also possessed a wondrous short game. He won 20 times on the PGA Tour and finished runner-up in The Open, US Open and US PGA Championship and was one of the most colourful characters the game has ever known. He famously missed a three-foot putt to win The Open at St Andrews in 1970, losing an 18-hole playoff to Jack Nicklaus the following day.

Tommy Gainey

We all wince at some of the brutal swings we see on the first tee at the weekend. But we seldom do so when we tune in to watch the PGA Tour. But Tommy Gainey (or should that be Tommy Ungainly) possesses a golf swing that would embarrass most 28 handicappers. Nonetheless, he has enjoyed a pretty successful career at the highest level. Just don’t ask anybody to explain how.

Bubba Watson

Bubba has what is surely the strangest golf swing on the PGA Tour. He proudly boasts that he has never had a lesson in his life. And thank goodness for that because anybody who taught that golf swing would be drummed out of the sport. But it has stood him in good stead and nobody in the modern game can manipulate the ball in quite the way Bubba does. Just ask Louis Oosthuizen, who was on the wrong end of that unbelievable wedge shot around the trees during a playoff at The Masters in 2012.

Bryson DeChambeau

We all know about DeChambeau's extraordinary power and the way he smashes the ball with all his might. He uses an extra thick grip - which should make it well-nigh impossible to generate all that power. But the most notable thing about his swing is that there is hardly any wrist break. And that should also mitigate against him hitting the ball as far as he does.

Matthew Wolff

The latest phenom hits the ball a country mile. As he addresses the ball everything looks normal. And then comes an extraordinary forward press in which he opens his shoulders before starting his backswing, lifting his left heel high in the air and then giving the ball a fearful pounding. And like all the others on this list, it works.

Jim Furyk

Furyk looks like he is casting a fishing rod. It shouldn’t work. But it does. He is a former US Open champion, a prolific money winner and remains competitive into his 50s. And what about that golf grip? Furyk overlaps two fingers of his right hand, and always has done. Astonishing!

Ho Sung-Choi

This is a golf swing like no other.  Imagine the perfect balance demonstrated by Rory McIlroy on every shot he plays - and then take a look at the South Korean in action. He starts with his clubhead off the ground, takes a massive swipe and swings himself off his feet. On every single shot.

Eamonn Darcy

How did he do that? His backswing is best likened to a helicopter taking off. It had more moving parts that your average car engine but he managed to win four times on the European Tour and played in the Ryder Cup on four occasions. Just don’t try this swing at home! Please!

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