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Here’s Jim Furyk’s perfect golf swing.

Why do I say it’s “perfect”?

If you look at Jim Furyk’s swing very carefully, you can note the following things:

1. Jim’s swing at the top of the backswing looks very unorthodox but it is very very similar to how Jack Nicklaus swung during his prime. Jack Nicklaus always advised golfers to swing in a very upright fashion, and he did say that this is great for hitting the ball high with long irons.

Mind you, Jack Nicklaus was the greatest “fade” long iron player in the history of golf and he did hit them very very high.

Now, this “upright” backswing can be seen in players like Jim Furyk, Jack Nicklaus, and John Daly from what I can remember.

This “upright” backswing can work for you or it may not. Depending on how rest of your swing is like and what your physique is like, this maybe be a good factor in your perfect swing.

2. At follow through, both of Jim’s arms are straight out, completely extended, a trait that almost all great players in the world carry including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, etc…etc…

Now, it may look to the naked eye that Jim Furyk’s swing may look unorthodox as some say. But remember in golf, there is no such thing as “orthodox”. All golf swing concepts are made by people and not even single one can be named perfect.

Even Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus once said, “I hit maybe couple perfect shots in a period of year”.

The important thing to realize is that everyone has their own “perfect” swing whether others think that looks unorthodox or not.

It’s very important for you to find your own swing, a swing that can work for you whether you are playing a round for fun or you are playing for $100 per hole skins.

In this case, Jim does have a “perfect” swing which I have admired over the years and amazed at how low he can go under tournament pressure.

Next time you see a golfer with a bad swing and a bad grip on the course, be aware, he maybe the best golfer you ever played with.

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There has been a lot of discussions on the internet about how to play the knockdown shot. I did go over it in brief detail couple months ago but here it is again.

A knockdown shot is nothing but a mini version of your full swing.

There are variety of knockdown shots too. Depending on what kind of lie you have and what kind of results you are trying to achieve, there’s about a hundred ways to play the shot.

But for 99% of golfers and 99% of situations, you play the knockdown shot for the following reasons:

1. You are between clubs. Let’s say you hit your 5-iron 185 yards and you hit your 6-iron 150 yards. You got a 160 yard shot, you can hit a knockdown shot here.

2. It’s windy. Whether that wind is against/with you or a cross-wind, by hitting a knockdown shot, you can keep the flight of the golf ball 20-40% lower than your normal shots and not get affected by the wind. That means you don’t have to worry about how the wind will affect the shot as much.

3. You need to hit it lower than usual to avoid high hanging trees and also put lots of backspin. If you hit a knockdown shot, usually you will get a lower ball flight and get a nice hop and stop action on the ball.

Again, here’s the simplest and the most effective way to hit the knockdown shot that I personally learned from Butch Harmon:

1. Put the ball near center or slightly forward of center of your stance.

2. Swing easy, anywhere between 1/2 to 3/4 swing.

3. On the downswing, feel like you are “trapping” the ball with your body. Now, this “feeling” might take a lot of practice to achieve.

4. Try to contact the ball first, not the turf. Better yet, don’t hit the turf at all. Hitting the turf only makes the ball lose backspin. If you look at Tiger in practice (not in competition), you will see him take zero turf on every one of his ‘good’ knockdowns. If you are awed by tour pros hitting really low sand wedges and they ‘hop and drop’, this is how they do it.

This may be the most important in knockdowns since the less you hit the ground (or take a divot), the more ‘hop and drop’ backspin you will get PLUS your ball will fly a lot lower since you are not hitting down on the ball. The only way to achieve this is to really hit the ball from 0 degree angle, meaning you don’t want to hit down or up on the ball.

Now this method is great since you will be able to use your knockdowns “everywhere” once you get good.

I tend to favor it even if it’s not windy and I don’t need to hit it under a tree since you don’t have to do a full swing and stay in control of your ball flight.

Look at Tiger and he’s doing that.

Next time, I will take a video to show you exactly what I mean. These days, I don’t have much time for golf practice. I hope that changes soon and maybe I will have to try out for PGA again soon.

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Well, as a pro golfer who did go through high school and college golf, this seems like a great opportunity for any of you young golfers out there who’s dream is trying to go pro.

It looks like there’s even a PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship.  Of course you’d have to be a minority to qualify but it’s a great opportunity and I highly suggest you find a way to enter the tournament or at least attend the Golf Career Expo to find out about it.

The 14th Business of Golf Career Expo, which introduces student-athletes competing in the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship to the golf industry, will be conducted May 8, at the PGA Education Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Featuring 20 golf associations or companies, the Business of Golf Career Expo will be conducted from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., a day prior to the 22nd PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship, May 9-11, on the Tom Fazio-designed Ryder and Wanamaker Courses at The PGA Golf Club.

via pga

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I bought this book when it came out at the bookstores long times ago. (I think about 10 years ago or so…)

Anyways, this is one of the best books on golf psychology that I’ve seen in my lifetime. Although Dr. Bob Rotella isn’t a pro-golfer, he does case a lot of scenarios with other pro-golfers such as Tom Kite among many other pro-golfers to show you the mental side of playing golf.

You can get it at our new ProGolfDigest Book Store, where I’ve been adding all the great golf books I recommend for reading.

Dr. Bob Rotella is one of the hottest performance consultants in America today. Among his many professional clients are Nick Price (last year’s Player of the Year), Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Pat Bradley, Brad Faxon, John Daly, and many others. Rotella, or “Doc,” as most players refer to him, goes beyond just the usual mental aspects of the game and the reliance on specific techniques. What Rotella does here in this extraordinary book, and with his clients, is to create an attitude and a mindset about all aspects of a golfer’s game, from mental preparation to competition. The most wonderful aspect of it all is that it is done in a conversational fashion, in a dynamic blend of anecdote and lesson. And, as some of the world’s greatest golfers will attest, the results are spectacular.

Buy the book here:

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect
by Dr. Bob Rotella
$15.61

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John Daly is probably one of my favorite golfers of all time. His swing is somethin’ If you read his book, “Grip It and Rip It”, you will find that he does a lot of things that you don’t expect him to.

For example, John Daly does have one of the longest swings ever BUT he does has one of the best rhythms in golf. You don’t realize how great his rhythm is because all you are focusing on is his long swing and his distance. But look at his swing carefully and you will see a little Freddy Couples in him.

Even, Tiger’s previous Coach Butch Harmon, quotes John Daly in his book, Four Cornerstones of Winning Golf (By the way, THIS book, is way too cool…).

I used to try to copy his swing during one of my golf years and was pretty successful at it. I remember when I would read his book over and over again until couple pages decided to take lives of its own and take off somewhere in my bedroom…

Anyways, check it out. You should also read his book from couple years ago where he writes about his life but we will get to that so…

Get Grip It and Rip It! here

John Daly’s Swing on Youtube;

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P.S. The weirdest thing is that I live in San Francisco right next to John Daly Blvd., right next to Daly City! It must be a coincidence that he’s among my favorites. I mean, of all the places you can live in, I am living next to John Daly Blvd and Daly City?!? John should really move here.

Get the book here:

Grip It and Rip It: John Daly’s Guide to Hi…
by John Daly

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