What are 'ugly' and 'unorthodox' golf swings?

 

If you were asked to name the ugliest golf swings by major championship winners, who would you select? What would be the criteria for you to make that judgment? Are ugly wings unorthodox ones or vice versa?

The fact is, some of the greatest golfers in history have been regarded as having unorthodox swings. The word “unorthodox” means that something that is different from the norm; the word “ugly” suggests the appearance of an object. When labeling any golf swing as unorthodox, we need to be mindful that the definition of that condition may vary with time. What was once unorthodox may become acceptable later. In golf instruction, we’ve seen this happen over and over again.

Case No. 1

When Harry Vardon moved his thumbs toward the shaft's top and placed his right hand's little finger over his left forefinger knuckle, it was considered to be unorthodox. In his era, the standard grip had both thumbs to the sides of the shaft. Players held their golf club more in the palms of both hands and with all ten fingers. However, as Vardon started to win, his competitors copied his grip. What once was considered unorthodox became orthodox.

Case No. 2

In the 1957 U.S. Open's final round at Cherry Hills, Hogan and Nicklaus were paired together, and they had very different styles of backswing. Nicklaus let his right elbow work up and away and pointed more outward at the top. Hogan kept his right elbow closer to his body and pointed more downward.

Hogan’s backswing was viewed as orthodox, while Nicklaus’ swing was considered unorthodox then. When Nicklaus began to emerge, and Hogan faded from the winner’s circle, the ideas of unorthodox and orthodox backswings changed.

There are certain swings which most would agree to be both unorthodox and ugly. For example, Jim Furyk’s swing is not pretty, ugly even, although Furyk himself has had an envious career, with a U.S. Open victory. What is wrong with his swing? The answer may be the differential in planes between the backswing and the downswing - a “loop” in his swing.

In Furyk’s case, the club is taken well outside the traditional backswing plane, looped to the inside and then back into position on the downswing. This is not an unacceptable way to play golf. However, to observers, the combination of the two distinctly different planes makes his swing have a disjointed appearance. Thye problem is that other players who employ a similar pattern, such as Freddy Couples, are not considered to have 'ugly' swings. Couples also begins his swing by lifting his arms well outside the traditional plane line. Using a delayed turn of his torso, he brings the club back into a more traditional plane at the top.

Both Couples and Furyk's backswings operate outside the traditional plane line and they both loop the club back into position before impact. Nonetheless, Couples’ swing is admired, while Furyk’s swing is not. This may be because Furyk’s loop is created ostensibly by a change in plane with his arms and hands, giving his swing a frenetic appearance. On the contrary, Couples’ loop is made using a graceful turn of his body with his arms following in perfect harmony.

As such, the drastic change in plane between the backswing and the downswing is not the primary factor for a swing to be classified as ugly. What does this mean? First, although a loop in the swing may be unorthodox, it is not necessary ugly - if the club is routed into plane with the turn of the body, instead of just the arms and the hands. Second, the definition of unorthodox can and does change over time. Third, an unorthodox swing is not necessarily ugly. The two classifications are totally different.

In short, when you evaluate golf swings, remember that an unorthodox swing is not necessarily ugly, yet an ugly swing is always unorthodox.https://topgolfgears.com/best-golf-drivers.html