Who Is He?

We are often told that in the game of golf, there are a thousand ways to swing the club, and quite rightly many of the world's top golfers have movements that are unique to their own swings. However, none quite take this unique, unorthodox swing to the same level as Jim Furyk.

Known throughout the game as the quirkiest swing on tour, it may surprise you to know that Jim's father was a golf professional, (hardly a good advert for his father's business you would think). However, having made over $45 million in the game and having never ranked outside of the world's top 20 for driving accuracy since 1996, maybe his father knew something that the rest of the golfing world does not.

What He Does

From an incredibly hunched position at address, when Jim's hands are almost between his knees, the club has nowhere to go apart from away from his body and almost vertical in the backswing. This takeaway results in the club being positioned almost directly over the top of his head at the top of the backswing. From this position, Jim has to drop the club violently down on the inside to enable him to attack the golf ball from the correct position.

In order to make this movement he has to make a dramatic compensation with his leg action and is sometimes referred to as jelly legs. However, if we look closely at the path that the golf club takes from around three feet before the impact to three feet after the impact point, you can notice the club travels on a near perfect path and strikes the ball cleanly more often than most.

What Can You Learn?

In terms of embracing Jim's technique, not many coaches would encourage any of his movements at all. However, if you adopt the concept that any swing can work, as long as you understand its unique qualities and can deliver the club squarely through the impact phase on a repeatable basis, Jim may be your role model.

What Should You Avoid?

Most of it. Jim Furyk's golf swing goes to show that if you do not get your set up correct to start with, it is almost impossible to swing the golf club with the desired effect. Focus on correct fundamentals and a good set up in order to produce your best results.