Who Is He?

Anybody that can shoot 60 on a Sunday to win their first PGA tournament has clearly got some game. And as Tommy 'Two Gloves' Gainey was on his way to making PGA Tour history, he also became a firm fan's favourite. With a golf swing that would not look out of place on the first tee on any Saturday morning four ball at the local country club, golfers found that they could relate to Tommy in a way that other professional silky smooth swings felt unobtainable.

What He Does?

With an incredibly strong grip in the address position, Gainey's set up is affected to the point that his shoulders are incredibly tilted which also affects his spine angle. An unusually wide but relatively short arc takes him to the top of the backswing. From this position, he will really start to get going, like a baseball home run hitter; he throws everything into the impact phase. His knees struggle to cope with the coil that is being violently released on them and his hands struggle to release the club head in time for impact, meaning he strikes most shots with an aggressively downwards angle of attack and with most clubs presented with a de-lofted club face. The overuse of the legs in a downswing result in an often unbalanced and whirlwind finish position.

What Can You Learn?

Similar to a player like Jim Furyk, not many coaches would encourage you to copy Tommy Gainey's golf swing; however, he does have the ability to keep the club face square for a prolonged period of time to the impact phase. This results in very accurate golf shots and does hold up well under pressure. If you can focus on maintaining a square club face through the impact area, instead of excessively flicking or scooping the club face, this should encourage you to hit straight shots too.

What Should You Avoid?

Most of Tommy Gainey's problems start with his excessively strong grip. If you can avoid gripping the golf club in an unorthodox fashion, you will really give yourself a huge advantage. Even if your unorthodox grip feels comfortable, spend time early on in your golfing career trying to make an orthodox grip feel comfortable. It really is one of the most important aspects of your future golfing career.