Opinion & Analysis
POLL: Who Has The Best Golf Swing?
Recently, I was working on some new DVDs for Swing Man Golf. During the process I reflected back on my journey, and noticed how my choice of a favorite golf swing has evolved over the years.
I forget exactly when I started playing golf — maybe junior high or early high school. But I do remember in those first few years that my Dad would take me out with him several times per season for 18 holes and I would mostly shoot between 110 and 120.
During my junior year in high school, breaking 100 on 18 holes was my barometer for having a good round, and those scores were actually good enough to play in the fourth or fifth slots on my high school varsity team.
Also during that period, Dad and I would watch a lot of sports together on TV. Depending on the season, it was mostly baseball, basketball, and football, but we would also take in other sports like golf when they came on, especially for a tournament like the Masters.
For some reason the swings that always stood out to me in those early years were Fred Couples and Greg Norman, the “Great White Shark.” I didn’t really know much about golf or technique at the time, but I could still appreciate how carefree Freddie looked with his buttery rhythm and super smooth swing.
As for Norman, I suppose parts of what made him noticeable to me were both his long blonde hair as well as his nickname, but I also really liked how confidently and aggressively he would go after the ball while still managing to stay in balance. With him, it seemed to be no-holds-barred when it came time for a full swing.
When I got in to college, Ernie Els was coming on the scene, and much for the same reasons I liked Couples’ swing I really loved watching “The Big Easy” swing. Again, with my knowledge back then, I didn’t really understand what was going on from a technical standpoint, but I sure enjoyed how pretty and effortless looking he was to watch.
Then after five years of working as a computer engineer, I quit my corporate job in Kansas City and moved out to California to pursue a golf career. Shortly after I arrived, I had the good fortune of having Dan Shauger take me under his wing and introduce me to his friend Mike Austin. At first mention, I didn’t know who Austin was but for some reason his name did sound familiar.
Later on, I remembered that as a young boy I had flipped through an old edition of the Guinness Book of World Records and that I had read about Austin’s 515-yard drive that he had hit in the 1974 U.S. National Senior Open in Las Vegas. Almost unimaginably, he was 64 years old at the time of the drive and he used a steel-shafted persimmon wood driver and balata ball to do it.
In a way it was magical for me to get to meet this mystical legend that I had read about as a kid. Shortly after, Dan introduced me to Austin and showed me some old VHS tape video footage of Mike’s swing, I had found my new favorite swing in Austin.
I’ve always been a naturally curious person, and in the years since my initial meeting with Dan and the now late Austin, I’ve spent a great deal of time studying many other great swings as a swing scientist of sorts, and I tried all kinds of different methods in and out of competition. Little did I know it, but both my background in anatomy, kinesiology, physics, patient case analysis, etc., from pharmacy school and also my work as a computer engineer would come in great handy.
In recent years, as a by-product of my research, the person whose swing I found to be my favorite evolved again. This time it would belong to PGA Tour player Ryan Palmer. In fact, some of the primary things I liked about Ryan’s swing are actually many of the same things that helped me go from 14-handicapper to professional golfer.
To me, it’s a low maintenance type of swing that doesn’t require great flexibility that you could just get up out of bed, head to the first tee, and put balls in play all day long. Overall, if you’re looking for a full swing to mimic, I think his is a great choice for both amateurs and professionals. Perhaps in a subsequent article, I’ll talk in more detail about why I like Ryan’s swing.
Anyway, all of that reflection about my favorite swings over the years and why I liked them got me wondering what swings other people liked the most.
As I couldn’t recall any significant poll ever being done to determine who has the best golf swing according to popular vote, I thought it would make for an interesting and fun article. So I did some initial research by asking my friends on Facebook and checking in with those on the Swing Man Golf mailing list to come up with a good list to vote on.
As expected, I got back a lot of nominations for guys like Fred Couples, a younger Ernie Els, Steve Elkington, Greg Norman, Luke Donald, etc, but I also was surprised at the diversity of other responses that came back in as well.
Of course, some of the golfing greats like Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Sam Snead came up.
Tiger was mentioned too, but different people favored certain swings of his over others (Ex. Pre-Harmon, Harmon, Haney, or Foley)
There were also home grown swings from guys like Bubba Watson, John Daly, Miller Barber, and Tommy Gainey.
From the women, Annika Sorenstam, Mickey Wright, and Na Yeon Choi got nominations.
A number of long drivers got the nod including Jamie Sadlowski, Landon Gentry, Mike Austin, Mike Dobbyn, Mike Dunaway, and Pat Dempsey.
Several teachers were mentioned, like Martin Chuck and Stack & Tilt’s Mike Bennett.
Count Yogi and Moe Norman made the list…and even yours truly got votes.
Carl Spackler, from Caddyshack was also suggested, which I thought was hilarious, but in all seriousness I decided not to include his weed whacking excellent-ness in the final poll below. It did, however, make for a great title picture for this article.
Interestingly, what became really apparent to me from everyone’s feedback is that people have very different definitions of what constitutes the best golf swing. Their favorite swing could be from someone who is smooth and rhythmic, it might look pretty or ugly, it could be powerful, it could have certain swing fundamentals or mechanics, it could be more or less optimal from a mathematical or scientific standpoint, etc.
It doesn’t even necessarily have to belong to a great player because there’s more to achieving a good golf score and winning than just the full swing. You could have a wonderful player with a terrible full swing and at the same time have someone that doesn’t play that much and/or isn’t even on Tour who has a lovely and very desirable golf swing.
All that being said, this article is about doing a poll, so let’s get to it without further ado.
Below are 72 choice for your favorite golf swing, which is absolutely crazy for any normal sort of poll. I thought about hand picking ones that seemed to get the most votes in my initial research to narrow it down to maybe 5 or 10 options, but I didn’t want to limit the selections to those of my own personal bias and/or marginalize someone else’s choice of best swing. And who knows? Maybe the results will also yield some surprises. Plus, we’ll actually be able to determine by popular vote which golfer has the best golf swing and be able to rank them accordingly.
Perhaps there are some other swings that deserve to be on this list, but at the least this is as inclusive of anything that’s ever been done before.
So…what about you? Who do you think has the best swing in golf?
Cast in your vote and feel free to comment below about whom you chose, why you picked him or her, if you think someone else deserves to be on the list, etc.
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Following Lexi Thompson’s Solheim Cup post-round presser on Friday evening, the 28-year-old has been the topic of much discussion.
Golf pundits and fans alike have been weighing in with their takes after this exchange with a reporter surrounding an untimely shank on Friday afternoon went viral:
Confounding answer from Lexi and subsequent reaction from the US side. It was one of the pivotal moments of the entire day and somehow that's off limits? pic.twitter.com/9std3LFlmN
— Tron Carter (@TronCarterNLU) September 23, 2023
After the incident, LPGA Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez said that Lexi has “been picked on and drug through negative comments. She is tired of it”
So has the criticism of Lexi Thompson been justified, or is this yet another example of her being unfairly treated?
Well, here are five times, in my opinion, that Lexi has been scrutinized far differently over the years than her peers.
2022 KPMG PGA Championship
At the 2022 KPMG PGA Championship, Lexi Thompson held a two-stroke lead with three holes to play. She couldn’t close the deal and lost the tournament.
Afterwards, she was fined $2k (as were the rest of the group) for slow play.
Lexi declined to speak to the media and got hammered on social media for doing so…
Lexi Thompson has declined to speak with the media here at Congressional.
Not a great look?
— Zephyr Melton (@zephyrmelton) June 26, 2022
Almost every golfer at some point has skipped a media session following disappointment on the course, and nobody has really batted an eyelid.
Tiger skipped back-to-back post-round media briefings at the 2019 WGC Mexico after being frustrated with his putting. Remember the backlash over that? Nah, me neither.
Donald Trump
@TheWhiteHouse
Every (or nearly every) big-name golfer under the sun has played golf with Donald Trump. Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy etc. Nobody really cared.
For whatever reason, when Lexi Thompson did, it was a story, and she took herself off social media soon after the photo was posted.
View this post on Instagram
2021 U.S. Women’s Open
In the final round of the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, Lexi Thompson had a 6-foot eagle on her opening hole. She missed and made birdie to lead by five.
She then lost the tournament.
Following the round, Brandel Chamblee said on ‘Live From’:
“She’s got 6 feet away. Now professional golfers don’t miss the center of the face by a pinhead. Look where she hits this putt on the very 1st hole. Look where this putt comes off the face. She would have missed the center of the putter there by a half an inch. I have never — I have never — seen a professional golfer miss the center of the putter by a wider margin than that. That was at the 1st hole. “
Honest? Absolutely. Correct? Brandel usually is. Has any other LPGA golfer been handed the full-on Chamblee treatment? Not to my knowledge.
2023 Solheim Cup
Lexi Thompson spoke the words, “I don’t need to comment on that” when a reporter asked her about a failed shot, and the golf community collectively lost their minds.
Lost on many people is the fact that she literally answered the question instantly after.
Jessica Korda described the reporting of the awkward exchange with the media member as yet another example of the golf media shredding Lexi, but in reality, it was really just golf media covering the furore created by golf fans reacting to the viral clip.
So sad seeing golf media , yet again, shred Lexi. It’s easy writing about other people’s mistakes. It’s
Golf, bad shots happen- give the girl a break. She grows the game more than anyone on tour… And she’s a great player!!— Jessica Korda (@Thejessicakorda) September 23, 2023
Lexi then won her next two matches, collecting 3 points from 4 for the U.S. team. But nobody seems to care about that.
‘yOu ShoUlD PrAcTIce puTTinG’
There’s very few golfers that have been plagued with such inane posts on their Instagram page as Lexi Thompson has.
I’ve tracked golfer’s social media accounts over the past few years (job requirement, sort of?). I can categorically say that Lexi gets some of the angriest and most aggressive responses to her posts of any golfer. Male or female. (She also gets some very nice ones too).
Despite countless posts of Thompson relentlessly practising her putting, the number of comments from dummies accusing her of neglecting that area of her game is both bizarre and alarming. Notice how the comments have been disabled on the post below? Probably not a coincidence.
View this post on Instagram
Go on any other golfer’s social account, and it will be hard to find the same dynamic.
Throw in the scandalous rules decision at the 2017 ANA Inspiration that cost her a second major title and spawned the “Lexi rule,” and it’s hard not to think Lexi has had a bit of a raw deal at times.
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While there are many golfers who barely know where the practice (I don’t like calling it a “driving”) range is located, there are many who find it a place of adventure, discovery and fun. I’m in the latter group, which could be accented by the fact that I make my living in this industry. But then, I’ve always been a “ball beater,” since I was a kid, but now I approach my practice sessions with more purpose and excitement. There’s no question that practice is the key to improvement in anything, so today’s topic is on making practice as much fun as playing.
As long as I can remember, I’ve loved the range, and always embrace the challenge of learning new ways to make a golf ball do what I would like it to do. So, today I’m sharing my “top 5” tips for making practice fun and productive.
- Have a mission/goal/objective. Whether it is a practice range session or practice time on the course, make sure you have a clearly defined objective…how else will you know how you’re doing? It might be to work on iron trajectory, or finding out why you’ve developed a push with your driver. Could be to learn how to hit a little softer lob shot or a knockdown pitch. But practice with a purpose …always.
- Don’t just “do”…observe. There are two elements of learning something new. The first is to figure out what it is you need to change. Then you work toward that solution. If your practice session is to address that push with the driver, hit a few shots to start out, and rather than try to fix it, make those first few your “lab rats”. Focus on what your swing is doing. Do you feel anything different? Check your alignment carefully, and your ball position. After each shot, step away and process what you think you felt during the swing.
- Make it real. To just rake ball after ball in front of you and pound away is marginally valuable at best. To make practice productive, step away from your hitting station after each shot, rake another ball to the hitting area, then approach the shot as if it was a real one on the course. Pick a target line from behind the ball, meticulously step into your set-up position, take your grip, process your one swing thought and hit it. Then evaluate how you did, based on the shot result and how it felt.
- Challenge yourself. One of my favorite on-course practice games is to spend a few minutes around each green after I’ve played the hole, tossing three balls into various positions in an area off the green. I don’t let myself go to the next tee until I put all three within three feet of the hole. If I don’t, I toss them to another area and do it again. You can do the same thing on the range. Define a challenge and a limited number of shots to achieve it.
- Don’t get in a groove. I was privileged enough to watch Harvey Penick give Tom Kite a golf lesson one day, and was struck by the fact that he would not let Tom hit more than five to six shots in a row with the same club. Tom would hit a few 5-irons, and Mr. Penick would say, “hit the 8”, then “hit the driver.” He changed it up so that Tom would not just find a groove. That paved the way for real learning, Mr. Penick told me.
My “bonus” tip addresses the difference between practicing on the course and keeping a real score. Don’t do both. A practice session is just that. On-course practice is hugely beneficial, and it’s best done by yourself, and at a casual pace. Playing three or four holes in an hour or so, taking time to hit real shots into and around the greens, will do more for your scoring skills than the same amount of range time.
So there you have my five practice tips. I’m sure I could come up with more, but then we always have more time, right?
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The PGA Tour begins its fall season with a trip to Wine Country as the world of golf patiently awaits the 2023 Ryder Cup which is just a few weeks away. Silverado is a course where plenty of players with varying skill sets can compete, but strong West Coast history tends to be a major factor.
In the past four editions of the Fortinet Championship, there have been six first-round leaders or co-leaders. Of the six, three have started their rounds in the morning wave, and three started in the afternoon. The leading scores have all been between 63 and 65.
As of now, the winds look to be very docile, with speeds of 4-7 MPH throughout the day. I don’t see either the AM or PM wave as having a major advantage.
2023 Fortinet Championship First-Round Leader Picks
Zac Blair +9000 (FanDuel)
First-Round Tee Time: 1.22 p.m PT
A big theme for me this week is targeting players who have had success at both Silverado and the West Coast in general. Blair finished 22nd here last year, and also finished 4th back in 2019. That year, he shot 66 in rounds two and three, showing his ability to go low on this track.
In 2022, Blair gained 3.8 strokes putting and in 2019, he gained 8.6. The 33-year-old seemingly has these greens figured out.
C.T. Pan +9000 (FanDuel)
First-Round Tee Time: 8.23 a.m PT
At the end of the 2023 season, C.T. Pan showed flashes of what made him a good player prior to his injury struggles early in the year. He finished 4th at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May, and 3rd at the RBC Canadian Open in June. He also finished 6th at Silverado back in 2021, gaining 4.5 strokes on approach and 6.6 strokes putting.
A few weeks off may have given Pan a chance to reset and focus on the upcoming fall swing, where I believe he’ll play some good golf.
Joel Dahmen +110000 (FanDuel)
First-Round Tee Time: 7:28 a.m PT
After becoming a well-known name in golf due to his affable presence in Netflix’ “Full Swing” documentary, Dahmen had what can only be considered a disappointment of a 2023 season. I believe he’s a better player than he showed last year and is a good candidate for a bounce back fall and 2024.
Dahmen finished in a tie for 10th at the Barracuda Championship in late July, and the course is similar in agronomy and location to what he’ll see this week in Napa. He has some strong history on the West Coast including top-ten finishes at Riviera (5th, 2020), Pebble Beach (6th, 2022), Sherwood (8th, 2020), TPC Summerlin (9th, 2019) and Torrey Pines (9th, 2019).
James Hahn +125000 (Caesars)
First-Round Tee Time: 1:55 p.m PT
James Hahn absolutely loves golf on the West Coast. He’s won at Riviera and has also shown some course form with a 9th place finish at Silverado back in 2020. That week, Hahn gained 4.7 strokes putting, demonstrating his comfort level on these POA putting surfaces.
He finished T6 at the Barracuda back in July, and there’s no doubt that a return to California will be welcome for the 41-year-old.
Peter Malnati +125000 (BetRivers)
First-Round Tee Time: 12.27 p.m PT
Peter Malnati excels at putting on the West Coast. He ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting on POA and has shown in the past he’s capable of going extremely low on any given round due to his ability to catch a hot putter.
His course history isn’t spectacular, but he’s played well enough at Silverado. In his past seven trips to the course, he’s finished in the top-35 four times.
Harry Higgs +150000 (BetRivers)
First-Round Tee Time: 1.55 p.m PT
In what is seemingly becoming a theme in this week’s First-Round Leader column, Harry Higgs is a player that really fell out of form in 2023, but a reset and a trip to a course he’s had success at in the past may spark a resurgence.
Higgs finished 2nd at Silverado in 2020 and wasn’t in particularly great form then either. Success hasn’t come in abundance for the 31-year-old, but three of his top-10 finishes on Tour have come in this area of the country.
Higgs shot an impressive 62 here in round two in 2020, which would certainly be enough to capture the first-round lead this year.
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19th Hole2 weeks ago‘I can’t move it’ – Tiger Woods left totally confused by Rickie Fowler’s putter during Liberty National clinic
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19th Hole4 days ago‘I don’t need to comment on that’ – Lexi Thompson in tense exchange with reporter following costly shank
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19th Hole2 weeks agoMajor champ claims that without golf Phil Mickelson would be ‘gambling in a ditch somewhere’
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Instruction3 weeks agoThe Wedge Guy: Anyone can be a better wedge player by doing these simple things
Cody flowers
Mar 18, 2015 at 10:45 pm
Bobby jones is by far the best ever. Anyone knows that the he who uses the least effort has the most efficient swing. No one knows what a good swing look like anymore they are all gone, all the pure swings. There may be a couple here and there but I don’t see how any of the modern players are very good when true lag cannot be created without the lifting of the left heel. People also do not have the proper take away anymore and they do not know how to achieve it. Most of these peoples perception of the game is all twisted and wrong. It’s sad really what has happened to this game. If everyone just watched those old bobby jones instruction tapes everyone would turn out to be a bubba Watson so that would be no good. This is all lost knowledge.
Ron
Nov 19, 2014 at 10:34 pm
Ben Hogan had the best golf swing.Words can’t make someone the greatest golfer but the actions of Ben Hogan’s swing did make him the best ever.Even Jack Nicklaus said that Ben Hogan was the best.That’s coming from a man that had one of the greatest careers in golf.A very humbling thing to say of someone else in the same field of work.Others have said as much as well.
charles
Jul 18, 2014 at 12:41 pm
TOM Purtzer WAS VOTED AS HAVING THE BEST GOLF SWING BY THE P.G. A. PLAYERS WHEN HE WAS ON TOUR . THEY WOULD KNOW,AND I AGREE.
CHUCK
charles
Jul 18, 2014 at 12:36 pm
tom Purtzer was picked by the PGA tour players as having the best golf swing on tour at one time. they would know and i agree.
CHUCK
Jace
Jul 7, 2014 at 4:22 pm
I like Gary Woodland. Simple, smooth and enormous power.
Shaun
Mar 26, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Mike Austin hands down. If I couldn’t have that swing, give me Tiger in 2000.
Matt
Sep 7, 2013 at 8:48 am
Billy Horschell and Adam Scott have the best swings on tour at the moment! How Horschell is not on the poll amazes me.
See it for yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81zd65QgfnY
Matt
Chris arrand
Aug 14, 2013 at 6:18 am
What about faldo. His swing looked great shame about his putting
Johan
Aug 5, 2013 at 5:58 am
Henrik Stenson ought to be on the list. When he has a good year his swing and his game is so good and so versitile. Mybe a bit quick but still
Peter Reich
Aug 3, 2013 at 1:34 pm
I can’t believe that the mechanical swing of today has out shined the fluid and graceful swing of previous eras. I see Bobby Jones as having the best swing of all time! He has no wasted movements (a large leg kick on the backswing or an exaggerated dip on the down swing) like the swing choices above and he has the power and accuracy without being robotic or aggressive towards the ball. Overall when a lawyer from the 30’s addresses a golf ball with a slightly open stance, a posture that is at ease, and fluid controlling hands and then allows physics and gravity to coil the club back and then drop and release the club through the ball it can be nothing other than extraordinary!!!
Clayton
Jul 26, 2013 at 3:08 pm
I really like Martin Kaymer’s swing
Evan
Jul 24, 2013 at 10:53 am
Henrik Stenson is a really nice modern swing for a bigger frame/ bigger guy… many swings that are personal favorites or are being modeled need to have similar body types. One thing I always look at when comparing swings is taking body size/ type into account. Best big guy swings (6’2″+): Tom Weiskopf, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Davis Love 3, Nicolas Colsaerts (very similar to DL3)
Sébastien
Jul 24, 2013 at 9:04 am
Great, really great article Jaacob!
Do you play in Otelfingen?…I had to laugh when I saw the range and thought wow, really?? 🙂
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 24, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Thanks. Yup, I’ve played Otelfingen many times!
Sébastien
Jul 25, 2013 at 7:50 am
nice. maybe we see us there one time or in zumikon.
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 25, 2013 at 11:09 pm
Haha, I play Zumikon too.
Sébastien
Jul 26, 2013 at 3:35 am
seriously? haha… do you might know Tim Pfister? I play and practice often with him.
viper
Jul 23, 2013 at 2:49 pm
Sergio
aliceryder
Jul 15, 2013 at 12:52 am
It doesn’t matter if who really had the best golf swing. What’s important for me is that my faves on the list! Adam Scott being on top and Tiger Woods!
Jim.
Jul 14, 2013 at 4:34 am
Totally agree with JJMule…. Robert Rock has a fantastic swing in so many ways not least aesthetically.
Another vote for Rocky here
Dolph Lundgrenade
Jul 13, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Why wasn’t I on this list? I have the best swing of all these jokers
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 19, 2013 at 11:21 am
Yes, of course! I can’t believe we missed you! 😉
Nicholas
Jul 13, 2013 at 3:39 am
Rickie Fowler**** not “Ricky”
Sky
Jul 12, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Who the heck voted for Tommy Gainey? lol
Boda
Jul 12, 2013 at 7:47 pm
Hubert Green?
Boda
Jul 12, 2013 at 7:48 pm
and moe norman
Sean
Jul 12, 2013 at 6:43 pm
I’m not really interested in who has the best swing, what impresses me is who has the lowest scoring average. It doesn’t matter how the club head gets to the ball, as long as it gets there the way it’s suppose to. 🙂
John
Jul 12, 2013 at 11:16 am
There’s a lot on that list that aren’t great ball-strikers, and a ton of great ball-strikers that are on the list. Maybe update it?
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 12, 2013 at 10:56 pm
How are you defining someone as a great ball-striker or not?
Of the 60 million or so golfers in the world, every one of these guys could be considered an upper 99th percentile ball-striker.
But anyway, this piece was more about determining and ranking everyone’s favorite swings regardless of ball-striking skills. 😉
Paul
Jul 11, 2013 at 5:50 pm
Sam Snead – Timeless and won more tournaments then any other player in the US. Not as many majors as Jack but proved he could win – over and over again…!
K Biebs
Jul 11, 2013 at 1:09 pm
No love for Geoff Ogilvy?
Ryan williams
Jul 11, 2013 at 7:19 am
Carlos Franco’s double eagle such a smooth epic swing.
kiko
Jul 11, 2013 at 6:56 am
Frankie Minoza
franc
Jul 11, 2013 at 6:54 am
jim mclellan
David Schultz
Jul 11, 2013 at 3:03 am
Jim McLellan
Lee
Jul 11, 2013 at 1:43 am
Noh Seung Yul. Hands down.
Blaise
Jul 10, 2013 at 8:30 pm
tom watson!!!
Rusty Cage
Jul 10, 2013 at 8:27 pm
No love for Lydia Ko?
dario
Jul 10, 2013 at 3:12 pm
Where Is Hunter Mahan ?? He is definetly a top ten in that list !
jjmule
Jul 10, 2013 at 2:58 pm
My personal all-time favorite is George Knudson (Hogan also loved his swing…)
Recently, I’ve really been impressed with Robert Rock’s action – the best I’ve seen on any tour. Sort of a cult has grown up regarding his swing – check YouTube if you don’t believe me.
He should be on your list
dg7936
Jul 10, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Tom Purtzer has a great swing. Not many wins but a classic move through the ball. Stuart Appleby has a solid simple swing that lets him crush the ball. Lots of different ways to hit it, a lot depends on your body type.
Joel
Jul 10, 2013 at 12:41 pm
How about a Canadian in the Mix, Graham Delaet, he swings the club so good! I believe if people mimic’d his shoulder turn alone, they would find themselves hitting further and with more consistency.
steven
Jul 11, 2013 at 8:18 am
Good call with Graham. I was following DL3 at The Barclays last year and Graham was in the group, little guy, but has some muscle to him, the kid hit it forever
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 10, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Some great diversity in favorites here. Good learning.
The “Other” category is sitting in 12th…and looks like it would now be filled up with a combination of Hunter Mahan, Tom Watson, Billy Casper, Raphaël Jacquelin, Marina Stuetz, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Bruce Lietzke, Billy Horschel, Robert Rock, Ryo Ishikawa, John Merrick, and Vaughn Taylor.
So I’m guessing none of these golf swings would individually crack the top 10, but certainly still worth including in the overall poll.
freddy
Jul 10, 2013 at 9:52 am
sam sneed. played longer than anyone. and everyone loves syrup!
Steven
Jul 10, 2013 at 8:17 am
Billy Horschel or John Merrick
Max
Jul 10, 2013 at 6:04 am
Ry? Ishikawa!
Martin Chuck
Jul 10, 2013 at 1:46 am
Honored to be on the list. My mom must have voted.
Ryan
Jul 9, 2013 at 11:06 pm
Robert Rock???
Tom Miller
Jul 9, 2013 at 10:29 pm
If you didn’t pick Ben Hogan or Byron Nelson, then you are not a student of the game. I picked Ben. They should be tied for first place.
John M
Jul 9, 2013 at 9:06 pm
Jeev Milka Singh… JUST KIDDING
But seriously, justin rose or oostie
Brian
Jul 9, 2013 at 7:49 pm
I’m going with Billy Horschel right now. Just about perfect.
Steven
Jul 10, 2013 at 8:15 am
You nailed it with Billy, Todd Anderson has my boy swinging it right
Bman
Jul 10, 2013 at 11:13 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81zd65QgfnY
Jerry Crowell
Jul 9, 2013 at 7:41 pm
1950’s Mike Austin. Jack Nicklaus 2nd. DJ Watts 3rd.
DJ Watts
Jul 9, 2013 at 5:30 pm
Jack Nicklaus. Nearly flawless and didn’t crack under pressure. 18 majors. My choice for best swing.
John
Jul 12, 2013 at 11:15 am
Your equating success with ball striking ability. Doesn’t work that way
terry
Jul 9, 2013 at 4:14 pm
So are most people here picking the best swing based on what top instructors think is the ideal swing…? The best swing is one that produces the best results, especially under pressure. The best swings are ones that you don’t have to think about to execute, alla Jim Furyk. According to Trackman, Furyk has delivered the club head into the ball on all the proper angles more consistently than any other player on tour. Before trackman, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Bruce lietzke come to mind. and finally, Moe Nornam deserves a mention. Not only were these swings consistent, they were poetry in motion, not like all the robots you see today. when i think of best swings, i think of poetry and art, not robots.
Aeron Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 3:31 pm
My vote is for Charles Barkley!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxLkEPb5DzI
x125
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:41 pm
Retief
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Retief’s another good one from South Africa.
Oosthuizen, Els, Shwartzel, Immelman, etc…what are they putting in the water down there?
This list was 72 but it could’ve gotten to 75-80 good choices.
JC
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:36 pm
I’m always mesmerized by Freddie Couples’ swing. At 53 he can still poke it out there 300 yards and he’s just so smooth and fluid. The club head looks like it’s moving through quicksand…and then he makes contact and the ball just ignites. Fantastic.
Omar
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:28 pm
No Phil?! Such a beautiful swing, and the only lefty swing that doesn’t look awkward to me
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 3:22 pm
Phil has a crazy amount of club face rotation down through the hitting area…I think that’s one reason why he’s so streaky.
But yes, it is a beautiful looking motion and not as awkward as many other swings.
Weird that no one mentioned him either in my initial polling research. I probably should have put him in anyway.
GCC
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Ol’ Neil Wilkins will be one proud dude when he sees this!
anom
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:16 pm
LPGA rookie Marina Steutz has an absolutely beautiful swing. Currently it has to be her so I’m going with other
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 3:19 pm
I had never seen hers before…just looked at a face-on video on YouTube.
Good call. She’s smooth looking.
anom
Jul 9, 2013 at 4:28 pm
she hits driver somewhere in the 270’s
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Must be those glasses. :-p
Rob hogan
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:11 pm
John daly has to get my vote with Bowden just behind!!
Sean
Jul 9, 2013 at 12:07 pm
To me, it’s not who has the best looking swing, it’s what is the best swing. The best swing is the one which will not injure your body over a period of time. A good instructor will not force/make you swing a certain way, just because the instruction book says to do it this way. A good instructor will help you develop a swing based on your body type and physical limitations. It may not look pretty, but it will be effective and not cause you to injure yourself. Yes, Fred has a great looking swing, just don’t ask him how his back is doing. Obviously golf is not a physical contact sport, but just look at all the pro’s who have to take time off to recover from injuries. If it wasn’t for
golf, a majority of Chiropractor’s would be serving happy meals.
Antonio
Jul 9, 2013 at 11:10 am
From Booby Jones, Byron said ” Bob´s golf swing was quite elegant – it was a long swing with great rhythm and it had a wonderfull pace -“
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 10, 2013 at 11:26 am
Hehe, Booby Jones
Tommy
Jul 9, 2013 at 10:29 am
“Swing YOUR swing”
Arnie, 2013
Darrren
Jul 9, 2013 at 8:27 am
Id say GOD would be envious of Adam Scott, there no question his is the best, 2nd would have been woods.
G
Jul 9, 2013 at 8:47 am
You couldn’t be more wrong.
JC
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:21 pm
Based on the voting so far G, I’d say you’re pretty clearly in the wrong here!
G
Jul 11, 2013 at 10:43 pm
Ha! This is just opinion, not fact. Technically, Oosty has a better swing. So does Bill Haas.
Cris
Jul 9, 2013 at 7:08 am
Really? No Hunter Mahan? You can’t be serious.
Andy
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:14 am
How in the world is Ben Hogan sitting outside the top 5…? What are you people doing?!?!?!
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 10:33 am
Haha, certainly some surprises here, eh?
As it sits right now, I would never have guessed Adam Scott would be #1. Top 10, yes…but I didn’t expect #1.
It’s also interesting to see how the different versions of Tiger’s swing are rating.
Fun poll. 🙂
Gregor Reeves
Jul 9, 2013 at 2:04 am
When Ryan was in high school his parents were members at Tascosa CC in Amarillo. It is fun watching a nice kid grow up and become a great man. He hasn’t had many tweeks to his swing since high school.
DJ King
Jul 8, 2013 at 11:30 pm
Ben Hogan has the best swing of all time, he makes it seem so fluid and simple
tyler brooke
Jul 8, 2013 at 11:15 pm
Modern player I’d probably go with Adam Scott. Vintage would be Hogan
Emilio
Jul 8, 2013 at 10:43 pm
I like Byron Nelson. Basically he design and redesign his swing to make it one of the most reliable under tournament pressure. Just 11 wins in a row, one of the biggest streak in history of any sport, made him enough money to retire early in his life. Even the golf club designer named their testing robot Iron Byron!!!
Scott
Jul 8, 2013 at 10:34 pm
Where’s Hunter Mahan.
Jim
Jul 8, 2013 at 8:58 pm
I didn’t see Tom Watson? Great swing with longevity, yes?
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 10:29 am
That’s true, Jim. I think Tom Watson should be on here as well.
Similarly, to what I said above about Hunter Mahan, I’m surprised he didn’t show up in my initial polling.
Thus far from the comments, between him and Hunter Mahan, it looks like those are the only two that were missed as significant voting options. Not bad!
So far, with the “Other” category currently in 13th place, I would think those votes would mostly be taken up by Watson and Mahan.
Although, perhaps Billy Casper would have been a good addition too.
Anyway, I’m pleased at the comprehensiveness of the list. It’s a great list to choose from and I think it was covered well.
We got almost everyone!
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Hmmm, maybe Raphaël Jacquelin too.
Chris
Jul 8, 2013 at 4:59 pm
I didn’t look carefully. Elk is clearly on the list. My apologies!
Derek
Jul 8, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Adam Scott. I think even God himself wants his swing
G
Jul 9, 2013 at 8:46 am
I totally disagree. It’s such a forced, showy swing. Bill Haas, all the way – totally natural and fluid.
Chris
Jul 8, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Steve Elkington should be on the choice list. Flawless swing.
tyler brooke
Jul 8, 2013 at 11:13 pm
Agreed, was looking for him on the list.
Dolph Lundgrenade
Jul 13, 2013 at 6:27 pm
agreed
Peter Reich
Aug 3, 2013 at 1:21 pm
He is on the list. I’m amazed so many people can’t find him, lol.
Adam
Jul 8, 2013 at 4:38 pm
Gotta have Hunter Mahan on here, it’s the swing that Foley says is the model for TW and JR to strive for.
dingleberry
Jul 8, 2013 at 4:51 pm
He has to much face rotation in his swing.
Jaacob Bowden
Jul 9, 2013 at 10:21 am
He’s not my favorite swing.
However, I agree with you, he would’ve been good to have on the list. I’m surprised in my initial polling that his name didn’t come up.
The “Other” option in the poll is currently ranked 13th, so it’s feasible he could finish that high in the voting.
shane
Aug 22, 2013 at 11:56 am
What about alvaro quiros?..:)
Joel
Jul 10, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Couldn’t Agree with you more Adam!
c
Jul 10, 2013 at 5:56 pm
Chad Campbell over Pat Bates all day, I bet he’d be in the top 30 if you made him a selection
John
Jul 10, 2013 at 10:21 pm
Completely agree, one of the top ball strikers consistently. If you look, boo, hunter, and dufner have similar “foley,s&t,hogan,turn in a barrel” type swings, though with there own style and subtle differences.
Dolph Lundgrenade
Jul 13, 2013 at 6:27 pm
Seriously… the modern swing model is not even on the list? pssh.