Jim Furyk is living proof that an unorthodox golf swing can still lead you to success on the PGA Tour. You needn’t conform to the textbook approach because different golf swings may work better for you. In this post, I cover the main types of golf swings and the shots they produce.

I will discuss the hands and arms, closed coil, inside-out, outside-in, and single plane golf swings. Plus, I shall highlight the benefits and downsides of each setup to help you determine the ideal option for you.

The 5 Main Types of Golf Swings Movement

1. Hands & Arms Swing

If you initiate limited lower body rotation during your swing, it leads to a reliance on your hands and arms. This is known as the hands and arms swing. Although it can help you hinge the golf club and optimize club head speed, it exposes you to inaccurate shots.

The lack of hip turn typically results in golfers producing a steep angle of attack. This leaves you susceptible to topping your shot or a slice. Plus, it is difficult to bring your club onto its swing plane and can cause you to leave your clubface open at impact. That prompts left to right sidespin, inducing a slice.

Mark Crossfield explains that an amateur golfer hits better iron shots than woods with this swing. The steep angle of attack requires you to pick the clubhead up before impact to avoid hitting behind the ball.

When the ball position is forward in your stance with a driver swing, you might struggle to get the club on plane for impact. When you get your shaft is in position at the bottom of your downswing, the corrective action reduces momentum and power at impact.

Pros

• The additional time in the air generates increased clubhead speed
• Helps players remain centered during their swing
• Produces a high trajectory
• Suited to taller golfers
• Allows more freedom of movement

Cons

• Susceptible to topping your shot
• It is hard to control the clubhead at the top of the swing, sending it off plane.
• It can cause imbalance by shifting weight in the wrong direction at impact and on your follow-through.

2. Closed Coil Swing

I explained the mechanics of the closed coil golf swing in a previous post, so I will be brief. Simply put, this swing helps you maximize spring when you reach the top of the backswing, prompting optimal force on your downswing.

The additional speed generated when coiling promotes a superior coefficient of restitution (COR) at impact for optimal ball speed. Therefore you enjoy a consistent mid to high launch for improved yardage.

Unlike the hands and arms swing, the closed coil set-up demands optimal rotation of the hips to generate the necessary power. In addition, failure to coil sufficiently could lead your club off plane, resulting in an off-center strike.

Golf coach Dan Whittaker provides an informative visual breakdown explaining how to execute a closed coil swing.

Pros

• Optimizes power
• Suited to senior players as it carries less injury risk than other swings
• Promotes increased COR at impact.
• It makes it easy for casual golfers to get the club on plane for increased accuracy.
• Encourages rapid ball speed

Cons

• You need to maximize your lower body’s rotation to get your clubface square at impact.
• The clubhead’s at the top of your backswing can feel awkward. That may cause you to try and correct the path and come over the top.

3. Inside-Out Swing

The inside-out golf swing refers to the path your golf club journeys from takeaway through impact. Contrary to the closed coil swing, which focuses on hip rotation, this swing relies heavily on your torso.

On your takeaway, the combination of the rotation of your hips and upper body takes the clubhead inside. At the top of your backswing, shift your weight to your right shoulder and left leg. That prompts the clubhead to follow an outside path to the ball, with minor lag.

Producing sufficient rotation leads to a square or marginally closed clubface at impact. However, an off-tempo swing prevents you from bringing the club on plane when the shaft is parallel to the ground. As a result, you may angle the clubface incorrectly and prompt and slice or a hook.

Overall, the inside-out golf swing best suits those players looking to induce a draw or combat a slice.

Pros

• Promotes straighter ball flight
• Helps you hit a draw shape
• Delivers increased distance over an outside-in swing.
• Reduces the risk of a slice

Cons

• If your rhythm is off and you clear your hips too quickly, your clubface may close at impact and prompt a hook.
• Inadequate rotation can cause your clubface to remain open at impact leading to a slice.

4. Outside-In Swing

The outside-in-swing is commonly employed by amateurs and brings a host of risks. It reduces hip and shoulder rotation, lowering power at impact. Furthermore, it leads to you coming over the top and increases the risk of topping your shot.

In addition, the outside-in swing path may cause you to cut across your ball and generate right to left spin. That leads to a fade or a slice.

It is not the most efficient swing by any means. But, professional golfers may apply it when they are purposefully trying to hit a fade. Overall, there are more cons than advantages to using the inside-out golf swing.

Pros

• Perfect swing to purposefully hit a fade
• It can help you increase your clubhead speed

Cons

• Causes slices
• Reduces COR
• Leaves you at risk of topping your shots

5. One-Plane Swing

A single plane swing (aka the one-plane swing) is ideal for the average golfer looking to remove the complexities from their swing. Golfweek explains that a two-plane swing requires more wrists and hands work to optimize power. However, a one-plane swing sees your body work as a unit.

At the top of your backswing, your arms should remain on the same plane as your shoulders. In addition, your right foot must remain grounded for supreme stability.

The one-plane swing is easy for beginners because of the transition from the top of your backswing down. Since your shoulders and arms are level, you needn’t wait to lower the club. That means you can proceed with your downswing and shift your weight to your left foot the moment you reach the top.

Therefore, you enjoy a free-flowing swing rhythm that generates supreme clubhead speed and power on your downswing. That leads to optimal distance off the tee and on approach.

Another advantage of the one-plane swing is the consistency that it gives you. Whether you are swinging a wedge or a driver, you can repeat the same backswing and follow through for a clean strike. The only element that changes is whether you position the ball closer to your left foot or the center of your stance.

Pros

• Provides consistency
• Less complex than a two-plane swing
• Easier to keep the club on plane throughout the swing
• Designed to combat slices

Cons

• Keeping your left arm close to your chest can cause you to close the clubface before impact and hook your shot.

The Verdict…

After looking at the 5 main different types of golf swings, it is possible to make most of them work for you. While I suggest emancipating yourself from the hands and arms and outside-in swings, the rest are worth researching further.

If you are a senior player and need to reduce injury risks, I advise the closed coil golf swing. However, the inside-out swing is superb for accuracy and inducing a draw shape.

Finally, the single-plane setup enables you to grip it and rip it. It is a simple swing to replicate for improved ball striking, accuracy and distance.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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The golf swing is a very complex athletic move.

Some golfers have beautiful swings, and everything seems to flow together easily. Other golfers have violent swings or weird swings that are just flat-out painful to watch.

While watching a nice fluid golf swing is like watching poetry in motion, it’s usually more fun for golf fans to see golfers with weird swings. So we’ve compiled a list of the 11 weirdest golf swings you’ll ever see. Get your popcorn ready!

6 of the Weirdest Golf Swings on the PGA Tour

1. Matthew Wolff

Wolff was one of the hottest stars on the PGA Tour, but he recently moved to the upstart LIV Golf organization.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy got his first pro win at the 3M Open back in 2019, and he’s even placed in the Top 5 a couple of times in major championships. Wolff has a ton of talent, and it’ll be interesting to see how well he does in his new league.

As far as his swing goes, Wolff weirdly starts his backswing by lifting his front foot off the ground. Most golfers can’t do this because it would throw them completely off balance before getting to the downswing. However, Wolff makes it work pretty well.

2. John Daly

“Long John” is still a favorite amongst golf fans all over the world for his titanic drives and eccentric personality.

Daly was arguably the most famous golfer in the world back in the early 1990s when he went from relative obscurity to winning both the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. Daly still plays from time to time on the PGA Tour Champions, and he’s still a fan favorite!

What makes Daly’s swing so weird is the enormous backswing. Notice in the above video how he takes the golf club back way behind his head. Heck, the clubhead is even pointing at the ground before he loads his hips to start the downswing. Not many golfers could make this work, but Big John makes it look easy.

3. Jim Furyk

Furyk is an incredible golfer and from a lot of accounts one of the nicest guys on the PGA Tour. However, Furyk’s swing is one of the weirdest you’ll ever see. It hasn’t hurt his performance on the golf course though, as he has won 29 times in his pro career.

The 52-year-old stands really close to the golf ball during his setup. Things only get weirder from there as he brings the golf club straight up over his head at the top of his backswing. Furyk’s hips then explode as his right elbow almost smacks against his right hip.

4. Paul Azinger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn0ApU7f3O4

Zinger is best known these days for his work on the Golf Channel as a commentator. However, he was one heck of a golfer back in his prime and accumulated 12 wins on the PGA Tour (including the 1993 PGA Championship). He also made a miraculous comeback from cancer in his shoulder in 1994.

Azinger was a brilliant player, but his golf swing was one of the weirdest of all time. As you’ll see in the above video, Azinger’s grip was “super strong” with his right-hand way up underneath the handle. This resulted in lots of knockdown approach shots but it worked incredibly well for Azinger during his career.

5. Lee Trevino

It almost seems blasphemous to put an all-time great like “The Gambler” on this list. After all, Trevino won 29 PGA Tour events and six major championships. All that being said, Trevino had one of the weirdest swings in golf history.

Trevino aimed his whole body to the left to accommodate his wicked fade. He also did an odd three-step shuffle at the beginning of his swing just to get the golf ball in the middle of his stance.

You won’t find either of Trevino’s signature moves taught by professional instructors, but they certainly worked for him on the golf course.

6. Bubba Watson

It’s hard not to love Bubba Watson, who just seems like a regular guy who happens to be one of the best left-handed golfers in the world. Watson has 12 PGA Tour wins and rose to instant fame by winning The Masters in 2012 and 2014. Watson’s swing may be pretty to watch, but it is still weird nonetheless.

Watson has one of the longest backswings in the game that is reminiscent of John Daly’s. His front foot also comes completely off the ground before he starts his downswing.

Lastly, Watson’s stance is wide open instead of parallel, which is something no golf coach would ever teach. As you might expect, Watson has admitted that he’s never had a golf lesson in his life.

5 Weird Golf Swings of Non-Pro Golfers

1. Charles Barkley

Barkley was one of the best players in the NBA during his 16-year career. However, Sir Charles has one of the ugliest golf swings on the planet! It’s almost as if the poor guy is too afraid to hit the ball.

Barkley’s setup is actually not too bad, but things go south in a hurry once he finishes his backswing. He starts and stops his downswing three or four times before letting his hands push the club through in a weird motion. Barkley has since improved his golf swing, but it’s still almost painful to watch.

2. Donald Trump

Though President Trump plays a lot of golf and seems to strike the ball well, his swing is anything but pretty. Trump’s preshot routine is pretty solid but both his backswing and downswing are herky-jerky and look rushed.

Regardless of how his swing looks, Trump is an avid golfer with a true passion for the game. He’s also pretty good at it, as evidenced by his 1.8 handicap. That’s insanely good for a 76-year-old.

3. Lawrence Taylor

“LT” was one of the most feared linebackers in football back in the 80s and 90s. He won two Super Bowls as a member of the New York Giants and was selected to ten Pro Bowls. However, his golf swing could use some work.

As we see in the video, Taylor wears a golf glove on each hand, which is something you never see unless the weather is rainy. He’s also hunched over quite a bit during his setup and just looks painfully stiff throughout his entire swing. That said, one of Taylor’s drives in the video ended up being over 300 yards, which is impressive!

4. Snoop Dogg

One of the most famous rappers in the world looks absolutely lost with a golf club in his hands.

Snoop Dogg received a few golf lessons at Augusta University and he seemed shocked at how difficult it is just to make solid contact or any contact at all for that matter. As many celebrities have come to find out over the years, the game of golf is much harder than it looks.

Snoop has an athletic build but the above video shows him swinging and missing. Even still, playing a round of golf with Snoop would have to be an incredible experience and highly entertaining! I wonder how many times he would light one up during a round on the course.

5. Kylie Jenner

Kylie Jenner may be a famous multi-millionaire but her golf swing leaves much to be desired. The 25-year-old swung hard and missed on her first shot in the above video. She made contact on her second attempt but the ball only rolled about five yards.

Kylie looks to have trouble with two golf swing basics, keeping her head down and her left arm straight. Though her golf game looks hopeless, she still has more money than most pro golfers on the PGA Tour.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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