Mike(stloc) Finney, 2005 Driver swing, front view

[brianmanzella]

Theodan....

Great eye.

GREAT eye!

[Trig]

I love his motion. Looks like effortless power to me!

He has something that a lot of the great players have. During his initial downstroke he gets his hips back to square while the clubhead barely moves downward at all. Such lag!

How does one go about adding that to his swing?

[metallion]

The swing is beautiful and who would not want it. Now let's see if I can express my question:

Couple of swings come to mind as what I'd immediately identify as very "TGM-ish": Greg McHatton, Ben Doyle and probably EdZ. They seem to have similar extensor action and that classic accentuated flat left wrist. I do not see that in Mikes swing, even though I see a very good tour-style swing.

My eye is not trained, but it'd be interesting to better understand what makes Mikes swing so visually different from what Ben, Greg et al are producing and still a "TGM" swing.

Well. I understand that there is really no such thing as a TGM swing since TGM is not a swing method but a collection of (24) components that can be mixed in different ways - producing swings that are visually very different.

Is my idea of a very TGM-ish swing screwed up? It might just be that Ben, Greg and Ed swings it in a way that you very seldom see on "any" range or on the tour. I find their way of swinging very appealing. What is so particular about their swings? What main components makes them visually so different to mikestloc and still according to the book.

[Bigwill]

I'm not Brian, and I may be off, but I think that Mike uses standard hip action. From the clip I saw of EdZ, he uses a delayed hip action. As a result, Mike's swing is a bit longer.

[Trig]

The swing is beautiful and who would not want it. Now let's see if I can express my question:

Couple of swings come to mind as what I'd immediately identify as very "TGM-ish": Greg McHatton, Ben Doyle and probably EdZ. They seem to have similar extensor action and that classic accentuated flat left wrist. I do not see that in Mikes swing, even though I see a very good tour-style swing.

My eye is not trained, but it'd be interesting to better understand what makes Mikes swing so visually different from what Ben, Greg et al are producing and still a "TGM" swing.

Well. I understand that there is really no such thing as a TGM swing since TGM is not a swing method but a collection of (24) components that can be mixed in different ways - producing swings that are visually very different.

Is my idea of a very TGM-ish swing screwed up? It might just be that Ben, Greg and Ed swings it in a way that you very seldom see on "any" range or on the tour. I find their way of swinging very appealing. What is so particular about their swings? What main components makes them visually so different to mikestloc and still according to the book.

There is a guy at my club who knows nothing about TGM. Everyone thinks his swing looks terrible. He has a short backstroke, then just drives with his right arm. Can you say "hitter"? He's a 5 handicap and hits it a ton with that screwed up swing. And he's 58years old to boot!

There are lots of TGM-correct ways, as you said.

[tongzilla]

Originally Posted by brianmanzella

Here's one dor you Delaware..... The Ball has NO IDEA if the head moves during the swing.... ONLY if it moves during the impact interval. Sub-optimum that.

1-L #2.....

DG

This is silly. At the end of the day, what SHOULD be done is 1-L #2 as stated by DG. I wouldn't teach anyone to bob (3-F-7-C). To say bobbing is a good procedure is just...well...

However, IMO, Mike has a beautiful swing, well coordinated and dynamic, executed smoothly and deliberately. I wouldn't mind having a swing like that!

[mcflog]

The crown of the head may move slightly in the sequence, but his levels never change. base of neck, shoulders etc.. calling that a bob is silly. Of course You could post a tour pros swing who was averaging 58 over 10 rounds and you'd still find several who would criticize it for not being "book" perfect. Those who can, do. Those who can't, complain about those who can. Just keep mashing it mikestloc, just keep mashing it.

[Yoda]

i've had a lot of critiques of my swing and bobbing has never been on the top of the list.....you guys are tough

Great Swing, Mike. Thanks for allowing us to take a look. In his introductory post, Brian said:

"There is a lot to learn in this swing, especially HOW he was taught to do some of the things LOTS of gofers would love to do."

Could you give us an idea of how you developed your Game, and what techniques, if any, you found particularly helpful? Thanks!

[dcg1952]

Mike,
I'll take yor swing ANYTIME! Thanks for allowing us a look. Two things really stood out in your last post. "Squeeze the water out of the ground with your feet during the swing" and "Overacceleration is a killer." I may have those embroidered on my golf bag! Thanks for sharing all of those thoughts. Dr Dave

[Yoda]

grip it right, chip, pitch, punch until you can do it it right....

ball-turf contact....

shoot-hold-rest....never bounce back

left chest down - left chest up

your hands are clamps....arms are connecting rods.....extensor action

squeeze the water out of the ground with your feet during the swing...

drive the ball into the ground

learn to hit it with any length stroke, from any ball position, with all three hinge actions...

pitch elbow if possible.....

wallop the ball with your pivot....catch the dog by his tail (with your upper legs at the finish)

attention span only has to be as long as your swing....

don't let the illusions fool you....

if you don't know you hit down, you probably didn't....

overacceleration is a killer.....

steady head not stationary....let the arguing begin......

ben and brian were (and still are) very encouraging....i only wish i would make more time for myself to play....

i've been around alot of golfing machine people in the past......the mudd's, ogrady, doyle, grant waite, craig perks, mike perpich, brian manzella.....no one can physically out-teach ben. and no one has more fire in his belly than brian.......

it's fun to be around such energetic golf instructors...and it's fun to hit the ball with some pop.....thanks mr kelley!

Folks, there is no theory here. These are thoughts and ideas that work. They enabled a talented player, Michael Finney, to build his own great Golf Stroke. They were translated from The Golfing Machine, the world's most complete system of learning Golf, by two of its finest Instructors, Ben Doyle and Brian Manzella. Learn from them.