To me, the most profound aspect of Jim Furyk's 59 the other day (only the 6th in PGA Tour history, and the only one that included a bogey), is the infinitely long list of great golfers who never accomplished it. Tiger, Phil, Arnie, Jack, Lee, Sam, Gary,... None of them ever did it.
But Jim Furyk, the one with arguably the WORST SWING on the entire PGA Tour, shoots a 59, and just as important, remains a major force in the game, regardless of the outcome of this tournament, the FedEx Cup for 2013, or the remainder of his career.
And his accomplishment is a victory for most "good" amateurs, who also prevail despite having "terrible" swings that have served them well, sometimes for a lifetime.
As a man who took up golf late in life (age 51), and suffered through years of golf lessons from Pro's who told me that the key to my success would be to imitate the swing of some Tour Professional (usually Mr. E. Woods, Esq.), whose moving image was magically placed on a split screen beside my decidedly-awful swing, I would like to announce to the Golf World that these professionals - and the entire world of Professional Golf Instruction, is full of shit. Look at Jim Furyk.
A typical Pro who had a student who swung like JF would tear him a figurative new asshole from the first moment of the first lesson, telling that sorry golf student that he could NEVER accomplish anything on the golf course unless he completely dismantled his natural swing and adopted the "conventional" swing, like the golfer on the video.
Oh, they pay lip service to individuality. They all tell you that everyone' swing is unique, and they are only going to make a few subtle changes, but basically, until you emulate Tiger Woods (which is essentially impossible), they will continue to badger you until you get fed up and quit.
This is why most good "club" golfers never take a lesson. They try to make adjustments on their own, but they know that regardless of anything else, the instructor will start tearing down his swing and changing it to conform to the "perfect" swing that they teach in Golf School. And after such a lesson, your game will suck for at least a month, while you try to "un-learn" the nonsense that the Pro imparted.
And conversely, it's why experienced golfers who regularly take lessons never actually get any better. Their scores might come down a bit but that's just because the Pro will teach some useful things about what club to use, how to read putts, and some specialty shots. But a basic golf swing cannot be taught to anyone over 12 years old, which is when "muscle memory" stops. Like it or not, you have to work with the swing that God gave you and make the most of it. It's all you have.
My own personal golf game did not significantly improve until I realized that the myth of the perfect golf swing was just that - a myth, and I started working with my own natural swing to simply get the best results without worrying about whether I look like some pre-conceived image of a golfer when I was hitting a ball. (sorry about the run-on sentence).
Three cheers for Jim Furyk - an Icon for most of us golfers.
But Jim Furyk, the one with arguably the WORST SWING on the entire PGA Tour, shoots a 59, and just as important, remains a major force in the game, regardless of the outcome of this tournament, the FedEx Cup for 2013, or the remainder of his career.
And his accomplishment is a victory for most "good" amateurs, who also prevail despite having "terrible" swings that have served them well, sometimes for a lifetime.
As a man who took up golf late in life (age 51), and suffered through years of golf lessons from Pro's who told me that the key to my success would be to imitate the swing of some Tour Professional (usually Mr. E. Woods, Esq.), whose moving image was magically placed on a split screen beside my decidedly-awful swing, I would like to announce to the Golf World that these professionals - and the entire world of Professional Golf Instruction, is full of shit. Look at Jim Furyk.
A typical Pro who had a student who swung like JF would tear him a figurative new asshole from the first moment of the first lesson, telling that sorry golf student that he could NEVER accomplish anything on the golf course unless he completely dismantled his natural swing and adopted the "conventional" swing, like the golfer on the video.
Oh, they pay lip service to individuality. They all tell you that everyone' swing is unique, and they are only going to make a few subtle changes, but basically, until you emulate Tiger Woods (which is essentially impossible), they will continue to badger you until you get fed up and quit.
This is why most good "club" golfers never take a lesson. They try to make adjustments on their own, but they know that regardless of anything else, the instructor will start tearing down his swing and changing it to conform to the "perfect" swing that they teach in Golf School. And after such a lesson, your game will suck for at least a month, while you try to "un-learn" the nonsense that the Pro imparted.
And conversely, it's why experienced golfers who regularly take lessons never actually get any better. Their scores might come down a bit but that's just because the Pro will teach some useful things about what club to use, how to read putts, and some specialty shots. But a basic golf swing cannot be taught to anyone over 12 years old, which is when "muscle memory" stops. Like it or not, you have to work with the swing that God gave you and make the most of it. It's all you have.
My own personal golf game did not significantly improve until I realized that the myth of the perfect golf swing was just that - a myth, and I started working with my own natural swing to simply get the best results without worrying about whether I look like some pre-conceived image of a golfer when I was hitting a ball. (sorry about the run-on sentence).
Three cheers for Jim Furyk - an Icon for most of us golfers.
