{"id":3183,"date":"2018-08-14T12:11:07","date_gmt":"2018-08-14T12:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.openstanceacademy.com\/golf\/?p=3183"},"modified":"2019-03-11T00:54:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-11T00:54:53","slug":"furyk-whats-natural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.openstanceacademy.com\/golf\/furyk-whats-natural\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYou Can Repeat What\u2019s Natural\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/a><\/a>\"Instagram\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jim Furyk was on CNBC this morning in a lead-up to the Ryder Cup. At the conclusion of the interview, Kernan questioned Furyk\u2019s unusual move at the ball. Furyk told him his dad was a golf professional and knew he was a feel player. Therefore, he (assumed) \u201cYou can repeat what\u2019s natural\u201d, so he allowed it.<\/p>\n

Jim Furyk has been a great player for a couple decades. He won the US Open in \u201803, and the Fed Ex Cup in \u201810. Jim is one of the streakiest putters of the last thirty years. He has been known as a great ball-striker, too. His tournament history is equally littered with predictable miscues that cost him many wins. However, let\u2019s discuss the question of repeating what is natural, because that statement implies we cannot repeat what is unnatural.<\/p>\n

Is it equally logical to say Furyk\u2019s swing was unnatural to the eye? If his natural swing was repeatable, shouldn\u2019t it be reliable? What if we noticed that, under final nine pressure and predictable course conditions, like trouble on the left, Jim\u2019s swing broke down (reliably) each time? How can something repeatable fail when it counts? It\u2019s because repeatability, like timing, has nothing to do with feel (<\/a>). Therefore, we can assume Jim was a fairly willful boy, which served him well in competition, up to a point.<\/p>\n

I would argue that Jim is a great adaptive athlete, who made the most of a need for maximum motion in his swing. He wasn\u2019t swinging that way for nothing, and he wasn\u2019t swinging that way because it was natural. His swing may have been a form of rebellion. But, one thing is certain… Jim was telling a story with his swing. <\/p>\n

He was saying, \u201cI want to stand too close to my ball. So, what I\u2019m going to do is stand up straighter, maybe because my core is softer than others\u2019. Then, I\u2019ll balance an above-the-plane club head with severely under-the-plane hands. My net is a very upright move to meet the ball. Now, to square the club, I\u2019m going to rotate my whole body past the ball, with minimal separation, while the club is still behind me. Then, I\u2019ll rely on perfect timing to pull it off. Meanwhile, I\u2019ll create maximum drama, and leave everyone wondering how I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obviously, Jim is a golf swing raconteur, under-par excellence. However, any story told a thousand times has different iterations. If we dissect such a story, we notice differences… inconsistencies. Why? Because it is unnatural to repeat the same story the same way, without variation, for decades. In my view, Jim\u2019s swing guarantees a failure that eventually must come in order to make the \u201cstory\u201d interesting for the him, as well.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it is not Jim Furyk\u2019s swing that is \u201cnatural\u201d or that \u201cYou can repeat what\u2019s natural\u201c. The truth is that the golf swing is unnatural. Doing what is natural with an unnatural situation doesn\u2019t, somehow, create nature. Perhaps doing what is unnatural with an unnatural situation is the way to balance the scale – effectively eliminating the boredom while making our personal \u201cstories\u201d more interesting in each telling.<\/p>\n

Some say the Open Stance is unnatural and the square stance is natural. Obviously, I disagree. Both are contrivances based on philosophies. However, my philosophy seems logical, because the Open Stance cooperates with my physical well-being while enhancing power and repeatability. Therefore, I chose to set up open, and play golf. I recommend you do the same.<\/p>\n

John Wright – Founder
\nThe Open Stance Academy<\/p>\n