There are sometimes you watch a buddy winding up for his swing and after he follows through, you swear he must have been temporarily possessed by a demon that has never golfed before. Like, what was that? Has he always swung like that? Is this the first time you’re realizing that your friend has a… haunted golf swing?!
Okay, a “haunted golf swing” is not a thing, but a really awful shot can linger and follow you around from hole to hole, taunting you with its horribleness. Below we list a few of the unorthodox swings in golf that may not be haunted but can certainly be haunting.
(Please note: this list was curated in good fun. The individuals below might have unique golf swings, and they’re also among the top professionals in their industries. We respect them for that.)
Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk has won the U.S. Open and a slew of other tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions. But despite his success, his golf swing has been described as “looking like an ‘octopus falling out of a tree’” by David Feherty, a former pro golfer himself. It hasn’t hindered Furyk, though; in fact, he’s an eligible inductee next year into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
John Daly
1991 vs. 2017. Still got it. pic.twitter.com/z6KlIqp5Z4
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) May 8, 2017
In short: John Daly is a beast. A powerful one at that, and his motto was always to “grip it and rip it” when it came to his golf swing. But beyond his sheer power, Daly’s signature move is when he is at the top of his backswing. USA Today remarked that “he turns so far that it looks similar to most people’s follow through.” The turn is larger than most, but then again.. so is Daly’s career.
Ray Romano
Ray Romano has said, “Whenever I walk off the golf course, I thank God that I’m able to tell a joke.” It’s not just his swing that is questionable with its lack of turning and excessive weight on his front foot, but his overall game. Watch Jon Hamm’s impression of Romano above after hitting a shot to get a feel on how Ray plays the game.
Hosung Choi
Hosung Choi says he learned to swing by watching the likes of Annika Sörenstam and Tiger Woods among others, but the slight twirl at the end of his swing is all his own. This unique swing and other on-course antics don’t detract from that fact he’s a natural: he never had golf lessons and went pro only four years after taking up the game.
Matthew Wolff
Another original swing comes from Matthew Wolff, who, like the others on the list, is no slouch when it comes to claiming victory at tournaments . He adopted his swing fairly young, and has since refined it, but one thing remains certain: his sashay is not going away, and definitely shouldn’t.
Charles Barkley
Listen, it’s not a list of haunted swings without Sir Charles. His golf swing is ... um, spooky, to say the least, and while he has made strides in improving it, it retains its unmistakable Barkley qualities.
We’re pretty sure any one of us reading this would be fine being imbued with any of the aforementioned golfers’ swings (save Romano and Barkley – sorry, guys), so if it being haunted is the way to improve our game… well, call us Casper the Ghost.
Enjoy haunting the golf course and Happy Halloween from #TeamStix! 👻
