Remarkable Golf Swing: The Bruen Loop

[Switter]

He had qualified for the team by shooting 71-71-68-72 on the Old Course at St. Andrews, a feat that caused Henry Cotton, who had won the Open in 1934 and 1937, to write: “Fancy a 17-year-old doing 282 in four rounds on the Old Lady of St. Andrews. I know what a stern course it is, long, difficult and tricky, but here was a mere boy playing it with a wise head and a technique which left everyone gasping.”

 

That technique—which came to be known as the Bruen Loop—was highly unconventional, as you can see in the photo at the top of this post and in the video below.

 

http://www.myusualgame.com/2013/11/29/remarkable-golf-swing-the-bruen-loop/

 

 

[Fade]

Nice. Thanks for posting!

 

The video embedded in the linked article:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_qRG1HRh4o

[jonnygrouville]

That is great stuff. My dad saw him play, but not even his impersonations of the loop were as pronounced as the actual move when I saw this footage years later.

 

Fascinating from a swing point of view. There is a view that the backswing does not matter at all, and Bruen, Furyk et al are often quoted in this argument.

 

Some people like Hogan sort of preset with lots of arm rotation going back. The Bruen argument is that it is easier to get the right elbow below the left into the ball if it is way above the left at the top, more like a run-up than a preset. Fun.

 

One of my favourite things about that footage remains his glove. I remember county selectors telling me I wasn't taking it seriously enough because I "didn't even wear a glove". Imagine rocking up with this leathery Texas chainsaw massacre thing he's wearing there.

 

 

[jonnygrouville]

Miller Barber. Right elbow high, right elbow low...

 

 

[scruffynick]

That was fantastic that YouTube clip, unbelievable swing but the power he got....brilliant stuff

[stixman]

That was fantastic that YouTube clip, unbelievable swing but the power he got....brilliant stuff

 

Marred only by the BBC's own 'Scourge of Augusta', Gary Lineker.

[scruffynick]

That was fantastic that YouTube clip, unbelievable swing but the power he got....brilliant stuff

 

Marred only by the BBC's own 'Scourge of Augusta', Gary Lineker.

Don't mind Gary, but it was a bit wrong that year that hazel Irvine was shunted. Was thankfully sorted the year after

[jonnygrouville]

I am sure I have had a Gary Linekar rant on here before which was swiftly moderated. One particular story will have to remain in real life sometime...

 

[stixman]

I am sure I have had a Gary Linekar rant on here before which was swiftly moderated. One particular story will have to remain in real life sometime...

Aw.. c'mon, you can't leave it there. Tell the story, change the names, you can do this1 Substitute pinky and perky, we'll get it!

[bigchucksr]

I wonder if Jim Furyk might have seen this video--there is a similarity.

[scruffynick]

I am sure I have had a Gary Linekar rant on here before which was swiftly moderated. One particular story will have to remain in real life sometime...

Aw.. c'mon, you can't leave it there. Tell the story, change the names, you can do this1 Substitute pinky and perky, we'll get it!

Yeah do tell! My wife and daughter met linkear and shearer at media city.... Got on the match of the day set while on a blue Peter tour! My daughters blue Peters badge gets in anywhere for free....it's brilliant!!!

[jonnygrouville]

Good source on this. Pap A got photos of scumbag 1 climbing over the back fence of famous golfer i as he presumably missed the cut (very rare) and was going to surprise his then wife by showing up at their mansion.

 

Pap A went to big newspaper with photos, got money, big newspaper went to agents of scumbag 1 telling them they were going to run the story. The agents also represented scumbag 2 who is far more famous than scumbag 1 and they knew scumbag 1's nice guy reputation would have been ruined, just like their ability to make money from him selling household products.

 

Knowing scumbag 2's career and marriage could recover, they swapped the photos and threw him to the wolves.

 

Difficult to quantify the levels of scumbaggery involved here, but makes my shopping decisions far easier when I am buying, for example, crisps, newspapers, shaving products, sneakers, whiskey in Japan, assorted tat and so on.

 

[farmer]

Sometime way back in the '70's, GD sent a non-staffer to do a piece on the US Open. One of the things this writer had to say about Miller Barber was "he is careful not to hit the ball with his backswing, but with his downswing, which is a vicious, whistling arc".

[Guia]

OP, very nice post. I had never heard of the him until now. Shows that there are a number of ways to get it done.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

So that's where Eamonn Darcy got his swing.

[jonnygrouville]

Ah yes. The ubiquitous octopus falling out of a tree. Or someone fighting a snake in a 'phone box.

 

[stixman]

So that's where Eamonn Darcy got his swing.

 

There is a similarity, admittedly. The are both irish and Ireland is full to the brim of unscripted genius.

 

I loved his 'talk through' of his famous Ryder Cup bunker shot to close Ben Crenshaw

'Well, how did you play that shot, Eamonn' 'Well', your man says, I just gave it a bit of a dig!'