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110%er [6358]
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ITT We analyze Kirby Smart’s golf swing
May 12, 2022, 9:50 AM
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I touched on this briefly last night on Twitter but 280 characters just doesn’t allow us to fully appreciate the golf swing of Kirby Smart so I’m bringing a complete analysis to TigerNet. Please feel free to jump in and add anything I might have missed.
PART ONE: Kirby on the first tee
When Kirby steps to the first tee, his opponents have to check their wallets to make sure they have enough cash to cover the ### kicking they’re about to get and look over their shoulders to make sure their wives aren’t lustily staring with blushed cheeks.
Everything about Kirby’s first impression on a mid-tiered semiprivate golf course somewhere on the outskirts of a small town in northern Georgia is impeccable. New glove, clean shoes that surprisingly have real laces instead of Velcro, clean shirt, pants instead of cargo shorts, fresh visor holding his beautiful hair in place neatly. And don’t let us miss the coup de grâce, the white belt. You’re going to have to trust me here, but I promise you there is a white belt hiding coyly under a few spare pounds that are unavoidable with a diet consisting mainly of barbecue, French fries, bourbon & coke and Twinkies.
There really isn’t a single thing that I would change before Kirby steps in to address the golf ball. Surprisingly, it appears he figured out a way to minimize the uncontrollable sweating that has plagued him since he started carrying the extra 40 pounds. At this point, the swing is easily one of the top four amongst coaches in the SEC East.
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Oculus Spirit [77033]
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I’m surprised he can complete a full swing
May 12, 2022, 10:14 AM
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what with him having T-Rex arms.
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110%er [6358]
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Re: I’m surprised he can complete a full swing
May 12, 2022, 10:45 AM
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The short arms help him create such a wide arc. That’s one of the three keys to Kirby’s power.
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110%er [6358]
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Re: ITT We analyze Kirby Smart’s golf swing
May 12, 2022, 10:38 AM
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PART TWO: Posture at address
Here is where we start to see the greatness of Kirby’s golf swing. The first thing you notice at address is Kirby’s posture. I’ll use a picture of some random golfer I found on the internet as a comparison. Kirby’s natural athleticism allows him to achieve an incredible 38 degrees of spine angle. Less athletic golfers struggle to get lower than 56 degrees. This almost 20 degree difference is one of the keys to Kirby’s power and explosiveness. Consider him like a threatened snake, coiled up before exploding towards its target in a fit of rage.
All the greats of our time understand the importance of Kirby’s athletic starting position. Think of Mike Tyson, Usain Bolt in the starting blocks, and Lindsey Vonn. Sure, none of them are golfers, but you get my point.
I’d literally be shaking with fear if I was standing on either the left or right side of the fairway watching him at this point.
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110%er [6358]
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Re: ITT We analyze Kirby Smart’s golf swing
May 12, 2022, 12:57 PM
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PART THREE: The grip and hand position
Once you allow yourself to stop focusing on the elite spine angle at address, you are immediately drawn to the grip and hand position at address. Kirby uses an overlapping grip as opposed to interlocking. I suspect this is due to his hands being swollen from his high salt diet, but that’s pure speculation.
Choking up on the driver is very unique to Kirby’s game and contrasts other great ball strikers like major winners Corey Pavin, Zach Johnson, and Rich Beem. There are rumors out there that Kirby is working on a sponsorship deal with Golf Pride grips in which the end of the grip will be Georgia Bulldog red, aptly named “The Red Rocket”.
Anyone who has played high level high school JV golf like me was probably taught the “sword fight” position at address. Athletic guys like Kirby can pull this off as opposed to the random guy who’s picture I found on the internet. Unathletic guys lack the flexibility required to point the golf grip boner at their ##### in a classic sword fight position. The average golfer has to resort to keeping the hands higher with the butt pointed at their lower abdomen.
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CU Medallion [65604]
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Great HAIR? You can't be sirius, Clark!
May 12, 2022, 1:32 PM
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Kirby has great hair only when compared to Pawl "The Flying Cueball" Finebaum.
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110%er [6358]
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Re: ITT We analyze Kirby Smart’s golf swing
May 12, 2022, 2:21 PM
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PART FOUR: The takeaway
In this photo, don’t let yourself get distracted from everything that happens on the golf course around Kirby. Many players paired with Tiger Woods in his prime let this happen to them as well. Phil probably would have won three more majors if he could have focused on his next shot instead of the Waffle House waitresses, #### stars, hot NY socialites and other players’ wives that followed along in Tiger’s gallery.
The marshal quick calling his “fore left” call, customized convertible golf carts and impeccable landscaping in the background all contribute towards taking your eye off the prize.
At the top of the backswing, Kirby once again highlights his elite athleticism and flexibility. His ability to keep his left arm almost straight allows Kirby to create an incredibly wide arc, further contributing to his amazing club head speed. Kirby’s position at the top is so good that you can even see the white belt peeking out, only at his hips though.
It should be noted that the hair is still perfect at this point in the swing.
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110%er [6358]
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Re: ITT We analyze Kirby Smart’s golf swing
May 12, 2022, 3:03 PM
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PART FIVE: The downswing
They say a picture says a few hundred words, so there really isn’t too much for me to add here. Kirby is SO FREAKING GOOD that he intentionally comes way over the top of plane to hit a controlled cut, not slice, on this dogleg right. I highly doubt there are any golfers on TigerNet who can replicate this move with any success.
Sadly, Kirby closed the club face and pulled the everliving #### out of this ball into someone’s backyard on the left side of the hole, but that only happened because his timing was off due to the long hours devoted to luring high school kids to his house for visits. That over the top move results in the desired significant left to right ball flight at least 55% of the time.
Oh look, hair is still perfect.
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110%er [6358]
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Re: ITT We analyze Kirby Smart’s golf swing
May 12, 2022, 3:40 PM
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PART SIX: Impact (or what I like to call ‘climax’)
Let’s take this opportunity to bring it full circle. Kirby’s elite posture at address gives him the room needed to adjust his spine angle by an amazing 22 degrees at impact. PGA pros literally can’t adjust by more than a couple degrees. There in lies the genius that is Kirby Smart.
At impact, the hair is still perfect. Kirby looks so relaxed that I wonder if he’s ever fallen asleep as the ball takes off into the trees right or left.
It is important to note that Kirby is an elite athlete. Trying to copy this move will likely result in an average golfer herniating a disk or two. Sure, it might be worth the risk so you can be like Tiger and get spinal fusion surgery, but I still don’t recommend.
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Oculus Spirit [79463]
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Only on T-net . . .
May 12, 2022, 6:54 PM
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can one get such an analysis . .
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Oculus Spirit [77033]
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A wise man recently told me,
May 12, 2022, 7:01 PM
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“It doesn’t take long to T-net anymore.”
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110%er [6358]
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Re: Only on T-net . . .
May 12, 2022, 8:50 PM
[ in reply to Only on T-net . . . ] |
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If you made it all the way through it couldn’t have been all that bad. I was going to quit until I got an angry message from a Georgia fan on Twitter who read it and told me what he thought about it. That was the motivation I needed to power through to the end.
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All-TigerNet [10492]
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Re: Only on T-net . . .
May 12, 2022, 10:22 PM
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Not to worry. He cussed the ball out on the way to the tee. Decades of experience have taught “the Kirbster” that when you really, really, really gotta have an athletic performance…….cuss something out.
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