Video by The Fire Pit Collective
The world was introduced to Alex “Benny” Benson in The Fire Pit Collective’s documentary of the Alpena City Open, where FPC staff writer and Twitter’s Monday Q Info, Ryan French, was competing, after having recently moved back to his home town. Benny’s laissez faire attitude when it comes to golf, including staying out all night at the bar before his morning round, combined with his ability to shoot in the low 70s made him an instant social media star.
Meeting Benny
Mark Baldwin, pro golfer and Ryan’s caddie for Alpena Open put it best when describing his first encounter with Benny, “Benny arrives at 8:41 for his 8:50 tee time and stands on the back of a pickup. He recounts a wild night of drinking that had ended just before 5 a.m. I hadn’t seen him drive into the lot, but I also know Uber isn’t a thing in Alpena. Ryan films him warming up on the range in a collared shirt that is turned inside out. Benny slips on the wet grass in his socks and flip flops. “Are you going with flip flops today?” Ryan asks after Benny hits a shot. “That one…a little chunky, might need the height from the shoes, but I don’t know,” Benny says. Ryan captures it all on video. Benny announces his warmup will consist of three 8-irons and a 4-iron. And like that, Benny becomes Golf Twitter famous.”
Benny posted an even-par round of 72 that day. And while he didn’t go on to win the Alpena Open, his legend was born.
Benny Visits GOLFTEC
Benny started off by saying he wanted his swing compared to Collin Morikawa on TECSWING, a bold choice, but definitely a great swing to emulate. Benny also didn’t pull any punches saying he wanted to improve from shooting 74 on average to 67! PGA Tour, here we come Benny!
As they get into the lesson, David Clark, Benny’s Coach from GOLFTEC Troy in Detroit, noticed that Benny’s body stalls in the swing, meaning his hips and chest stop rotating. At that point his hands take over to finish the swing and hit the ball. Because of this, Benny has a tendency to over-draw the ball.
Next they work on his posture and correct position at impact. As is common after GOLFTEC Coaches provide some adjustments, the first few swings, “feel so weird.” But as he gets used to it, the numbers tell the story, and Benny is getting more hip turn through his shots.
To see how a GOLFTEC Coach can help you and your game, visit golftec.com today and set up your Swing Evaluation.
