I had the chance to play with Allen Doyle several times while I was playing some of the bigger amateur events out on the east coast of the US in the mid 1980’s
At the time, he had won about everything down south, and was one of these guys that held just about every course record around the Atlanta Georgia area.
Allan is considered one of the most accurate strikers of a golf ball in the last 30 years.
Some of his accomplishments include winning the
Sunnehanna Amateur four times. The Northeast Amateur, The Porter Cup.
He turned pro later in life…at 46. Then won on the Nationwide Tour 3 times.
Then won on the Senior PGA Tour 11 times including 4 of their majors.
The press always criticized his unorthodox swing, much like the did Peter Senior, Lee Trevino, and Moe Norman.
I LOVE Allen’s golf swing…
He embraces everything I work with the ABS students here…
So good. I’ve never seen frames of his swing before- thanks for posting. He’s almost got that shaft coming through his spine below perpendicular- insane. It’s amazing that he has a ‘bad’ swing in most books- and there was a time that I would’ve agreed 
I got lassoed into a 4 man money game against Allen and Hogarth out at Lakeside on a member invite a long time ago. That was a bad day…
Lcd,
Great story that big game still exists at lakeside and with hogarth i believe our paths crossed at one time but left LA 4yrs ago. They play big money and theres only 2 good ball strikers in that group. What do think was Doyles key love the compact swing he could rip a 6 iron 200.
Yep…looks like a poster child for the drills.
You hear talk about what a gritty tenacious competitor he is…when he won the US Senior Open a few years ago, he faced down Watson the last few holes…and he never flinched…just kept pouring it on. I guess when you KNOW where you’re gonna hit it, it helps you be gritty and tenacious.
Lag, it looks like he is squeezing his shoulders together placing his elbows very close together in that follow through while ripping the arms off his chest to PV5! Is that just Allan’s way of keeping the pressure on the shaft?
Cheers,
Captain Chaos
Interesting how the ABS principles are really well demonstrated in these swings that are considered to be unconventional like Senior and Doyle but yet also the graceful swing of Ben Hogan…its like a biomechanical blueprint with room for personal idiosyncracies.
6PK- The most rigged game in the world is over at Woodland Hills CC. They get the greens rolling at about 22 in the summertime and it’s just sick. Timmy was hanging out a bunch over there last I saw him with those thieves playing their ridiculous 10k a day game. I got spotted to a 2 when I went over there. I shot 69 on a first look and lost $1500. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Allen there every once in a while. I always liked the Tuesday game out at Brookside back in the day. Leavitt and Chong had the rule of the roost over there and it was a friendly game. Nice guys, good track and you could take it deep and make a few hundred while you’re working on a few things. For a while a lot of the same guys were playing Wilson & Harding on Mondays too, but it was SO SLOW out there and I never went back after somebody stole my clubs there.
When I think about money games and sharks I think of Wilson and Harding and I think of Alton Duhan!
Is he even still alive?
I don’t know, but what an gamers action… you’d think he was a 90 shooter… and he’d shoot 68 at you anytime he needed to.
I would love to see some stop action of Alton’s swing…
He had a very intentional gamblers backswing… it makes me laugh to think about it. What a gamer!
I never met him but every time I went out there somebody had a story. Kinda wondered how much was BS. Prob none of it but I got an earful.
Hope you can make it over to Vegas next week…
get a hold of Vic Wilk out there at The National.
I can’t play because I got a work thing Sat, but I’d like to come out and wander around playing spectator or something Sun. I can meet up sometime after 2 on Fri too.
I didn’t get to meet Alston but one of my best days was in one of those Monday games on Wilson. I was in the first group out with the other fast players in the game and the only action we had was in our group and the skins and greenies for the big game. My partner was Wally Kearns, an am in his 60’s who’s been playing to exactly a 7 since he was a teenager. 79 on any track any day. Birdies the first 6 holes. On those greens that’s unheard of for anybody. By the 7th green I didn’t know if he was in the zone or having the big one, prob a little of both. Leaves his birdie putt a couple inches short in the gut and goes up to bat it back to himself. Normally something all of us do on a 2 inch par putt if there’s no action but I stopped him just in time and said ‘I think it’s a good idea to hole that’. As the first word came out he realized what he was doing. I just wanted no doubt if he broke the course record and for it to be official.
He plays the rest one under for a 65. The ol’ Wally Llama told me afterward that it was the only time he’s ever broken 68 on a big par 72 and one of only a handful of times has broken 70 in 50 years playing. Won every damn skin in those first 6, everything else pushed with 5 groups in the game and to this day he always gives me a hug for catching him on that little putt. I got no clue what I shot that day and could care less. One of the best days ever.
Lot’s of memories at Wilson…
I remember beating Dennis Paulson to win the LA City Junior… that was really a big thing for me at the time… because Paulson seemed unbeatable … he was so much bigger and stronger than everyone else his age back then.
Of course that was before Sam Randolph arrived on the scene… that one year Sam I think won every tournament he played in including Junior World.
You ever play the dumps at Sepulveda? I liked practicing on Encino, a lot of the shots fit my eye perfect and it was a good place to get some easy confidence. The pros that have been there a while swear Sam shot 58 there a couple times. What a player.
LCD,lag
That big game moved to private club Hogarth,Dyksta,agate,Wagner,west a couple of ex mini and reg tour guys. They switch from lakeside,wilshire, bel air, the money is sick what they play for 1 hole is as much as i make in a month. Wagner the best celebrity who could play. The brookside game became 2nd fiddle to this one. Lag and tam have fun in Vegas one of these days will have to play in tourney gl defending champ
I wish I could play everywhere like I play the front at Encino. When I first moved to LA I was practicing there a few days a week and the pro shop guys tried to set me up and get in my pocket. I had it 6 under after 5 and shot 29 on the front. The one guy who set it up just walked off after nine and left. Out there I can believe Sam got it crazy deep, I know the ‘official’ record is Duffy’ 62. I almost put stupid good fronts and backs together but the nice thing is the last 4 holes you do have to hit the shots.