Episode 52 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast. In this week’s episode, I interview my good friend Chris McGinley, CEO of Swing Align. Chris McGinley is a true legend in the golf industry. He was the VP of Marketing for Acushnet, VP of Product for Honma, Founder and CEO of Strand Sports (Swing Align) and the CEO of V1 Sports. Such an amazing career and the nicest guy.
In terms of Swing Align, the initial concept that led to the Swing Align device was developed by a man named Allan Strand. Allan was a concert pianist, a PGA Tour putting instructor, and developer of the 17 time PGA winning Dandy Professional Putters. Allan was able to extensively study the swings of Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Henrik Stenson, and Dr. Gil Morgan. Golf swing mechanics became his obsession. Eventually, he concluded that the biggest commonality between the world’s top golf swings were arm and body connection, and proper rotation – both in the backswing and follow through.
Allan’s research culminated in the first Swing Align prototype. He pursued the project with the help of his friends on the PGA Tour until his untimely death in 2013. In 2017 the project was picked up by Chris McGinley, a 30-year golf industry veteran, and Allan’s brother Everett Strand. After a year of engineering and industrial design, Chris and Ev are confident that the Swing Align golf swing training device will contribute a significant, lasting impact on the performance of golfers at every skill level.
