The Club at Olde Cypress, one of the most vibrant, active and welcoming private clubs along the Sunshine State’s stunning Paradise Coast, has named Gary Shea its new head professional.
Before arriving at Olde Cypress this month, Shea was the first assistant at Foxfire Country Club, a 27-hole Arthur Hills-designed course just 20 minutes away. He’s lived in Naples since 2009, when he started at Foxfire, and has been a Class A PGA Member since 2021. An avid and highly-skilled player, Shea plays in numerous South Florida PGA Sectional tournaments throughout the summer offseason. He first played Olde Cypress in 2011 and last year finished second at the challenging P.B. Dye-designed course during the Southwest Chapter Pro/Pro.
“Gary has such a passion for this wonderful game and is already developing a powerful connection to our members who appreciate his commitment to the product and experience,” says Olde Cypress Director of Golf Joe Conforti, PGA. “We’re excited to welcome him to Olde Cypress and to have him as part of our valued team.”
Shea arrives at Olde Cypress during an unprecedentedly exciting time, as the club has undergone numerous enhancements over the past two years. In 2021, the course reopened following a multi-million-dollar investment by owner STOCK Development. The expansive project entailed resurfacing all 18 greens, practice green and chipping area with TifEagle Bermuda. Tee boxes were enlarged, leveled and re-grassed with Bimini Bermuda, and a new subsurface drainage system was installed for rapid expulsion of excess water. The course’s 98 bunkers were also refreshed with new edging, contouring and visually-stunning sand.
“The unwavering commitment to Olde Cypress by ownership, management and these wonderful members made this an easy decision and incredible opportunity,” says Shea. “That, and I’m a true believer that this is one of the state’s best golf courses and operations. I’m proud to be a part of the team and look forward to creating an amazing experience for our members and guests.”
The experience is now punctuated by a recently renovated 34,000-square-foot clubhouse that reopened in September last year following a full-scale interior renovation by Winter Park-based Soco Interiors. The golf shop, welcome area and offices were recast in a contemporary palette of crisp whites, sophisticated grays and layered neutrals with accents of deep blue.
The woodwork was painted a cool gray, blending seamlessly with new silver and wood-accented pendant lighting and a modern sphere-shaped chandelier. Countertops were finished with Calacatta stone tops, and revamped display areas for clothing and shoes create a neutral backdrop for displaying the latest fashion trends.
The Club at Olde Cypress is operated by STOCK Hospitality, which provides innovative solutions uniquely tailored to club communities. Creating exceptional member experiences is the cornerstone of all Stock Hospitality services, which range from club operations and golf course maintenance to membership marketing and programming. New members can choose from three categories of membership carefully crafted to offer something for everyone.
Widely considered one of the most vibrant, active and welcoming clubs in Southwest Florida, Olde Cypress is home to the first P.B. Dye golf course in Collier County. Other amenities include tennis and pickleball courts, fitness center and pool and a 34,000-square-foot clubhouse featuring both casual and fine dining. The club and surrounding 540-acre gated community are just minutes from Naples’ famous beaches, world-class shopping on 5th Avenue, and the Southwest Florida International Airport.
For more information about Olde Cypress and all it offers along Naples’ Paradise Coast, visit www.oldecypress.com.
I think the “off season” is the best time to make swing changes. Practicing indoors allows you to focus on making a correct motion and takes away ball flight, which is the biggest hindrance to making changes.
To The Bank — Next, the way Odell’s right foot works is incorrect — heel to toe rather then understanding a “banking” action (as my dear friend and teaching genius 
I think he’s got a pretty good golf swing as long as you don’t look at his finish. He picks the club up slightly with his hands and wrists in the initial part of his back swing, but makes a good shoulder turn which only gets his club slightly across the line at the top of his back swing. From there, he has a good transition where he starts his down swing through the shifting of his weight in his lower body to his left side, allowing the club to drop on-plane. Through the ball he is solid, then makes his crazy finish position. He is known for his demonstrative body language after he hits, but has a good swing up to this point.
No doubt he delivers the club nicely. All the add-on stuff with aiming right, then jumping around after contact, masks a decent delivery to me.
I think one main reason his swing works for him is because he believes in it. The ball only knows impact conditions, so what happens before and after impact can be personal to the player. As long as impact has the right conditions, as Ho-Sung correctly does, then the shot can be successful.
Looking at Ho-Sung Choi’s swing, he gets the club in a lot of good positions. He loads up extremely well into the right side on his backswing, which is probably helped by his closed stance. He comes into the ball from the inside, but I don’t think at the level to cause the crazy antics at the end of his swing. He does need to come up on the left foot due to his feet alignment, and turn with the right side of his body, but the extra foot work is for show. His swing looks very natural and fluid vs. mechanical. 
I love it because it’s 100 percent his, and he owns it. His years of hard work, sweat and determination have made that golf swing work for him under pressure. And that is all a golf swing is designed to do. I give him a lot of credit.
This goes to the the crux of everything. “Impact is king.” While there are preferred ways of delivering the club, many players through time have had very unique swings but get the matchups right at impact. Jim Furyk, Gay Brewer, Miller Barber, Jim Thorpe, Charles Owens, Calvin Peete, Ed Furgol: all had unique swings BUT all had great impact alignments. If you can have the path and face alignments fairly close, then you can create a tighter cone. 
Impact is very good. His weight is going toward the lead leg and the club is coming down on a nice path. He understands the club face as well. Great showman!
If you look past the antics, I think his motion is great. Hip to hip, his club is in real good shape. I love how his club has a slinging motion. You get the impression all he’s thinking is “target!” As Adam Bazagette said, he’s uncluttered.
I like Ho-Sung Choi’s Golf Swing: His motion matches his personality as well as what he can do physically. His set-up allows him to swing the golf club the way he naturally wants to swing the club and in motion for his whole golf swing. 
Golf swings don’t win tournaments, PEOPLE Do. Anyone who shoots 67 under tournament play pressure has my respect — immediately. Any commentary on this golf swing motion hopefully agree that the swing motion through impact is very good. It does not mean post-impact is undesirable (and so what if it is). Rather it shows individuality, style, and uniqueness.
