At just 24, it seems like Jason Day has already been around for a long time. The big-hitting Aussie performed beautifully in both last year’s Masters and U.S. Open, notching second-place finishes. Despite not winning any tournaments, he ended up ninth on the PGA Tour Money List with nearly $4 million in earnings.
One of the big keys to Day’s success is his prodigious length. Last year he averaged 302.6 yards off the tee, placing him 14th in driving distance. As of press time, this year Day has played in only two tournaments but is averaging approximately 298 yards off the tee. The tee box hasn’t been all good news for Day. If he has a glaring weakness, it’s his driving accuracy. Day finds the fairway only about 55% of the time, which ranks him near the bottom of that category. Perhaps that’s why he’s opting to hit a three-wood on this tee box.
We asked John Stahlschmidt to take a look at Day’s swing to see where this wiry 6′ 0″, 165-pound Aussie generates his tremendous distance.
As Jason starts his downswing, his hips have rotated independently of his upper body. His shaft is literally about to hit his right shoulder–creating much lag and stored power, which will be applied to the ball at impact.
At impact, notice how Jason’s belt buckle is literally pointing to the target, a common denominator for power hitters. He’s off his back foot, and his weight has transferred successfully to his front foot. A successful weight shift through impact to the left side will dramatically enhance the ability to make solid ball contact.
Postimpact, Jason has successfully extended his right arm. This allows for great structure in both the right and the left arm. For those of you who “chicken-wing,” make sure your trailing arm (your dominant arm) fully extends just after impact. This will ensure that both of your arms extend properly.
Jason finishes in a classic position. The majority of his weight is balanced on the left foot. Notice how he has rotated a bit outside his left heel, a la Jack Nicklaus. This finish position is balanced and is the conclusion of a powerful yet efficient swing.
Sequence analyzed by John Stahlschmidt, PGA. John is a Top-25 Instructor and is the PGA Head Instructor for the TOUR Academy at TPC Scottsdale. To comment, email John at johnst@touracademy.com.
At press time, Tiger Woods has played in only one tournament this year, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He finished a respectable 15th after a frustrating final day on the Monterey Peninsula. Although his putter failed him down the stretch, Tiger struck the ball very well. He hit an impressive 72.73% of his fairways and 72.22% of his greens. So, could 2012 finally be the year Tiger dominates again? Impossible to say. Still, we were curious about his new swing (which he’s been working on with Sean Foley), so we asked Dr. David Wright, one of Golf Tips’ Top-25 instructors, to take a closer look. Here’s what he saw.
At the top of his swing, Tiger has tremendous coil. He’s beautifully balanced and has a very solid foundation in his lower body. This gives him maximum leverage. Because he has a greater spine tilt in his new setup, it eliminates any possibility of a level shoulder turn. That’s why he’s working more “under” than around.
Tiger’s first move down is both lateral and rotational. This is evidenced by the amount of space under his right heel. Note his left-side belt loops. They show that he’s beginning to rotate. (In fact, if you follow his belt loops in each frame. you can see how efficiently he uses his hips in building power.)
As Tiger’s hips rotate, they’ve unloaded a tremendous amount of power. Notice where his belt loops are compared to the previous photo. You can also see more daylight under his right heel. His forearms are parallel to the ground, and the shaft is still almost perpendicular to the ground. That’s tremendous lag.
Now you can see a ton of daylight under his right heel. His arms and hands have dropped, and his body moves both rotationally and laterally as he bumps toward the target. This is a major power move, and he’s multiplying the torque that we see in the first photo with the 90 degrees of separation between his upper and lower bodies.
At impact, Tiger’s left hip continues to move laterally (upward) as his right shoulder works under. This simultaneous rotational and lateral motion requires tremendous timing to maintain balance and square the clubface. Note that his shoulder angle at impact is greater than it was at the top of his swing.
Here Tiger’s club really extends down the target line, and his continued lateral motion is made clear by his left foot’s “roll-over.” This position minimizes how much his left knee snaps, although it compromises his balance and redistributes stress up his spine.
All of his power has unloaded and he continues to roll out on his left side. Note the backward tilt of his spine. This tilt is necessary to sustain balance through his swing, but adds stress on his spine and interior left knee.
As Tiger’s hips continue to rotate, his spine angle starts to move to a more upright but still tilted position, his lateral motion stops, and his balance begins to neutralize. Notice the subtle flare of his left foot in his finish. This flare is the body’s natural move for balance.
Dr. David Wright, PGA, is considered one of America’s top-100 golf instructors. He teaches at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif. Visit him online at wrightbalance.com. and gripsize.com.
Looking at this beautiful impact position of Steve Marino, you’d think he possessed a classic swing. Anyone who has seen Marino lashing about the fairways, however, knows that his technique might be a little closer to Bubba Watson or Jim Furyk than Ernie Els!
I’ll point out all of the great things Marino is doing here, but if you’re a swing junky like me, I encourage you to hop online and do a YouTube search to see him in motion. I’ve found quite a few great examples, and if you look at the “down-the-line” angles, you’ll fully appreciate just how much athleticism Marino exhibits to find this classic look at the bottom.
1) BEHIND THE ACTION Here Marino’s head position is in perfect form to hit it a ton. Just like a home-run hitter needs to be “behind the ball” for optimal swat, here he’s dead-solid perfect! Whether you prefer to play with a steady head or move off the ball a bit, make sure that, into the strike, the left side of your face stays behind the ball.
2) OPEN FOR BUSINESS One common thing I see every day on the lesson tee is a player who returns to impact with very much the same body alignments he or she held at address. Here you can see the contrast in that attitude, as Marino’s hips and shoulders are rotated well to the left at contact. This is the common alignment you’ll see in all ball-and-stick sports, such as baseball, tennis and hockey. Think of the similarities in sports you may already excel at and notice how easily they apply to the game of golf.
3) SAFE LANDING One characteristic of great drivers is a sweeping, level angle of attack that leaves the tee standing tall. Most poor drivers attack with too much of a downward strike, snapping their tee as it’s pushed into the turf. To feel more sweep, make your practice swings just above ball height, creating a level swish into the finish. After a few successful misses, bend over a touch farther and swing away. Look for that tee to remain safe and sound and you’ll be on your way to better tee shots!
WHAT’S IN STEVE’S BAG •_•Driver:Cleveland HiBORE XLS Tour 9.5_¡ •_•3-Wood:HiBORE XLS 15_¡ •_•5-Wood:Launcher Comp 19_¡ •_•Hybrid:Adams Idea Pro 20_¡ •_•Irons:4-9 CG Tour •_•PW, SW, LW:CG14 •_•Putter: Never Compromise Gambler •_•Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
4) GROUND ATTACK If you know anything about Steve’s swing, you’re aware that his backswing is incredibly “steep” at the top. I mean his left arm and shaft are as straight up and down as the Empire State Building! Being “steep” in golf terms means that the club is poised to smash into the turf with a big crashing divot. In order to “shallow-out” his steep swinging action, he must be a master of using his feet to aid his effort. As a result, you’ll notice that as he approaches impact, his right heel stays grounded, much more so than the rest of his counterparts. For most players, driving off the back foot is integral to generating compression and distance, but for Marino, hanging back a bit is the perfect complement to his up-and-down action.
Jeff Ritter, PGA, teaches at the ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. He recently launched his Jeff Ritter Golf Instructional iPhone App, which is available at the iTunes App Store. Also visit jeffrittergolf.com.
This photo of Trevor Immelman shows that he has maintained great separation between his upper and lower bodies while turning around a stable base.
Notice that his belt buckle points just to the right of the ball, while his shoulders have rotated 90_¡ to his toe line. This rotational difference between his hips and shoulders is what Jim McLean called the “X-Factor.” The greater that differential is, the farther you’ll hit it. Immelman has a large X-Factor, while most amateurs who aren’t very flexible have smaller ones. For a young, fit (and smaller) golfer like Immelman, a big X-Factor is vital to hit long drives.
At the top of the swing, he’s building power in his core in preparation for his downswing. But look closer and you’ll see that Immelman has already made the first move of his downswing. See how he has bumped his left hip slightly toward the target? This move is followed by a hip rotation. After that, his shoulders will follow. Immelman has a very efficient and powerful swing with great sequencing.
Kevin Na
Kevin Na generates power from his upper body, in particular, his arms and hands.
Notice that his clubhead has released before his hips have completely cleared. He likely has a strong right hand that helps square the clubface at impact—all characteristics of an arms-and-hands swing. This swing works great for young players with considerable upper-body strength.
With a swing like this, you usually see more forward spine tilt at address and less thigh angle. Also his shoulders probably had very little right tilt, and the butt of his club pointed close to his midline.
His backswing begins with his left shoulder working under and a release of his hips with a bit of lateral motion. The lateral motion toward the target that you see here is a reflection of that backswing.
Na’s swing is a young person’s swing or that of a well-conditioned older person. The downside to his motion is a higher incidence of shoulder, elbow, wrist and back injuries.
Paul Goydos
Many Tour players use a “core motion” swing to control their short-iron shots, and in this photo, 46-year-old Paul Goydos demonstrates the result beautifully (although this type of swing works with all shot lengths). Goydos’ arms and hands are taken out of the swing, and instead, he releases his body through impact and into the finish.
Notice how short his finish is and how the club remains in front of his chest? He could return to this exact setup position, and his arms and club would be in the same position. This reflects that his body has released, versus the arms, hands and clubhead. This type of swing preserves the body when used through the bag. It requires precise balance at address, but it’s easy on the body and minimizes the risk of injury. If you’re over 30, I encourage you to use your large muscles in your swing like Goydos. You’ll add years to your game.
Want to play like a PGA Tour player? You have to practice. Every photo in this story was taken while these players were working hard on the practice tee.
Dustin Johnson: Keep Your Spine Angle
He’s already come close to winning a major. He’s a winner on Tour four times, and he’s only in his mid-20s. Give him a few more years, and we don’t doubt Dustin Johnson will have a few major titles under his belt. Why? First, he can absolutely crush the golf ball. So far in 2011, he’s third in total driving distance (307 yards), but we know that’s a conservative number. He can regularly hit drives 10-30 yards beyond that.
And as impressive as Johnson’s prodigious length may be, you may be surprised to learn that he’s also first on the PGA Tour in birdies (as of April 2011), averaging 4.68 per round. That’s impressive and couldn’t be possible if Dustin didn’t have a few things working in his swing to make him more consistent.
In this case, Johnson is one of the most consistent spine-angle-holders in all of golf. From the top of his swing to the finish, his spine stays leaning forward toward the ball. By maintaining this angle, Johnson can more easily return to the ball without having to lift, dip or slouch at impact. It also allows him to make a bigger rotation. Here he’s hitting a middle iron, and just look at how open his hips are at impact! Try to do the same with your spine angle, and keep it tilted as he does here at impact. After impact, it’s okay to ease up and finish more upright, even though Johnson keeps his angle well into his finish.
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Hunter Mahan: Tuck A Glove
What’s with the glove?
What’s Hunter Mahan’s secret to hitting nearly 70 percent of the greens every time he plays? His compact, efficient golf swing. In the sequence above and below, Mahan is practicing hitting a middle iron. If you look closer though, you’ll see he has a glove tucked under his right arm. His teacher, Sean Foley, uses this drill often to get players to make a more complete and connected backswing without the arms and club drifting too far away from the body. When that happens, the club can actually get “stuck,” as the pros call it, behind the body on the downswing. This leads to pushes, slices and overactive hands to fix the problem. The glove prevents those problems and also helps keep Mahan on perfect plane as he swings back and through the golf ball.
Curious to try this yourself? Go for it. Just start slow with some three-quarter shots and work your way up to some longer swings.
Luke Donald: Hold Your “L”
Luke Donald has one of the most beautiful swings we’ve ever seen on the PGA Tour. It’s so smooth and fluid! But there’s actually a lot more than just beauty behind it. Donald is already having an awesome year, with a win and a top spot among several stats, including scoring (69.28), putting average (1.703) and putts per round (27.43, all as of April 2011).
Donald wouldn’t have such great success on the greens and in scoring if it weren’t for his exceptional ballstriking skills. In the sequence above, there’s quite a bit the average player can learn from him.
To start, pay attention to Donald’s rhythmic tempo and balance (you’ll have to tune in to a TV broadcast to see what we mean). He knows what it means to allow the club to accelerate through the downswing, rather than do what many amateurs do, which is to try to muscle the ball from the top of the backswing. Second, Donald exhibits two positions in his swing that we should all try to emulate. At the top of his backswing, notice how Donald’s left arm and clubshaft form an L shape? In the sequence above, Donald holds that L from the top of his swing to a split second before impact. After impact, as soon as the arms reach the point where they’re parallel to the ground, the L returns.
Thinking in terms of holding the L is a great reminder to hinge the wrists properly on both the backswing and forwardswing. It also allows the body to rotate through the shot (as evident by Donald’s turn and movement to his forward side on the downswing). Furthermore, by thinking of holding the L position and reaching it again after impact, you may find yourself thinking less about hitting the ball and instead swing more freely through the golf shot.
Jim Furyk: Knee Action
He may have one of the most unorthodox golf swings to ever hit the PGA Tour, but Jim Furyk is still one of the best to have ever played in the modern era. Any player can learn from his awesome leg and footwork. As he swings, notice how the right knee drives toward the target? This both helps to ensure a proper weight shift to his left side, and makes it easier for his upper body to rotate through.
In addition to some great kneework, Furyk has exceptional balance through the finish, thanks to a solid left foot planted on the ground. Try this, and copy Furyk’s finish. You’ll see instant improvements.
Tommy Gainey: Left Arm Straight
Two gloves? Gainey does this because he used to wear two gloves when playing baseball as a kid and liked how it felt. The habit just stuck.
Atypical, weird and strange–that might be putting Tommy Gainey’s unique swing nicely, but let’s get this straight: It gets the job done. The two-gloved Big Break alum and rising Tour star proves that you don’t need textbook mechanics to play great golf. But there are some positions in his golf swing you’ll want in order to help you hit great shots.
In Gainey’s swing, check out his left arm at impact. It’s fully extended, and actually is in line with the shaft. This is an awesome position to emulate. There’s no chicken wing, his body is rotating, and he’s making a strong, descending blow into the back of the golf ball. And check out the back of his left hand: It’s facing the target. Copy Gainey’s impact position and you’ll start hitting better shots.
Anthony kim/Jonathan Byrd: Practice With A Line
Hitting down the line is a bit of a misnomer. You really can’t do that, since you swing the club from both the side of the ball and in a circle. So what gives? The idea behind swinging with a line, as demonstrated by both Anthony Kim and Jonathan Byrd, is to use the line as a reference point for parts of the body during the swing (and to help with alignment, of course). In Kim’s photo, he’s swinging “down the line” by keeping his shoulders square to the target line at impact while his body continues to the left of the target. Byrd is doing the same (with a shaft on the ground), only his left arm is in line with the club at key moments during his swing. He’s also probably using the club on the ground to better gauge his stance and setup before he hits the ball. Like Kim, he’s rotating against, not sliding through and along, the target line.
When you practice with a club, stick or alignment aid on the ground, don’t feel as though you need to swing along it. Use it to check your stance and other positions during your swing. That’s what the pros do.
Rory Sabbatini: Head Behind The Ball
The aggressive, brash and exciting Rory Sabbatini seems to have bounced back en route to winning the Honda Classic this year. Sabbatini’s golf swing has never looked better, and when he’s playing well, he’s easily among the toughest competitors to beat on the PGA Tour.
At 35-years-old, Sabbatini has a swing that reflects the motion more associated with classic swings of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. His big backswing and wrist hinge is supplanted by a fast unhinging of the wrists and a reverse-C followthrough.
What can you learn from Sabbatini? Check out the photo of him just before and at impact. There are two things going on here that you can emulate. First, notice the amount of hinge in Sabbatini’s wrist before he makes impact. This is what’s referred to as “lag” in the swing. More lag tends to mean the hands will release the club really quick and with a lot of clubhead speed. Second, check out Sabbatini’s head position throughout his swing. Not only does it stay stable, but you can clearly see that his head is behind the ball at impact. Upon closer inspection, you can see that his head actually swivels and turns as his upper body does during the swing. By doing this, Sabbatini can swing more successfully with his arms in front of his chest. If he were to keep his head “down” as some mistakenly say you should, he’d restrict his rotation on the downswing and would not be able to extend as well as he does through the shot. David Duval and Annika Sorenstam do this too, even more than Sabbatini is demonstrating here.
Better players often will tell you that the key to hitting better shots is to think of one good element of the swing and try to perfect it. Try keeping your head stable and allowing it to rotate with the upper body. It works!
Zach Allen, PGA, teaches players of all levels at DeBell Golf Club in Burbank, Calif. For more information, visit zachallengolf.com.
1. Top of backswing Camilo Villegas and J.B. Holmes are two of the game’s longest hitters. Jesper Parnevik is one of the longest iron players. What can you learn from them?
First, all three players demonstrate an efficient yet powerful body motion in their backswing. At address, golfers should flex forward from their hips, and maintain that angle throughout the backswing. Note how all three men turn their shoulders at a 90_¡ angle to their spine, beautifully maintaining their original spine angle.
Here, you’ll notice that all three men have made full shoulder rotations, while maintaining a relatively short arm swing. It’s amazing, really, that Camilo and J.B., two of the game’s longest hitters, have the shortest arm swings but full shoulder turns. They also have relatively flat left wrists at the top, with the clubface matching the same 45_¡ angle to the horizon. (Most players who slice usually have a cupped left wrist with the clubface hanging straight down.) 2. Transition To Downswing The transition into the downswing is one of the most crucial yet difficult areas of the swing. Here, you can see that all three men begin their downswing from the ground up. Their feet, knees and hips shift their weight to the forward foot. Their left knee increases in flex as they push their weight forward and downward into the ground. Their right foot and inner thigh also move forward and inward to accommodate this lateral movement. As the lower half initiates, the arms respond by dropping in close to the torso, while each man maintains his wrist hinge. Notice how all three players lower their arms in close to their body to set up a powerful inside path to the ball.
3. Impact This position is the most important moment in the golf swing. Every good player achieves great alignment and body position at impact, and every poor player doesn’t.
Note how each man’s left wrist is flat and pointing at the target. This angle controls the clubface angle. Their right arms are bent and resting on their right hips, while their right wrists remain bent, stabilizing the delivery of the club, and connecting the club to the true power source: the hips, legs and core. Each man’s eyes are focused intently on the back of the ball, seeing the hit clearly.
Note also how their shoulders are square, but tilted on the original 90_¡ angle to the spine, ensuring an online swing path. Their hips have cleared and are open, and 85 percent of their weight is on their forward foot, catapulting the shaft through the hitting area. Power and precision both are delivered at once.
1.J.B. Holmes has a short arm swing, but a big shoulder turn.
2. All three men start the downswing from the ground up.
3. Holmes plays a fade. Note how he holds off his release.
1. While Jesper Parnevik creates a longer arm swing.
2. Each man tucks his right elbow into his side.
3. Parnevik’s right knee turns into his left at impact.
1. Camilo Villegas, like Holmes, has a short arm swing.
2. All three are moving weight to their left side at this stage.
3. Villegas’ tremendous flexibility is an asset, as seen here.
What Are The Differences? J.B. plays a fade, and Camilo usually plays a draw. Evidence of this is seen by ball position (J.B plays it more forward in his stance, while Camilo plays it farther back). Because more weight needs to move forward in the downswing (to allow the club to approach more from the inside), Camilo (in his transition) has more left knee flex and lateral hip slide, while J.B. has less hip slide and more turn. During the transition, Camilo’s left arm is also on a more inward angle so the club approaches more from the inside, while J.B.’s is in line with the target.
At impact, J.B. has cleared his hips with less weight forward (his left leg straightens, and his left foot spins out) and has allowed his shaft to line up with his left arm. All these factors enable him to swing slightly across the ball and impart fade spin. Camilo, on the other hand, moves more weight forward, as seen by his larger left knee flex. The shaft doesn’t line up with his left arm completely. All these are traits of an inside-out delivery, thus imparting draw spin on the ball.
1. Holmes’ high finish indicates that he has hit a fade.
2. Parnevik’s right shoulder points to his target.
3. Villegas’ round swing indicates that he has hit a draw.
