POWER MOVES + CHIPPING + SWING STUDY + PUTTING + TOUR INSIGHT + FIVE-MINUTE LESSON + STRATEGY + PUTTING
My key thought as I address the ball is
to ‘get in and over it’. I do this for one
key reason – to maintain the connection
between my arms and body during the
backswing and downswing. This set-up
thought encourages me to tilt my upper
body forward enough for my arms to
hang freely away from my torso. This
gives them the space and room to
powerfully load and unload.
In the past, I would stand a little too
upright at address, with the result that
my arms would end up working too far
away from my body during the swing.
Then all kinds of chaos would ensue.
My own personal method for ensuring
that I create enough room between my
hands and body is to initially address
the ball with the clubhead just inside it.
This helps me feel that I’m getting in
close to the ball.
BACKSWING
“Good posture permits a co-ordinated
move away from the ball. Here, my arms
are swinging in sync with my body
motion. The worst thing you can do in the
takeaway is to let your hands manipulate
the face. If you do that to either close or
open the face, at some point you will have
to compensate to get the swing back on
plane. Instead, get your arms, hands and
upper body working together by rotating
your shoulders.”
‘I try to feel
that I make a
three-quarter
length swing’
People often ask me if I change my
ball position for different clubs. I really
don’t. If I’m hitting a 7-iron, I’ll have it
just forward of centre in my stance. If
I’m hitting a 4-iron, the ball will be in
the same place relative to my left foot,
but I’ll move my right foot slightly
farther away from the target to create a
wider stance. This keeps the base of my
swing arc consistent from club to club
and from swing to swing.
After that, I’m simply thinking of
staying connected in the backswing and
trying to ensure that everything arrives
at the top together. A good upper body
coil helps the swing come to a natural
stop with the shoulders loaded over a
stable base. I don’t like a lot of hip
rotation. For me, a comfortable arm
swing is a three-quarter motion. A long
and loose move with your arms makes it
almost impossible to come back to the
ball precisely. A more controlled swing
will give you plenty of speed and a more
consistent and efficient strike.
36 G o l f P l u s
APRIL
2020
HALFWAY
DOWN
“My lower body initiates the
downswing. I like to slot into
this position before unloading
my top half. One of my key
swing thoughts is to grind down
into the turf with my feet as I
transition from backswing to
downswing. That gives me the
magic combination of stability
and power. A split-second later
and you’ll see the shaft bisecting
my right forearm. That’s the
perfect delivery position coming
into impact.”