WHAT DO ALL BIG HITTERS DO?
Top 25 Coach Paul Foston describes modern pros as “physical specimens” – which is certainly true of the players who feature over the following pages. However, while strength and flexibility training can help golfers of all abilities reach new levels, there’s far more that we can learn from the game’s biggest hitters.
Messrs Finau, Johnson, Koepka, Rahm and Mcilroy have the muscle, but also possess something that doesn’t just come from crunching weights. Understanding where their power comes from is the key to unlocking your own potential and hitting a longer ball.
1 Posture
Tony Finau has this wonderfully relaxed yet athletic posture which is very much neutral – but he’s not overextending his spine or sticking his backside out. You don’t want tension within the golf swing; the body should be relaxed as you’re setting up to take your shot. If your body is tense, you can lose power.
Perfect lines
Also, note how his shoulders are stacked over his hips, his hips are over his knees and his knees are over his feet. You can draw a line from his trail shoulder, down his arms and knees right to the balls of his feet – which is what I like to see. Club golfers tend to drop their shoulders forward and hunch over the ball – perhaps because they’re spending too much time on a computer. This limits your rotation, which is going to reduce your swing length and rob you of power.
His right elbow is pointing down at the right hip. He’s also able to keep the right knee flexed as well
At the top of Dustin Johnson’s backswing, his shoulders have rotated more than a hundred degrees, while his hips have only rotated about 45 degrees (and with no heel lift). He gets his hands way above his head, yet he’s able to stay down in the ground – proof of his incredible flexibility. He’s 6ft 4in and has these great levers – which is a natural advantage – but what’s so impressive is how he loads and stacks his shoulders on top of his hips and legs.
Brooks Koepka has the clubface shut going back and it stays open going through; there’s no hand release, it’s all body release. The hips have led the forearms and the hands, and you can see the clubhead is way behind. He’s almost off the ground with his trail leg and there’s no way the clubface is going to close.
Passive hands
We hear a lot about ‘lag’ and its relationship with power and distance. It concerns the sequence of movements. Guys like Koepka are getting their body more open as they strike the ball, so they don’t have to use their hands or rely on timing so much. In other words, because their body is so active their hands can be passive. Like Ben Hogan used to say, the hands hold the club and the body is the engine.
4
This picture portrays perfect forearm rotation with the weight on the lead side. Also, note how Jon Rahm’s eyes are still on the ground even when the ball has long gone. This is because the lower body has opened so much. If your lower body opens, the upper body can fire and the shoulders can open. The forearm release is coming from how much the lower body and upper body have turned through the ball.
A textbook post- impact position for Rahm
5 Finish position
Look at how straight Rory Mcilroy’s lead leg is. He’s right on the toe of his trail foot, his hips are 90 degrees and his shoulders are about 120 degrees.
This is where flexibility plays its part; you can see it in the way he keeps his foot down and holds it there. Knees, legs, hips, ankles... he has superb flexibility throughout his whole body. What I like about Rory is how he hits it really hard and yet he nails this position every time, whatever club he’s using.
Balance justifies speed
This finish position demonstrates what’s gone on before. People will often ask me, “Is that too fast?” Nothing is too fast if you’re in balance. You are using a driver to hit it hard. It’s testament to what you’ve done if you can stay on your feet.