2008 Ryder Cup - Soren Hansen
Soren Hansen is only the 2nd player from Denmark to play for the European side, while making his debut at the 2008 Ryder Cup. He has a nice simple swing, with some great fundamentals, which are illustrated very well in the video above. The first thing to watch is his backswing. He makes a nice smooth motion during his takeaway, but it his position at the top that is so solid. The key to this position is how short his arm swing is. Notice how his hands fall short of his shoulders. Yet his club is still parallel to the ground. This is a great position. He can create a lot of power from here, and also keep his swing easy to repeat. In order to create this position you must make a body turn backswing. Turn your chest away from your target. When you stop turning your chest you should also stop your arms from moving. This keeps them together. It is important to know that it is your turn, and the proper hinging of your wrists that will get your club to the top of your backswing, and not your arms. The second thing to watch for is his head during his downswing. If you look closely you can see how the right edge of his hat is in line with the instep of his right foot when he gets to the top of his backswing. Watch how as he swings down to hit the ball his head and hat stay in the same position until well after impact. The key learning here is not that his head stayed 'down' but that it did not slide towards his target. If your head starts sliding towards your target as you make your downswing then you are going to come into your ball too steep and hit a lot of shots high right. Keep your head back for longer and straighter shots. Return to 2008 Ryder Cup Players from Soren Hansen Copyright 2006-2012 Free-Golf-Lessons.com
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PGA Tour Winner Quick Lesson
Congratulations to Steve Stricker on his victory at the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
I believe the commentators said he has won 9 times in his 40s. That is amazing!I also agree with Sir Nick and Johnny Miller that his swing will be copied in the future. Technology has reduced the need for hand action in the golf swing to generate power. Watch the old videos of Bobby Jones to see how much action he created compared to that of Steve Stricker.
A great objective for any player is to eliminate any unnecessary movement. Stricker does a great job of that. His hands stay very quiet on the backswing. His wrists hardly hinge at the top of his backswing. You can see from the above video that his backswing is all shoulder turn.
His downswing starts from the hips and he simply turns everything through the golf ball at the same time. His hands and wrists release naturally without any effort. This is a great way to have a consistent rhythm through the golf ball on every shot. This swing delivers enough power to win on Tour.
European Tour Winner Quick Lesson
Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen and his victory at the 2012 Africa Open.
Louis burst onto the scene with his dominating performance at the Open Championship. Many have predicted multiple wins for this player. His victory this past weekend is likely one of many to come.
In the video above pay really close attention to when the video ends. Take a look at his left foot. Notice how all his weight his on his left heel. This is a great sign that he has cleared his hips properly.
One of the key reasons for starting the downswing with your lower body is to clear your hips out of the way to create more room for your arms to swing through impact. It is a great indicator as to how well you cleared your hips, when almost all your weight is on your heel.
If your weight is leaning on you toes or even the middle of your foot then you have not rotated and cleared your hips enough through your downswing and past impact. You really want to feel the pressure of your weight on your heel like Oosthuizen.
Make sure you start your downswing with your lower body. At the top of your backswing; either pull your left knee or your left hip (right handed player) towards the target. Also make sure your hips keep rotating through impact and into your finish position with your weight on the heel.