2008 Ryder Cup - Steve StrickerSteve Stricker had a a solid year in 2007. Which was great considering he had lost his card back in 2005. To work his way back to be a member of this year's Ryder Cup squad is amazing. It is a credit to the hard work he has put into his golf game. His swing is very solid and so well balanced. It is this balance over the golf ball that has turned his game around and got him onto this team. My favorite part is that he does not sway off the ball at all. If you watch his backswing his left shoulder turns under his chin, but does not go past the middle of his stance. This is how he stays so well balanced to make good contact. Some players get into trouble when they slide off the ball on their backswing. They get their shoulder to go all the way to their right foot. This pushes their balance too far away from the ball. The problem is that returning to the golf ball means that they have to slide too much to even reach the ball. It makes it very hard to be a consistent ball striker. If this is going on in your swing then you will want to watch Stricker's swing.
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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.