PGA Tour - Phil MickelsonPGA Tour Pro Phil Mickelson, "The Player's Champ" as he is so affectionately known. We all know he has serious game. He has been talented for so long. He is known for his short game, a magical short game, but you know...he is not a bad ball striker either. Let's take a look. Golf Pro Phil Mickelson is an incredible athlete, and has quite amazing flexibility. It would be very easy for him to get his back swing move going offline. However, he doesn't and it helps him stay solid on his move away from the ball. The piece to watch in this video is his right shoulder. Watch how he gets the shoulder behind the ball, but it does not go past the middle of his stance. This means he is rotating his shoulders, which creates more torque, and therefore more power. There are many players who get that shoulder all the way back to their back foot. Players who do this tend to think they are getting a bigger swing, but they are actually losing power. It also leads to problems with consistency. The key is to get your shoulders and hips rotating on the back swing, instead of sliding. A great drill to practice at home is to stand in the doorway facing the hinges. Stand in your golf stance, so that the hinges are in the middle of your stance, than make your back swing. Turn your shoulders so that they only turn as far as the hinges. If they slide past then you have gone to far. If you can watch this move in Mickelson and some of the other great players it will help you hit the ball better. Return to Learn from the Pros from PGA Tour - Phil Mickelson 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.