If you’ve read my review of Manuel De La Torre’s swing method, you’ll know I’m all for simplicity in the golf swing. So when I stumbled on this recent driver swing breakdown by Alex Fortey from Art of Simple Golf it was one I knew I had to share.
I’ll give a bit of a summary below, but first, here’s the video.
So Alex — quite correctly in my view — is saying not to focus on shoulder turn, just let it happen. Or in other words, let the body respond to the action of the arms/club. This is completely in-line with De La Torre’s thoughts on the golf swing.
He’s advocating a reverse K setup for the driver, which again, I’d agree with, and is what most good coaches will teach with the driver. You’re setting up behind the ball, and staying there for the duration of the swing.
And the thought of throwing the driver through the ball on the downswing (with a feel like skimming a stone) chimes with coaches like Shawn Clement, who always tries to equate the swing to other athletic motions we’re used to making.
So let’s summarize Alex’s simple driver swing:
- Use a reverse K setup for the driver
- Don’t focus on turning the shoulders, let the movement of the arms do that automatically
- On the backswing, feel like you’re only taking the club back to parallel. In reality, momentum will take you further.
- On the downswing, feel like you’re throwing the club through the ball (with an action like skimming a stone). Watch the video for the timing.
- For extra oomf in your driver swing, use the ground to push up through impact as you throw the clubhead through the ball.
These simple swing thoughts will help you make a short, but powerful and athletic swing with your driver, and keep your mind clear on the tee.
We’re always impressed by Alex’s thoughts on the golf swing, which is why we included him on our list of the top online golf coaches this year. And if you’re looking to perfect your golf swing, jump over to our swing speed trainers page.
