When Henrik Stenson swings a golf club there is a sound that comes through not unlike a speeding freight train. His hands are so positioned on the grip that, in Buddhist terms, there seems to be no separation between fingers and club, so that when he waggles his club–and he does waggle his club–he reminds me of one of his Norse ancestors wielding a battle-ax. His entire swing seems to flow as a unit, with everything in sync, like a well-tuned automobile–pistons and cylinders perfectly timed and tested. I instinctually brace the arms of my easy chair when I watch him swing that three-wood of his. He’s like a ballet dancer in flight, or a non-stop break dancer wedded to the ground. And in 2016, Stenson rose to the top of world golf by winning the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, preceded by his decisive win at the Open Championship. The Swede is golf’s equivalent to the Warriors Kevin Durant: He can do it all.
So is there anything we mortals can learn from Henrik the Tall? I mentioned his powerful grip on the club which is held mainly in the fingers, with an emphasis on the left hand for strength and stability. The waggle sets his swing in motion setting him up for an athletic result. I can see Henrik excelling in just about any sport. He makes a full turn backswing at a fast pace. The transition from backswing to down towards the ball starts from the shoulders, connected of course to the core. Notably, the right shoulder kicks it off with a movement towards the ball, while the head remains steady, and the left arm straight and measured as it was at address.
The movement of that right shoulder (left shoulder for a lefty, of course) is what we amateurs should strive to emulate in Stenson’s swing, for this a power move that we can all benefit from. It helps maintain lag, fosters an inside out plane, and, generally, keeps the club on plane as it descends towards the impact zone. This move keep the hands and arms in front of the body, delays the bumping of the left hip, while moving the weight forward, helping to post up on a firm left side and leg, and keeping the proper sequence intact. This swing sequence is most effective for a driver or three-wood off the tee, as you have more margin for error.
Henrik’s swing helps insure the ball will strike the sweet spot at impact more than any other method I’ve observed. You’ll need to experiment how far you stand from the ball at address, making sure the club is aligned with the sweet spot. This will depend on your height, your particular swing plane coming back, and how straight you can keep your left arm throughout the backswing and into impact. Stenson has a pretty fast pace throughout his swing. I would recommend a slower paced backswing to set yourself up properly for the increased speed required for the downswing, but this requires experimenting on your part.
One of the most important elements of this swing is a relatively still head, at least until after impact. This is where mindfulness comes into play. We Westerners are not accustomed to being conscious of keeping our head still during high speed action, which is what a downswing in golf is. But we have our eyes (or mind’s eye if you are vision impaired) and our consciousness to actually observe if our head is moving or not, even at the height of the downswing’s speed. One of my teachers, Jim Knego, at Bennett Valley in Santa Rosa, suggests using your shadow to check your head movement during the swing, and I think this is excellent advice in the never ending challenge of self analysis involved in game improvement. Just observe your shadow as you swing. The sun, of course, needs to be behind you so you’ll need to pick a place and time of day where that’s possible. But it’s a sure-fire low-tech way of checking your head position at different phases of the swing. For a model, just watch Henrik’s head through and just past impact. If I were giving out awards (which I’m not!), he’d be, along with Champion Golfer of the Year, Mindful Golfer of the Year.
Now you might ask does Stenson’s swing hold for irons as well? In many ways irons are tougher to hit solidly and on target than woods. To make them work properly you must compress the ball with the clubhead in relation to the ground. This requires a counter-intuitive move of hitting down on the ball to make it go up. Mid and high handicap amateurs have a lot of difficulty with this concept. But from my estimation, the only adjustment one needs to make from hitting an iron or a wood is ball position at address. With irons, and that includes hybrids, you move the ball more to the center of your stance. With woods, both driver and fairway woods, you position the ball more off the left heel of your flared out left foot. That’s really the only difference. With the ball played off the middle of the stance, if you shift your weight properly, the club will naturally strike the ball first then the turf, taking a divot, beyond the ball, of varying depth and length. With the ball positioned off the left heel with a wood, you will naturally strike the ball on the upswing at impact, taking no divot.
Of course, there is more variation involved: We all have different bodies, ages, flexibility, time to play, goals, and outside (of golf) obligations. But one thing all golfers have in common is the desire to hit the ball solidly on the sweet spot as much as possible. We all want to hear that special whoosh, see that missile-like take off and rising to an apex, and that dropping nicely on a fairway or green. That of course takes practice, lots of practice, to get to a point where we consistently experience those sensations. Golf certainly is a challenging sport in that respect, and no one, including Henrik Stenson, has achieved perfection. But it sure is fun testing ourselves and giving it a try. Don’t you think?
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With Black Friday behind us, and Christmas and Hanukah on the way, I hope you’ll consider giving my books, The Mindful Golfer: How to Lower Your Handicap While Raising Your Consciousness, and The Mindful Hiker: On the Trail to Find the Path as gifts. Thank you.
Peter says
Stephen here you go again analysing and misinterpreting Henrik’s swing and applying your own analysis. I can categorically state that Stenson does not start his downswing with the right shoulder. Please review his utube videos! With all professional golfers the downswing starts from the ground up. Starting the downswing with the shoulders is just asking for trouble and leads to an over the top swing and it’s resultant problems.
Stephen Altschuler says
Whose analysis should I apply if not my own?
Peter says
Of course you are entitled to your own analysis but it is simply incorrect. Any PGA coach or indeed any amateur with a critical eye when analysing his slow motion video of his downswing will see that his first movement is with the lower body not his shoulders. I appreciate you are on a personal journey with golf but sometimes you have to find the right direction by taking direction from others. Enlightenment in this game doesn’t always come from within your own senses!
Stephen Altschuler says
Nor is there a cookie cutter approach to this game. Each person must find what works for his or her body and age. That’s what makes the game so challenging. Same thing with enlightenment. Each person must find his own truth on his own journey.
peter says
I pose you this question Stephen. If you see a child floundering in deep water knowing that he/she is likely to drown do you leave them to their own devices and ultimate demise?
Stephen Altschuler says
I would immediately pull that kid out of there, Peter, and tell him to forget swimming and take up golf 🙂
Peter says
Exactly so, but according to your philosophy you will have interfered with the child’s enlightenment. It is time now to assess your own acceptance of your journey in golf. Better take instruction Stephen before it is too late! Do not expire without knowing the ‘secret ‘
Stephen Altschuler says
But you miss the point, Peter. By taking up golf, the path to enlightenment is before you. And you get to enlightenment by finding your own truth, with a bit of guidance, of course. Just like Hogan did: He found his secret in the dirt.
Peter says
So you do agree with my sentiments of the 9 December then?
Stephen Altschuler says
Well, as far as enlightenment through golf is concerned, no, I don’t agree. Enlightenment comes from each individual’s relationship with the matter at hand–in this case, playing golf and experiencing its results. Doesn’t matter if you win, lose, or draw. It’s what your mind does with golf that leads to total freedom from results, which is essentially what enlightenment is.
Now, as for the technique you are advocating in your previous comment, I don’t completely disagree, but I have observed Stenson’s swing in slo-mo, and I do detect a slight beginning of the downswing with a move of his right shoulder which triggers the turning of the hips, but not too soon or too fast, enabling the arm, hands, and elbows to move into the slot, keeping all in sync and on plane into impact where Henrik has few peers.
The core, of course, is the engine for the shoulders, which is why the great modern players have such strong cores and relatively skinny legs. Let your hips follow suit naturally, as they will. They have no business leading anything.
Cheers.
Peter says
Happy New Year Stephen. Your quest continues into 2017. I look forward to your progress and adventures.
Peter
Stephen Altschuler says
Thanks and a Happy New Year to you, as well, Peter. Wishing you good health, happiness, and lots of pars and birdies.
Stephen