It’s easy to covet the swings of the best players on earth. From the textbook perfection of circa-2000 Tiger Woods to the smooth, fluid motion of players like Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen, beautiful golf swings are fun to look at and aspirational for recreational players like us.
Unfortunately for most golfers, actually achieving a perfect golf swing is a dream that will never be realized. But that doesn’t mean we’ll stop our pursuit! Turns out, using professionals as models can still be helpful if we elect to focus on one or two elements of the swing instead of the whole thing.
So, which swings would it behoove most players to try to copy? According to GOLF Top 100 Carol Preisinger, golfers should look to LPGA stars Jessica Korda and Lydia Ko.
“Jessica Korda is fluid, her timing is great,” Preisinger told me at GOLF’s recent Top 100 Teacher Summit at Pinehurst. “I think when people look at Tour player swings to emulate, they need to think about rhythm and what suits them the best. A very smooth, rhythmic swing is something they can copy.”
Another player Preisinger likes? Lydia Ko — and one element of her swing in particular.
“If you take Lydia Ko, her backswing tempo is great,” Preisinger said. “Because a lot of people jerk the club back too quickly and they get out of sequence from the top. Lydia has this smooth, slow backswing.
“I always joke to my students: ‘Remember, we’re not hitting the ball backwards. You don’t have to be in a big hurry,’ Presinger continued. “I think Lydia would be an even better model for most people because I see women trying to swing back too fast, they swing over, they wrap it around their neck and then they’re lost.”
For more news and advice tailored to your game, check out golf.com/womensgolf.
