Swing Study: Here are the keys to Sam Snead’s powerful and classic swing

Sam Snead has one of the most remarkable swings of all time. He used a combination of power and grace that propelled him to 82 PGA Tour wins and seven major championships as he dominated the professional golf ranks for over four decades.

His swing was admired by most and has elements that should be copied by many. To help us study Slammin’ Sammy’s swing, we enlisted the help of GOLF Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs. Watch the video above or read below for the breakdown.

Setup

Snead had famously bowed legs when he addressed the ball. This squatting posture allowed him to rotate his body efficiently through the swing instead of sliding. His flexed knees gave him the opportunity to snap at impact position and push hard off the ground.

Footwork

On the backswing, Snead lifted his left heel off the ground, a classic move that can also be found in Jack Nicklaus’ swing. As he comes into the bottom of the swing, he stomps the heel back into the ground to generate power. This gave his legs a platform to explode vertically for a powerful impact.

Downswing

Snead displayed tremendous balance throughout the swing, which is clear when looking at his level shoulder position. But he also possessed tremendous power. He used his right hip and glutes to power his strong downswing motion.

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