Nelly Korda’s 4 keys to one of the sweetest swings in golf

Life is pretty sweet for LPGA superstar Nelly Korda. The Bradenton, Fla., native has already won three times this season, including her first major and an Olympic gold medal! 

Nelly, 23, drives it far and hits greens, and though her accuracy percentage of 73.4 ranks in the 60s on the ladies’ circuit, she’d place second on the PGA Tour list. The entire Korda family is blessed with athletic genes (parents Petr and Regina were successful tennis players, brother Sebastian is now a top-50 player and big sis Jessica is competing in her 10th season on tour), but Nelly’s mechanics are off the charts. We’ve been working on a few things, some of which are on full display in the photo below. Copy them to launch your tee shots farther — and straighter —  down the fairway. 

1. Keep your head in the game

Contrary to this photo, Nelly is not trying to keep her head down, as golfers are often told to do. In reality, she allows it to swivel slightly from right to left through impact, evidenced by the strain in the muscles in her neck. If you don’t think the golf swing is a full-body event, you’re mistaken.

2. Make two shoulder moves

It’s a good idea when hitting a fairway wood or driver to rotate your left shoulder down and forward in your transition. This gets you interacting with the ground. Through impact, however, move your left shoulder up and through, like Nelly is doing here. This turns your ground force into vertical force, giving you extra “pop.”

3. Check your hips

See how Nelly rotates her hips so that they’re out of the way of her arm swing? Perfect! Doing this will help you maintain your posture throughout your downswing, increasing the likelihood of sweet-spot contact.

4. Jump!

Nelly “extends” her left side and “jumps” off the ground with her left foot through impact. This is the modern key to explosive power. Notice that she jumps off the ball of her left foot. A lot of golfers spin on their heel and don’t jump at all. In addition to boosting swing speed, the jump also raises the angle of attack for optimal launch.

Jonathan Yarwood is the director of instruction at IJGA in Hilton Head, S.C.