Big Power from Big Shoulder Turn

Take a look at Rickie Fowler’s swing in the video at left. He has greater spine angle than many Top 100 pros, and very pronounced shoulder turn for a shorter golfer. At the top of his wind up, his shoulders are turned to 120-degrees - well past the target line! Fowler gets huge power from that shoulder turn.

Build Toward a Big Shoulder Turn

One of your long term goals as you build the perfect golf swing should be to increase the amount of shoulder turn you are capable of performing. That doesn’t mean you should try to use a big turn - at least not until you can control the path of the downswing. But it does mean that, as you gain greater flexibility, you’ll be able to get into a good position at the top with less tension. As we discussed here, less tension means a smoother swing, more “feel,” and a more consistent result.

Balance Between Your Legs and Shoulders

One thing you’ll notice if you watch the Rickie Fowler video a few times is that his lower body is less active during the follow through than that of some other golfers. He gets power from his legs, especially his left leg during the final third of the swing, but you notice his gigantic shoulder turn more. Compare Mr. Fowler to K. J. Choi or Ryo Ishikawa, who have a more conventional balance between leg power and shoulder turn. He also bends over more than most Top 100 golfers, which means his hips are not as free to move - giving him his unique leg position during the follow through.

More Practice Time!

You have now studied enough components that it’s important to work on putting them together. Once you learn to keep the spine angle consistent throughout most of the swing, it’s especially important to practice the hip and shoulder circles until they work as one smooth power generating system. Go to the next page for Step Six in this revolutionary method for building your perfect golf swing!

Y. E. Yang Using the Explanar

As we noted here, we’re not big fans of training aids in general. When you’re out on the course, you have to swing the club without any mechanical help. But some gear helps build “feel,” which you can incorporate into your swing.

In this video, Y. E. Yang is creating good feel for his swing plane. Notice how toward the end of the video, he increases the overall rotation of the club. Along with the greater rotation comes more rotation of his shoulders, torso, and hips, more flexing of his knees, and greater weight transfer.