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 | THE GOLF SWING OF CRAIG STADLERGolf Swing Video below |
Stadler's Golf Swing HighlightsCraig Stadler is a PGA TOUR professional with whom many male recreational golfers can relate. At 5 feet 10 inches and 220 pounds, The Walrus has a physique that’s far from the tall, thin build so commonly found on TOUR, yet the fundamentals of his swing allow him to create the proper impact alignments with his body and club. Stadler's simple and effective golf swing starts with proper fundamentals in the address position. He has the right amount of knee bend and the proper tilt forward from the hips and he looks in perfect balance. His clubface is aimed at the middle of the green here -– or where he wants the ball to end up -– while his body (feet, knees, hips, forearms and shoulders) are aligned parallel and left of his target line. Improper aim and alignment is a reason many recreational golfers suffer poor golf shots, but it’s rare that you’ll see a TOUR player get sloppy with the arrangement of body and clubface at address. Stadler keeps the club on plane by moving the club away from the ball in a one-piece fashion by turning his chest and keeping his hands, arms and golf club in front of his body. At this point in his swing, his lower body remains passive -– turning enough to respond to the pivot of his upper body. Stadler's muscular build means that the length of his arm swing is a little shorter than many other TOUR players. To complement his shorter arm swing, he starts hinging the club up a little sooner with his hands and wrists, beginning at the waist high back position. Because Stadler is thick-chested, his hands are just about even with his right shoulder at the top of the swing. Tall slender players with longer arms (Davis Love III and Tiger Woods, for example) swing the club well above their right shoulder at the top. There is no one "correct" position at the top in terms of the height of the hands and arms, but simply one that best complements the physical characteristics of the player. Many recreational golfers with a physique similar to Stadler’s need to make sure that they pivot their upper body so that the left shoulder turns behind the golf ball and their weight is sufficiently over their right hip and heel. It’s common for thick-chested (and many times fairly inflexible) men to create a swing with the arms only, compromising a fundamentally correct position at the top with body and hands, arms and golf club. Not so with Stadler, however. He’s turned his chest the proper amount, which allows him to create the proper height and extension with his hands, arms and golf club. Because his right elbow is "high", his club shaft is a little vertical relative to the plane angle established at address, so he’s in a position to deliver the club on a relatively steep angle of approach into the golf ball. Even though Stadler’s right elbow was a little high at the top, he does a good job of dropping it closer to his body on the downswing, putting the club in a position to approach the golf ball on the correct plane and path. Many slicers throw their hands and arms out away from their body to start the downswing, creating a very steep angle of attack and an out-to-in swing path. This "over-the-top" move has the club bisecting the neck at this point in the swing instead of the shoulder area as Stadler’s is here. His right elbow is in front of his right hip as he maintains the angle between his left arm and the club shaft –- that’s true stored energy poised for a powerful strike The rotation of Stadler’s upper and lower body is well coordinated as he releases the golf club down the target line. Stadler’s impact position complements his compact swing. He doesn’t create a lot of lower body rotation in the backswing, so he’s careful not to over-rotate on the forward swing -- which may put his club over the correct swing plane through the hitting area. As a result, his right heel is not as much off the ground as many other players, yet his hips are opening to the target and the majority of his weight is over his left leg. Stadler finishes with good balance and his weight is completely on his left side. His shoulders and hips are level and his upper body is positioned directly on top of his lower body. Often a golfer who finishes with poor balance has tried to swing at a tempo that’s too fast. A great way to practice proper tempo and rhythm is to hit shots in an effort to finish each swing as Stadler’s is here –- with perfect balance. Chances are, you’ll be swinging at the right speed to maintain control of your body and the golf club -- and as a result, your timing and sequence of motion will be much improved. |
    
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