By Jonathan Craddock, PGA Professional, Pete Cowen Academy
Xander Schauffele has one of the most athletic swings in the game. He generates a huge amount of power by utilising a significant squat during the downswing, activating his lower body muscles – particularly his glutes and quads – to push into the ground and turbo charge his strike.
He’s previously described it as being, “like when a boxer throws a punch,”which is a really good comparison when trying to understand the movements he produces to generate such awesome power. Another good visualisation is to think about the the motion a javelin thrower makes, which is something his father and coach Stefan has drilled into Xander from an early age as a child.
The X-Man is only 5ft 10in and 175 lbs and yet he generates swing speeds of 120mph effortlessley and he can certainly send it out there, with an average driving distance of around 304 yards.
Let’s take a deep dive into his swing to find out how he does it.
Schauffele is taught by his father, Stefan, who teaches golf based on track and field throwing discipline principles. And with a swing speed of 120mph he is no slouch. His body is primed, ready to commence one of the most unassuming movements. out there.
The American’s first move is a very simple one with the clubface looking toward the ball. The movement very much coming from an excellent body action. The body being the engine of the movement to transport the steering column – the arsm, hands and club.
As with all top golfers, note how he spirals from the ground working around and up. This allows him to keep the club in front of the body to create an efficient and powerful load.
The World No. 3 holds his posture wonderfully as the arm and hands move the club up over the right shoulder. Take a look at how he maintains the opposition with his arms, allowing for a simple repeatable movement.
Stretching to the top of the backswing, Schauffele’s body angles are perfect, really utilising his leverage fully. Ntoe how the space between his arms really hasn’t changed at all from the start of the movement.
I really enjoy Xander’s transition. We can see here how dynamic he is, the lower half spiralling down and around. He has one of the biggest angles of separation between his lower and upper body. We can see the javelin throwing influence here.
Look at the potential stored power of his movement. Note how the club shaft is pointing straight down to the ball line. A common error we see here with a lot of amateurs is an early rotation of the upper body. We do not see this here from Schauffele. His lower body continues to spiral as the upper body remains passive.
He is in position here to hit his desired shot. He’s worked the body action and club into a position to execute the intended shot shape. Look at the stored potential energy in the right arm.
The 30-year-old is known for his ball striking ability and we can see this evidenced in how he presents the full face of the club head to the ball, providing him with huge compression through impact. His left side is stretching around and up to allow him to maintain clubface stability.
Schauffele’s clubface remains stable following impact. I love the full extension of the arms and hands whilst maintaining his angles up the inclined plane.
Schauffele’s body action allows him to maintain his posture. Something all golfers should practice to considerably increase consistency and distance. Note, I say often it’s not just speed but also pressure on the ball, created by the correct positions of the arm, hand and club action, which in turn is supported by the body action. Speed and pressure will give you more distance!
Note how he maintains his spine angle throughout his movement. This is one of the key elements contributing to his consistent ball striking. A pleasure to watch, very powerful movement which I am positive will bring many more success stories.
Beautifully balanced finish with the club shaft 90 degrees to his spine angle. A very athletic motion.
Follow me for more tips and tricks @GolfCoachJC or be sure to visit us at the Peter Cowen Academy Dubai, Emirates Golf Club.
