Images from Golf Channel Academy Magazine’s swing sequence breakdown for Henrik Stenson.
FAVORITE MOVE No. 1: Stenson’s weight is very much on the balls of his feet, which sets up a slightly outside takeaway and anti-left miss. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
A great sequence to start the swing - the club head is traveling a much greater distance relative to his hands, hips and shoulders. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
FAVORITE MOVE No. 2: The clubhead is slightly outside of his hands and in a toe-up position, indicating a square to slightly open club face. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
Henrik has maintained his angles (i.e., set-up posture) beautifully and his left arm is tight across his chest, which helps with accuracy. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
FAVORITE MOVE No. 3: The club is parallel at the top of his backswing and points down the target line, which is textbook. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
Halfway down you start to see more air under his right heel than usual, which is indicative of his weight being on his toes so much. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
The club head - toe up, slightly outside of hands - virtually mirrors that of Frame 3 in the backswing when the shaft is also parallel to the ground. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
Note the separation here between his hips - which point well left of the target - and his shoulders, which is a big source of power. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
Much like fellow Swede Annika Sorenstam, Henrik’s head looks down the fairway early and he really chases after the ball with his right side. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)
Everything about Henrik’s swing leads me to believe he’s trying to eliminate the left side of the course, including this high-arm finish. (Analysis: GCA lead coach Jason Birnbaum; photo: Fred Vuich; for more GCA Magazine, click here)