TOP OF BACKSWING

Again as with the previous position we see a couple of significant differences at the top of tigers backswing. In the older image of Tiger the most noticeable difference is the positioning of the club which is almost a touch laid off, and also how relaxed he looks. He has maintained his height quite well and looks relaxed and prepared to make a smooth transition. You will notice on the right hand side the club has reached a slightly longer position and is pointed more towards the target. His hips and lower body look very tightly wound and he has also began to loose quite a bit of height.

THE TRANSITION

As Tiger begins to start the club down we begin to see the affects of some of his backswing positions. On the left you’ll see a small dip from his head but very little in comparison to the huge squat we see on the right. With his 2000 swing Wood’s has maintained the width of his backswing and sets the club up to approach the ball nicely on its original plane.

HALFWAY DOWN

As we mentioned earlier, because of Tiger’s slightly laid off position at the top in 2000, he can simply allow his body to begin turning through the ball and keep his hands and the club on a great plane in front of his body. The image on the right begins to show Tigers club falling behind him and the club face looking a bit more closed than on the left. Again this combination of factors can produce two very different misses, an extreme block to the right or an ugly hook left.

This is a very telling position for Tiger as we can really see how far behind him the club has actually fallen in his 2015 swing (right hand side). If you look at the position of the club relative to his forearms you can see the club is being delivered directly through his forearms in the image on the left where as on the right he has allowed it to fall under his right forearm and create a huge gap between both arms. One other thing which although often missed but is hugely influential to the club face position is his wrist angles. You will notice on the right his wrist appears to be quite bowed which we would often associate with a closed club face, versus the image on the left he seems to have a little more cup which allows the club face to resist closing a little more.

As we approach impact the aforementioned patterns become even more apparent. With his 2000 swing on the left we see the club is far more in front of his body and almost perfectly in line with his hands. The club face is in a more open position (pointing more upright) and to me he has allowed the club to catch up with his body a lot more than on the right. In his 2015 swing on the right Tiger looks like he is struggling to square the club up and allow it to catch his body, he appears to be too far in front of the club and he will really have to work his hands hard through the impact zone. As with previous positions the club is more behind his hands and shut than in 2000.