extended in front of his chest – as they are on the backswing – and ahead of the ball. The result is an eye-popping amount of forward shaft lean at impact ( above, sixth image ) and one of the lowest launch angles on tour – only 9.14 degrees. The resulting ball flight is one that can pierce through any wind and looks “effortless,” according to Lee. Though it works for Lee, most instructors would tell you that you’re better served catching the ball on the upswing with the shaft leaning away from the target. That will reduce spin and maximise carry distance for slower swingers.
Ritchie Smith, Lee’s longtime coach, says that his “shoulder structure” plays a pivotal role in limiting the length of his arm swing. As Lee swings back, his left shoulder blade stays down, flat against his rib cage. “We don’t want the shoulder blades being pulled up and out,” says Smith, who also coaches Min Woo’s sister, two-time major champion Minjee Lee. “Then you have less control where the arms go. You want the muscles between your shoulder blades controlling the motion.” As his upper body unwinds powerfully through the ball, Lee’s hands remain
Lee went looking for power sources wherever he could find them. What he quickly discovered was that if he could keep his “arms wide, but compact” on the backswing, he could outdrive just about anyone. Many golfers collapse their arms and let the club fall behind them, which gives off the illusion of a long backswing but robs them of the width they need to create speed. Lee’s hands are far away from his chest at the top, yet the club falls well short of parallel ( above, fourth image ). This serves as a fail-safe against a narrower backswing, which Min Woo says is his bad tendency.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 101
JULY/AUGUST 2024
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