starts back in one piece, it’s promot- ing my body to work harder to rotate – a good thing.” As he swings to the top, two words
it moving a little behind the ball on the backswing but less so with irons. When his hips slide and his head moves, it creates the need for com- pensations, Rai says. When he’s solid and stable, he says he can turn aggres- sively though impact and into the follow-through. “My hips start coming backwards a bit,” he says. “The ball’s already gone at that point, so I’m not sure it matters, but it’s something that’s been in my swing for a long time.”
body rotation. When the ball is too far up in his stance, his body stops turning and his hands start flipping. It’s among a few ways one of golf’s straightest driv- ers can get wayward. As he starts his swing, Rai says he wants his lower and upper body, along with the clubhead, turning back to- gether. If he does it right, the clubface tracks back slightly outside his hands and a bit shut. “I like seeing the face a little shut in the takeaway,” Rai says. “If everything
HAND WARMERS Rai wears two gloves, a childhood habit
from chilly golf days in England.
come to mind for Rai: solid and stable. He wants solidity in his right leg, mak- ing sure it remains slightly bent to prevent his hips from sliding (above, fourth frame). And he wants stability in his head movement. He’s fine with
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 41
JUNE 2026
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