weight needs to start moving towards the target as the club is finishing the backswing. “This shift will help you rotate through correctly,” Miquel says. Niemann adds that it’s also impor- tant to keep your chest down when you swing through. If your chest lifts up too soon, your body stops turning and your hands take over, making it a lot harder to control the clubface without perfect timing. “Ever since I was young, I was trying to turn my body,” Niemann says. “Stay- ing down is the way you can naturally turn the most.”
side, it takes me a long time to get back to the ball,” Niemann says. “I can hit the ball chunky or left.” The longtime
“What’s true for some is not true for all.” Niemann, who ranked second on the LIV tour last year in greens in regula- tion (72.8 percent) and first in birdies, has become one of the best ball-strik- ers in pro golf. The downswing move certainly helps, but other parts of his swing should get some credit, too. Be- cause he weighs only a shade over 68 kilograms, he knew that the best way to maximise power was to make a big turn into his right side on the backswing ( fourth photo ). Niemann’s flexibility is on full display there, although he has to be careful not to overdo his turn. “When I get lazy and stay on my right
A HEALTHY SHIFT Power up your backswing by copying Niemann’s move off the ball, his coach says.
coach of Niemann, fellow Chilean Ed- uardo Miquel, says average golfers can copy this part of Joaquin’s swing, mak- ing a wide turn off the ball and shifting into their trail side ( second photo ). That will boost your power. But rather than trying Niemann’s downswing, all you likely need to do to improve your ball- striking is to focus on weight shift. Your
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