takeaway. All this sets up what Tillery refers to as Straka’s “magic move,” his transition (above, fifth image). As long as everything is in sync and his arms don’t get too far behind him, he can drive his legs hard against his torso without getting stuck or flying open, a common mistake among amateurs. “His feet are working in the correct direction, meaning his trail foot is pushing behind him, and his lead foot is pushing forward,” Tillery says. “It’s the only way to rotate hard and stay centred without spinning open.”
the arms to separate and get pulled behind his body. When his arms out- run his legs and mid-torso, they get loose and long at the top, and he has a difficult time syncing things back up on the downswing. As a result, Straka constantly checks his hand position on the takeaway, making sure they stay in line with the middle of his chest ( above, second image ) – a sign that his arms, legs and chest are all in sync off the ball. Straka’s shaft and lead leg are virtu- ally parallel to one another in the next frame, another indication of a good
“As far as the bones of the swing, he doesn’t have to get longer,” says Tillery, director of instruction at The Golf Club at Cuscowilla in Georgia. “That’s more a hopeful outcome of doing the right things than it is a target of ours.” One of the things Tillery and Straka are constantly working on is his take- away. Straka, who played in the 2023 Ryder Cup for Europe, and won The American Express with a 25-under total, has a tendency to swing his hands faster than his body during the early part of the backswing, causing
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 97
MARCH/APRIL 2025
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