Tiger Woods' Golf Swing Under Sean Foley (Updated 7/29/14)

Tiger Woods' 2012 Golf Swing
Here is a split screen view of Tiger Woods' golf swing as of the Barclays in 2012.
Also see  Stack & Tilt Hybrid Swing

He sets up to the ball with his ball position hitting just in front of his Nike emblem, more towards his left armpit.  He has a fairly neutral grip and a good posture, leaning over comfortably from the hips with his arms hanging relaxed.  Working with Sean Foley, there are some Stack & Tilt characteristics built in, see below. 

Tiger implements more of a "one plane" spine angle (closer to 45*) being more bent over at address in his swing compared to what he had in previous years with Hank Haney.  However as you look through his swing he has a lot more "two plane" characteristics.  

First we note that he brings the club up to his toe line when the clubshaft is parallel to the ground.  His arms have elevated while he has turned his body in a very neat synchronization (one piece takeaway).

Sean Foley advocates a 55-45% weight distribution (more onto the forward leg) at address to promote staying centered on the ball throughout the whole backswing.  His hand path passes through his chest while his shaft plane is almost dead at the ball (see the slot swing and swing plane for more on this).  His hands are more in front of his body rather than deep and around like you would see in Justin Rose's swing. 

Notice throughout his whole swing how he keeps his clubface under control in neutral positions throughout the whole backswing and downswing (the clubface is parallel to the left forearm).

When Tiger starts the downswing, he starts with his famous/ infamous squat move which includes moving the left hip and knee towards the target and inward.  This will allow him to flatten the shaft on the downswing and produce less of a descending angle of attack with his driver.  This move also creates some power since he uses the ground as leverage.    

He puts the butt end of the club shaft on plane.

 Starting the downswing, Tiger squats down considerably more into the ground than he does on the backswing.  This gives him major potential energy that he turns into kinetic energy when he lifts up into the ball at impact.  Although many critics have bashed Tiger on this move, there is no denying the physics that this squat move produces massive power.  And for those persistent on how it causes inconsistency, Sean Foley has said that Tiger tested his biomechanics, and it turns out that at impact he retains his "level" or is 1mm off the "level" his body had at setup.  Of course whether during the heat of competition this value changes remains to be seen.

In my opinion I believe that his biggest problem occurs when he turns his hips and his torso too fast starting the downswing.  When this happens, the arms are left deep and behind the body resulting in a big in to out swing path (which is why Tiger still has his "stuck" problem causing massive blocks or hooks).  What he needs to focus on is starting the downswing more with the arms (since he has been dubbed a "hitter/ two planer") while keeping his torso and hip rotation fairly quiet.    

 Again we see the clubface in line with his left arm, meaning that he has a neutral clubface at this point.  Notice that his left knee bows outward slightly, meaning that he has shifted onto his left side promoting a neutral club path and solid, powerful strike.

 At impact notice how Tiger has extended into the ball with his legs to send his energy from his feet up through his body and down through his arms and hands onto the club and then the ball.  He has struck the ball in the upper middle part of the driver clubface which will mean his distance numbers are optimized (high launch, low spin) and he will have minimal to no gear effect, meaning a consistent strike and ball flight.  Remember: the ball doesn't know who is hitting it, it just goes where the club tells it to.

In this swing, notice how the shoulders are almost square to the ball and the hips aren't too far open.  This is good for Tiger since he is a "two planer."  He has synchronized the swing up well.  When he gets into trouble with his swing you will notice that his shoulders and hips are more open at impact.  Again this will result in an in to out/ stuck club path that will result in blocks, draws, hooks, and push slices.  

He would be well off working on his timing (see Tour Tempo).

 Everything after the ball is an extension of the arms and body.  He releases the club effortlessly.  Notice how both feet are almost off the ground!

He has regrounded most of his left foot.  Notice how he has rotated his hips towards the target while the body trails.  Unfortunately the video stops before we see his finish.  I can tell you that it is still solid!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=a1eEJqJ5USg

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