LPGA Golf Swings

Watching the LPGA Tour can be more beneficial than the PGA Tour at times.  I've certainly found that watching the LPGA Tour has improved my strategy and getting over my yen for distance.  See: Tee It Forward Initiative

What to watch for:

•  The rhythm of their golf swings.  Silky smooth, no sudden jerks over the top, just great sequencing and control.
• Their strategy and distance control since they hit the ball about 246 yards (Tour Avg) which is much closer to where lots of male amateurs are at.
• How they can score on golf courses that are about 6400-6600 yards without bombing it 300+ yards off the tee.  It truly is all about how solid you strike the ball, how good your short game, putting, and mental game is.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-digest-woman/blogs/golf-digest-woman/2012/06/why-the-lpga-tour-needs-shorte.html

Ginn Open 2008
Golf Swing HD
I.K. Kim and Na Yeon Choi Practice
Playing Lessons With Annika Sorenstam

PLAYERS:

• Beatriz Recari
• I.K. Kim
• Amanda Blumenherst

***Note: the estimated swing speeds for the LPGA players are estimates from this website: http://www.golfwrx.com/64715/carry-distance-vs-swing-speed-chart/***


Beatriz Recari
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2PndBCHo0Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0D41pq-mO4

Tale of the tape:
Height: 5' 4"
Career Victories: 2

Estimated Driver Swing Speed: 93-94 mph

PERFORMANCE STATS	YEAR TO DATE	RANKING
Official Money List	$589,023.00	6
Average Driving Distance	247.588	77
Driving Accuracy	78%	18
Greens in Regulation	70%	23
Putts per GIR	1.788	18
Putting Average	29.25	18
Sand Saves	60%	9
Scoring Average	70.745	12
Rounds Under Par	30	14
Birdies	175	10
Eagles	6	7
Rounds in the 60's	16	11
Sub Par Holes	181	29

Face-On View

Down The Line

In Kyung Kim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoptTkWakoM

Tale of the tape:
Height: 5' 3"
Career Victories: 3

Estimated Driver Swing Speed: 92-93 mph

PERFORMANCE STATS	YEAR TO DATE	RANKING
Official Money List	$877,964.00	2
Average Driving Distance	241.370	119
Driving Accuracy	82%	3
Greens in Regulation	71%	18
Putts per GIR	1.781	13
Putting Average	29.43	26
Sand Saves	57%	19
Scoring Average	70.630	6
Rounds Under Par	28	8
Birdies	171	14
Eagles	3	64
Rounds in the 60's	14	13
Sub Par Holes	176	11

Face-On View
I.K. Kim has a very efficient and powerful swing for a slender woman who stands only 5'3".  She carries the ball approximately 215 to 220 yards with a swing speed of 92-93 mph.  Out on the LPGA tour, this swing speed is just about average.

She performs a neat takeaway with the clubface slightly closed (right)

 A full turn of the shoulders (past 90*) and hips which will give her the best chance for more power.

 Powerful sequencing with the hips leading the downswing.  She has turned her hips open about 45* into impact, and her shoulders are opening up as well.  This will get the club back out in front of the body where it originally was behind her on the backswing.

Notice that she has the ball positioned very far forward in her stance.  This allows her to hit up on the ball and launch it with less spin and higher launch, maximizing distance.

Down The Line
Unfortunately this view isn't quite the best camera angle; the camera is on the ball to target line when it should be on the hands in order to see a correct view of the swing planes.  Still though, it is clear that she has a solid takeway (where the clubface points slightly closed relative to the ball and the clubshaft is parallel to her target line).

 A full turn of the hips and shoulders to the top of the backswing.  I believe that her club isn't across the line at the top of the backswing, it's just a function of the skewed view from the camera.

 One of the major moves that a lot of poor ball strikers incorrectly do is the early extension move which thrusts the hips towards the ball resulting in really poor and inconsistent strikes (predominately pull hooks, pushes, push slices, heel strikes).  I.K. doesn't early extend here as she maintains her spine angle and hits the ball more towards the top of the clubface.

Amanda Blumenherst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POa5Li_Cquc

Tale of the tape:
Height: 5' 9"
Career Victories: 0

Estimated Driver Swing Speed: 93-94 mph

PERFORMANCE STATS	YEAR TO DATE	RANKING
Official Money List	$39,772.00	94
Average Driving Distance	249.231	66
Driving Accuracy	57%	142
Greens in Regulation	63%	105
Putts per GIR	1.912	146
Putting Average	31.19	143
Sand Saves	56%	28
Scoring Average	74.308	132
Rounds Under Par	6	109
Birdies	71	105
Eagles	4	31
Rounds in the 60's	4	62
Sub Par Holes	76	115

Down The Line

She has gotten her left arm across the chest wall (a power accumulator).  Her left arm is on plane with the turned shoulder plane (TSP) and this will make it easier for her to make consistently powerful contact out of the center of the face and in the direction she wants it to go.

 Face-On View

 She sets up with the ball on her emblem, so not very far forward.  This will promote a slightly descending blow or a level strike at impact.

Amanda has delayed her wrist cock; she never forms the 90* angle until the start of the downswing when she starts lagging the club behind her (Sergio Garcia-esque).  At far right, her hips have squared up to the ball while her left arm is swinging away from her chest wall and down into impact.