Billy Horschel Golf Swing Analysis

Here is a swing analysis of Billy Horschel, the 2014 BMW Champion

His setup is sound.  He has a good tilt from the hips and a good amount of flex in the knees.  He has a slight tilt away from the target and slight hip bump towards the target.  These two things are very important in creating a good turn with the entire body (no hip slide) on the backswing.  His grip is neutral to strong in the left hand and fairly neutral in the right.  

 Billy's takeaway is almost dead on his original shaft plane at address.  He uses the turn of his shoulders to get the club into this position.  His arms have elevated upward a little bit and his right wrist hasn't hinged (which would shut the clubface closed)  A great takeaway video: RST Takeaway

He also has a little bump into his right heel as we can see that he has compressed into the ground and his head has moved slightly off the ball (see above left).

He gets a good wrist set at this point and his club shaft has steepened slightly (not a problem).  He is coiling his upper body against his lower body tightly (not necessary for golfers with limited flexibility - you can let your hips turn more: see Jack Nicklaus or Bubba Watson's backswing).

At the top of the backswing, notice how his left arm is slightly above the shoulder line (lending to his two-plane type swing).  He will use the arms a lot more in the downswing to generate the majority of the power and to bring the club down towards the ball.  He has a full shoulder turn and he has made sure not to sway off the ball.   

 Into the downswing now, we start with a slight bump to the left foot and then the hands, arms, and club unit follow.  We can see the clubshaft points right down to where his clubshaft was at address which will allow for a shallow angle of attack to the ball.  His really good backswing has set him up for an efficient downswing and release of the club.

We can see that his hips are turning out of the way while his left leg is straightening.  He has maintained his lag well by allowing the arms to drop more independently of his torso turning.

 Ideally your left shoulder, hip and ankle are on a single line (noted by the blue X's) at impact in a neutral joint alignment where you can rotate your body freely on your left hip socket.

A full extension of the arms post impact.  This is the result of a solid transition and downswing.

Balance is a key for all pro golfers.  It allows them to maintain their angles and stay on plane, ensuring consistency.