Henrik Stenson's Power Secrets

Think you need to be stacked to be able to hit monster drives? Well, think again! There are a number of factors, and swinging hard is not one of them, says the World No. 3

Speed at Impact

My coach, Pete Cowen, uses an analogy of a carousel. As it swings, the centre is going the same speed as the outside. But if the middle stops, the outside wraps immensely. As your arms are coming down underneath your body (if you are in position) the club will accelerate and in a way you are stopping to accelerate. If you just keep on moving at the same pace you are never going to get that whip effect. It’s not easy for me to communicate the message here, but at least it’s something for you to think about. I know from my own experience that when I’m not swinging too well I’m pulling too hard, and then you’re moving everything at the same time. When you get it right, it’s as if your body holds and as a result your arms speed up at the bottom of the swing. That’s why it feels easy when you’re swinging well and you have that extra power available to you.

Kill Your Slice

Many amateurs lose power through their slice. I’m not saying you can’t hit a strong fade and get it out there, but the guys who do that don’t hit across the ball too much. Someone like Martin Kaymer, he gets it out there with a fade, and Bubba too. To help kill your slice, in general, you want to think about where the lowest point in your swing arc is and tee the ball up a little ahead of that. If you set up with the ball in that position it should encourage you to not chop across it. You also need to stay centred and swing your arms underneath your sternum through impact. If you can do that, you’ll hit the ball slightly on the up and get the launch you are looking for. People try to force power out of the swing, but the sequence of the movement is lost here and that’s where a lot of players struggle. It is easy to start moving with the body and then you chop across it.

Swing, Don’t Hit

Every person who plays has some ability to swing the club, but what happens is players try to hit it and by that I mean they lift the club up and drop it down on the ball. If you told someone to throw a club out onto the driving range, no one would pick up the club and throw it straight down at the ground, they’d release in the way you’re looking for in the golf swing. But when the ball is on the ground, people often hit down instead of swinging through. So now you know that when I’m throwing a club it’s not in anger; it’s because I’m working on my release!

What’s in My Bag

Driver: Callaway Big Bertha 815
3-wood: Callaway Octane
4-wood: Callaway X Hot
2-iron: Callaway X Tour
Irons: Callaway Legacy Black (4-PW)
Wedges: Callaway Mac Daddy 2
Putter: Odyssey Works Versa 2-Ball
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Pages

Written by Henrik Stenson

Photography by AFP

Click here to see the published article.

Hone Your Game
All the great chippers on tour return the shaft to the same position at impact as it was at address. Most of the top players don’t have much forward lean, and even the ones who do definitely...
Power and Control
Different players generate power from different places. Some guys, like Rory McIlroy, use their hips to create the speed through impact and some players, like Alvaro Quiros, have fast arm speed...
Tyrrell Hatton's Top Tips
Unlike a lot of players who are into their launch monitor data and swing mechanics, I’d describe myself as a ‘feel’ player. That’s the way I’ve always been since my dad, who still coaches me,...
Strategy Secrets
A Closer Comparison The depth of the women’s game has never been greater, with so many good young players coming up. I remember when I was the youngest and now I’m more like the oldest! That’s...
Get a Tour Short Game
Hear the name Luke Donald and thoughts of a magical short game immediately spring to mind. Modest in stature, the Englishman reached the summit of the world rankings in 2011 not by overpowering...
Lee Westwood: How to Practice
Without a doubt, the most common fault I see among amateur golfers comes at address. They don't pay enough attention to stance, posture or alignment and this has a knock-on effect on the golf...
Wedge-Game Essentials
I grew up playing at Esker Hills in the middle of Ireland. My short game is quite good as all the greens there are raised. I used to practise my chipping a lot. You’d always have to chip it up...
Jamie Donaldson's Short-Game Secrets
Over the past year or so, with Rory McIlroy performing so well and hitting it so far, a lot has been said about the importance of power in the modern game. But the reality is, you can’t worry...
Ross Fisher's Total Driving
Good driving is now essential to playing well, and I think the old saying ‘drive for show, putt for dough’ is kind of gone. Yes, putting is the most important part of the game, but if you’re not...
If It Ain't Broke
Tiger Woods is a little boy lost. "I can see it in his eyes and the way he walks. I know it because I've been there," so sayeth Shaun O'Hair in a beguilingly revealing interview during the Arnold...

Pages