POWER MOVES + CHIPPING + SWING STUDY + PUTTING + TOUR INSIGHT + FIVE-MINUTE LESSON + STRATEGY + PUTTING
SWING STUDY: XANDER SCHAUFFELE
THE AMERICAN’S FLUID GOLF SWING DISGUISES A FEROCIOUS UNLEASHING OF POWER
If you glance at Xander Schauffele’s driving stats, you probably
wouldn’t guess that he stands at 5ft 10in and weighs a little over
170lbs. In 2019, he averaged 304 yards off the tee – good enough
to rank 24th on Tour. So where does the power come from?
While many golfers swing ‘through’ the ball, Schauffele was
taught by his father and coach, Stefan, to think about impact like
hammering a nail. “My dad had me hammer nails to understand
the concept,” Schauffele says. Schauffele Sr also taught his son
to swing on a very wide arc and to push down – or ‘squat’ – into
the ground with his thighs to amplify the power of the strike.
ADDRESS BACKSWING AT THE TOP COMING DOWN
Xander’s posture at address
can be described as ‘sturdy’.
His spine angle is a little
more upright than that of,
say, Rory McIlroy, and he
stands further away from the
ball, too. Overall, though, it’s
difficult to find fault. Width, width and more
width, please! Halfway back,
both of Xander’s arms are
still almost fully extended.
The right elbow, in particular,
remains high and there’s
minimal wrist action. This is a
strong player’s move only. Backswings don’t get
much better. Clubface at
45-degrees, elbows level,
hands above the right
shoulder and knees retaining
their address flex. It ticks all
the right boxes. It’s difficult to
hit a bad shot from here. Talk about getting onto your
front foot early! Xander’s left
hip has just started to clear,
yet his weight is already
transferring off his right
foot. The American is only
slightly built. This move
explains his power.
38 G o l f P l u s
APRIL
2020