SWING
SEQUENCE
Lauren Coughlin
The clubhead stays in front of her on
the swing away—terrific technique.
Quiet with her lower body and
tour-caliber at the top.
Her left shoulder is moving down
and under in the backswing.
D
ating back to her days
playing junior golf, Lauren
has always had plenty of
natural talent and sound
instincts. Her efficient
motion is the epitome of
what most golfers strive
for—effortless power, not powerless effort.
“She came to us with great fundamentals,”
Bailie says. “She makes everything look
easy in her golf swing. It’s fun to watch, and
fun to coach.”
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Solid contact begins with her setup. With
a driver swing, note how her spine and
shoulders are tilted slightly away from the
target to promote an ascending blow. Her
left shoulder is also aligned with her left hip.
Lauren’s motion starts correctly and she
sets the club on the proper plane on the
takeaway as the clubface stays in front
of her belt buckle. The tendency among
some amateurs is to drag the club too far
to the inside, leading to compensatory
measures the rest of the way. When Lauren
is swinging well, she feels as though her left
shoulder is working down and under on the
backswing, rather than in a rotary motion.
“It was a little bit of an adjustment for
me. I’d been used to bringing my shoulder
around my whole life because I needed all
the power I could generate,” Lauren says.
“Now, I’m stronger and very conscious
about not going back to my old ways.”
At the top of the swing, her arms and
clubhead are in an ideal position. Here she
feels as though her left arm is in front of
w w w. v s g a . o r g
5/1/14 12:43 PM