In position for a powerful strike.
Lauren’s hands, arms and body are
synched up at and through impact.
her and lying across her chest and the right
arm has folded naturally. See how her arms
haven’t ‘run away’ from the natural turning
of the body? Her right leg is sturdy, not
stilted. Additionally, the club is in a fairly
neutral position at the top of her swing.
Her left hand is basically matching the
angle of the clubface, which is really what
we want at the top. Lauren’s strong arms
and core muscles mean that she avoids
overswinging.
The downswing is a byproduct of the
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Master_VSGA_MayJune14.indd 11
great positions she’s already attained.
Lauren is the owner of a terrific sequential
movement where the lower body leads
the way initially and the arms follow.
The release of the club starts subtly from
the completion of the backswing to the
initiation of the downswing. There’s an
appropriate lag that’s harnessing her storedup momentum, but it’s not overdone to the
point of having to flip the club at impact. As
the body unwinds naturally and she nears
the strike, the left wrist is flat at impact
With the left shoulder cleared,
her body is facing the target at
the finish—perfecto!
and the club is accelerating. Thereafter,
Lauren’s right arm is fully extended in the
through motion, signaling that she’s fully
released the club.
Lauren has outstanding tempo, and she
swings to a balanced finish that she can
hold until the ball comes to rest.
Analysis by Brian Bailie, the assistant women’s
golf coach at the University of Virginia, and
Kim Lewellen, the head women’s golf coach at
the University of Virginia.
M AY / J U N E 2 0 14 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R
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5/1/14 12:43 PM