Swing Sequences

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Shorter+Wider=Better

< ERNIE'S KEY: Turn The Chest All The Way Through; Ernie used to slow down his upper body and do everything with his hands at impact. Once he learned to stay wide going back, his one thought became turning his chest through to the finish. The photo at right shows the move Ernie needed to feel: chest on top of the ball at impact and turning through.; Ernie Els photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

< ADAM'S KEY: Release The Head With The Swing; Adam had a different feel. He had to stop tilting away from the target on the downswing and flipping his hands past him. Once he got more centered, his thought was to turn his head through with the swing (left). Picture Annika or David Duval releasing their heads with the ball. This helped Adam to move everything forward together.; Adam Scott photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

< FAULT: The Body Turns Too Much; Though not as common as overswinging the arms, this fault plagues golfers who are flexible enough to overturn. Or, like Phil, players who let their back knee straighten, which allows the hips to turn more and the club to get "deep," or behind the body (top, far left). When the average player does this, the legs often run out in front on the downswing, which causes the spine to tilt away from the target to counterbalance (top, left). Then the swing gets very narrow coming down -- the club too close to the body -- leading to an in-to-out path and pushes and hooks.

< THE FIX: Keep The Back Knee Flexed To The Top; Maintaining the knee flex set at address is the master move here. It restricts the hip turn, which restricts upper-body turn. A more controlled rotation keeps the hands and arms from getting too deep. When they stay wide, they're in position to swing the club back to the ball on a straighter path.