Great Ball Striking – Brandt Snedeker Golf Swing Analysis

After winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February 2013, Brandt Snedeker moved to a career high of number four in the world (according to the official world golf ranking). But that’s not the only reason we are looking at his swing today. I think Snedekers swing is the perfect thing to model if you are looking for great tempo and building power by swinging from the ground up. Let’s take a closer look.

Address Position and Takeaway

Brandt Snedeker in his textbook address position.

Brandt Snedeker - TakeawayBrandt Snedeker - Takeaway

Brandt Snedeker with his wide takeaway.

Brandt Snedeker has a textbook setup. At address he’s symmetrical with a slight tilt behind the ball. He has build a stable base for his golf swing. The takeaway is wide and controlled. Brendt doesn’t cock his wrists before his club is in a parallel position towards the ground. Take note at how stable he is with his lower body as well as his upper body. He moves back only a bit to make room for his big upper body turn. You can already see how Brandt is transferring weight towards his right side.

Backswing

Brandt snedeker fully loaded in his backswing.

On the top of his backswing his arms are high and his back is facing towards the target. You can see how he’s transferred almost all of his weight towards his right side. His left knee forms the famous K position and is more inside pointing away from the target. His left heel almost comes off the ground.

The arrows show that he has moved somewhat towards his right side due too his huge turn and weight shift. But he’s still in the boundaries he set up during his address position.

Downswing and Impact

Brandt Snedeker accelerating in his downswing.

Brandt Snedeker at Impact

[divider]In the downswing Brandt Snedeker transfers his weight towards his left side but stays stable with his upper and lower body. He uses the big muscles of his body to generate power from the ground up. His lower body starts with a slide and his arms and shoulders are driving by his back through the ball. With his high arms and the strong weight shift his swing somewhat reminds me of Jack Nicklauses style. At impact he has his whole body behind the ball against a stable left side. You get the feeling that his hands and arms are only following the tempo and effect of the body.

Finish and Conclusion

Brandt Snedeker with his arms-high-finish.

In his finish Snedeker has his weight completely on the outside part of his left foot. His right heel is off the ground and hes facing the target with a slight reverse C shape. His high hands match the top of his backswing position perfectly.

Watch his swing a couple of times and try to emulate the following things:

Make a big shoulder turn. Your back should be facing the target.
Build your swing from the ground up. Start your downswing with a weight shift and hip slide.
Get your big body muscles in sync and behind the ball. Focus on swinging with your shoulders and back – not with your arms.

If you have been focusing mainly on your arms and hands before this style might feel a little awkward to you at first. But after a while you will definitely feel the power you are able to generate this way. Go hit some!