Gary Woodland Pro Golfer, Swing Sequence (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles
Gary Woodland Pro Golfer, Swing Sequence (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles

Gary Woodland is one of these new breed of big bombers out there on the golf course he just drives it down it there for miles, walks up, pitching wedge, flips it onto the green. And the benefit of hitting a pitching wedge when you are going into most of the greens is that it doesn’t matter how straight your drive was, you can normally gauge a pitching wedge out of any sort of lie all over the trees. And these new big breed of bombers like Gary Woodland, they’re making Tiger Woods look short in his old age. If we look at how Woodland produces that power, a lot of it comes from his set up; particularly when he’s taking the driver, he has the ball a really long way forward in a super wide stance.

So his stance is much wider than when is hitting an iron. Massive spine angle tilt, big lift of the left shoulder as well, huge wide back swing creating loads of power. And at the top of his swing, he’s so far behind the golf ball; surely he’s going to hit his ball fat. Buts it’s a big move in with his lower half, keeps his chest back a little bit, keeps his head back, big drive in with his lower half, strike the ball on the rise. And just crashes the ball down there, comfortably flying at over 300 yards. Says he can’t carry over 335 yards if he’s really free wheeling it and that’s carry -- that’s through the air.

I mean this is long drive sort of professional tall long drive stuff, carrying over 335 yards and he is able to do that under pressure in the tournament. He does wind it back a little bit on the narrower holes, but really when he free wheels through the ball at full speed, on a wide hole its a sight to behold. If you want to generate that much power, your set up is crucial. Ball forward, body weight back, load up behind the ball, get the feeling that you’re nowhere near that golf ball and then drive back into it. The one cautionary tale here is make sure your swing differs between your irons and your driver.

Some people will tell you it’s the same swing right the way through the bag, it’s the same swing with all clubs. Well if that’s how you are going to set up to a driver, it can’t be the same swing with all clubs because if you are hitting the ball on the way up, you need a nice high tee peg, you can sweep up on the golf ball. If we now play an iron and we played it forwards with the body weight so far back, guaranteed you are going to the ground here trying to get under the ball. So make sure when you take an iron, you play the ball a little bit more towards the centre of your stance, I’ve got a six iron here so I’m going to play it just left of centre.

I set up with my body weight much more evenly 50-50, from the top of the swing I’m not so far back behind the ball, I’m much more level with the golf ball. My down swing, my hips drive forward, my chest drives forward, my head moves forward very slightly, I’m now on top of the golf ball and I hit down taking a divert. And if you watch Gary Woodland play, huge bomber off the tee, but still a very good iron player. But watch how his setup changes like this with the driver and like this with the iron impact position, here with the driver hitting on the rise, here with the iron hitting on the way down. If you want to hit the ball really long off the tee, make sure your set up differs between your irons and your driver.

[playerProfile url="https://golf-info-guide.com/pga-players/gary-woodland/"][/playerProfile] 2013-07-02

Gary Woodland is one of these new breed of big bombers out there on the golf course he just drives it down it there for miles, walks up, pitching wedge, flips it onto the green. And the benefit of hitting a pitching wedge when you are going into most of the greens is that it doesn’t matter how straight your drive was, you can normally gauge a pitching wedge out of any sort of lie all over the trees. And these new big breed of bombers like Gary Woodland, they’re making Tiger Woods look short in his old age. If we look at how Woodland produces that power, a lot of it comes from his set up; particularly when he’s taking the driver, he has the ball a really long way forward in a super wide stance.

So his stance is much wider than when is hitting an iron. Massive spine angle tilt, big lift of the left shoulder as well, huge wide back swing creating loads of power. And at the top of his swing, he’s so far behind the golf ball; surely he’s going to hit his ball fat. Buts it’s a big move in with his lower half, keeps his chest back a little bit, keeps his head back, big drive in with his lower half, strike the ball on the rise. And just crashes the ball down there, comfortably flying at over 300 yards. Says he can’t carry over 335 yards if he’s really free wheeling it and that’s carry — that’s through the air.

I mean this is long drive sort of professional tall long drive stuff, carrying over 335 yards and he is able to do that under pressure in the tournament. He does wind it back a little bit on the narrower holes, but really when he free wheels through the ball at full speed, on a wide hole its a sight to behold. If you want to generate that much power, your set up is crucial. Ball forward, body weight back, load up behind the ball, get the feeling that you’re nowhere near that golf ball and then drive back into it. The one cautionary tale here is make sure your swing differs between your irons and your driver.

Some people will tell you it’s the same swing right the way through the bag, it’s the same swing with all clubs. Well if that’s how you are going to set up to a driver, it can’t be the same swing with all clubs because if you are hitting the ball on the way up, you need a nice high tee peg, you can sweep up on the golf ball. If we now play an iron and we played it forwards with the body weight so far back, guaranteed you are going to the ground here trying to get under the ball. So make sure when you take an iron, you play the ball a little bit more towards the centre of your stance, I’ve got a six iron here so I’m going to play it just left of centre.

I set up with my body weight much more evenly 50-50, from the top of the swing I’m not so far back behind the ball, I’m much more level with the golf ball. My down swing, my hips drive forward, my chest drives forward, my head moves forward very slightly, I’m now on top of the golf ball and I hit down taking a divert. And if you watch Gary Woodland play, huge bomber off the tee, but still a very good iron player. But watch how his setup changes like this with the driver and like this with the iron impact position, here with the driver hitting on the rise, here with the iron hitting on the way down. If you want to hit the ball really long off the tee, make sure your set up differs between your irons and your driver.

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