Who Is He?

This three time PGA tour winner had a blistering start to his professional career when he joined the tour in 2006. Since then, Camilo Villegas has struggled to live up to his potential. He is currently without formal playing rights for the 2013 season, having finished 144th in the order of merit from the previous year.

What He Does

At only 5 feet 9 inches tall, Camilo Villegas has to work incredibly hard with his swing to be able to propel the ball over 300 yards. He is a regular in the gym and is one of the most flexible players on tour. When his physical attributes combine with his incredibly dynamic golf swing, he is still able to be one of the longer players on tour. Camilo Villegas does not have the longest swing on tour but instead he chooses to focus on creating a huge X angle (or X factor). This is a name given to the difference between the amount the hips turn at the top of the backswing and the amount the shoulders turn at the top of the backswing. It is noted that the bigger the X angle the larger amount of body coil, and therefore, the larger the amount of potential power to be released during the downswing and into impact.

What Can You Learn?

If you feel that you are creating powerless effort, instead of effortless power, you should aim to create a bigger X factor. A great drill to improve this would be to place a club over your shoulders and face head on into a mirror. Then try to rotate your shoulders into your backswing turn as much as possible without allowing your hips to move very far at all. Notice how getting a separation between the shoulder rotation and the hip rotation creates a big X angle and then potentially more stored up power. As you release the power during the downswing phase, start by returning your hips back towards the target as early as possible in an attempt to retain the X angle, and in some cases golfers are able to increase the X angle during the downswing phase.

What Should You Avoid?

Camilo Villegas has incredible physical attributes and great flexibility. It would, therefore, be advisable that only golfers of a similar physical condition should endeavour to copy these movements. Golfers who are in poor physical condition could result in creating more inconsistent shots and possibly injuries with this type of golf swing.