After a few poor seasons, Rickie Fowler's career took a turn for the better in 2023, when he won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in a postseason game. It's possible to credit Fowler's comeback to form for reworking his swing under the direction of renowned coach Butch Harmon.
The 6 key steps Fowler has taken to refine his motion into one that delivers the consistency and power needed to contend on Tour once again.
1. Address Position
Fowler positions his hands slightly back from the ball at address for optimum control and flexibility through impact. Rec players are often too laid off at address.
2. Improved Takeaway
Fowler's early career swing was overly laid off, causing disruption. Now he keeps his hands and club in a straighter line during his backswing for better flow and timing.
3. Non-Laid Off Top
By pointing his thumbs towards his back ear, Fowler achieves a much better position at the top compared to before when he was too laid off. This allows for a cleaner downswing.
4. Steeper Shaft Angle
A Harmon staple is avoiding a flat downswing. Fowler keeps the shaft slightly steeper than his forearm through the hitting area, maintaining optimal dynamic loft.
5. Powerful Impacts
At the ball, Fowler pushes off his back leg to fully engage his lower body. Maintaining the rear arm below the front as he does promotes solid ball striking under Harmon's guidance.
6. Unrestricted Release
Fowler fully releases his wrists and holds nothing back to maximize speed and distance. Big hitters like Fowler don't shy away from an aggressive finish.
By refining his swing moves hole by hole with Harmon, Fowler looks primed to battle for more trophies as his rejuvenated game comes together piece by trusted piece. Rec amateurs would do well to emulate the Champion's precision techniques.
What are the key differences between Rickie Fowler's groove swing and traditional swings
Rickie has made some changes to his swing over the years that have helped make it feel smoother. His lower body used to be really active during the backswing, but now he keeps it much calmer. This allows his upper body to lead the way better.
He also adjusted his swing path to come shallower back, rather than taking the club too far inside like he tended to do before.
A big focus was on syncing up the movement of his upper and lower halves. Getting them to work together nicely is something he struggled with in the past.
His finish ended up looking way more balanced now too. Previously, he would fall off to the side a bit.
Where he used to really have to time things perfectly, his current swing isn't as reliant on that. It flows more naturally to the hitting area now rather than doing looping motions that made squaring up tougher.
All in all, Rickie has made some tweaks that have given him a swing that feels smoother and more consistent compared to how it used to be. The changes have helped stabilize and coordinate things for him.
References: https://golf.com/instruction/6-steps-groove-swing-like-rickie-fowler/
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