Swing Sequence: Miguel Angel Jimenez

Miguel Angel Jimenez
His throwback swing
shows you how to
crank it without coil

Analysis by Top 100 Teacher Jon Tattersall

It was easy to pick out
Miguel Angel Jimenez
at the 2008 Ryder Cup,
and not because he was
the only golfer with
a knotted kink of red
hair poking out the back of his cap.
His swing is a throwback to a time
when Tour players didn't try to coil
their shoulders against their lower
body. Jimenez turns everything: his
shoulders, hips, knees — even his
ankles. The lack of resistance costs
him some distance (he averages
278 yards off the tee), but his swing
is powerful enough to hang at the
highest level. Plus, he's a dead-eye
from mid-range: In 2008, nobody on
Tour knocked it closer from 150 yards
than Miguel (19 feet on average).

Jimenez understands what he can
and can't do. So should you, which
means that you should take a good
look at Miguel's technique and work
some of into your own. Jimenez's
swing is one that all mere mortals
can copy, and despite the fact that
it's missing the torque associated
with big yards, it has all the right
moves to get you from tee to green
in the fewest strokes possible.