What you can learn from the action of Ryo Hisatsune, Japan’s latest star on the PGA Tour.
1: Hisatsune has square body lines, with his upper body and arm angles slightly more out and over his feet than most tour players. This puts more weight on his toes at address.
2: Both arms remain extended in the takeaway, keeping the clubhead low with little clubface rotation.
3: The club is nicely aligned with his hands when the shaft is parallel to the ground. His right arm remains straight, while his left shoulder turns downwards, and his left knee begins to flex, elevating the right hip.
4: Both arms stay extended with a steep shoulder plane and his right arm positioned on top of the left. Pressure remains towards his left toe mid-backswing, with a straight right leg.
5: His right arm folds while his upper body maintains its angle out in front of his feet. The clubface stays square with a flat left wrist and a steep shaft plane pointing well inside the ball.
6: This is an excellent arm structure, with his elbows close together and the club pointing down the line at the top of the backswing. His weight is balanced over his toes with a high right hip.
7: His lower body starts the downswing by increasing knee flex and pushing down into the ground. His left arm, flat left wrist and club lower beautifully in transition.
8: The knee flex increases, storing power as his arms and the club continue to drop on plane with no left wrist variation.
9: His right foot pushes up while maintaining the angle between his left arm and the shaft. The club slots nicely, with the shaft above his right forearm and the end of the grip pointing to the inside of the ball.
10: His right forearm is inside the left and in line with the shaft, compressing the clubhead against the ball. His right shoulder is down and behind the ball, with the right elbow tucked in. His hips are more open than his shoulders, with a flexed right knee rotating up to the ball.
11: The club exits nicely through the shoulder plane. He maintains his spine angle with the right shoulder staying down behind the shot well after impact. His head stays down, watching the ball from a vertical eye position.
12: His upper body maintains its forward angle over his feet and his left arm folds through the swing.
13: His right knee and shoulder point down the fairway as the club accelerates behind his upper body.
14: This is a full release of the body, arms and club. His left toe points towards the fairway with a vertical right foot angle.
Todd Anderson is the director of instruction at the PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass, home of the Players Championship. The 2010 PGA of America Teacher of the Year has seen his students amass more than 50 victories across the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, including two FedEx Cup titles. He is currently rated by Golf Digest as one of the top 20 golf instructors in the United States.
Photography by Orlando Ramirez/getty images
