Adam Scott is widely considered to have one of if not the best swing in modern golf. If you were to design a golf swing from the beginning, his swing is most likely to be close to the finished product. Adam’s swing epitimises the modern, athletic golf swing and he uses it to great effect. Many of Scott’s swing movements are very similar to the early (and best) years of Tiger Woods, and as we look at his swing today we can clearly see how he modelled his swing on Tiger’s.
Set Up
Adam’s Set up with the driver is almost picture perfect. Adam’s posture appears to be tall, strong and athletic with his body alignment parallel left of the ball to target line. We also see Adam create an exceptionally wide and stable base with his lower half, this will be a constant focus point throughout the swing as he not only uses his lower body for support but also as a power source. The ball is positioned just inside the left heel and his spine is slightly angled away from the target with one of the most perfect grips you will see.
The Takeaway
One of Adam’s greatest assets is how he begins the swing. As he moves the club away from the golf ball he keeps the club nicely in front of his body. His lower body has hardly any movement and there is no wasted energy at all as he begins to turn his upper body into the backswing.
The arms stretch away from his body as the club moves away from the golf ball, resulting in an exceptionally wide swing arc which is partly why Adam is such a consistent ball striker. The club face itself is slightly more vertical than his spine angle, which some would say creates an open club face at this point, however the most relevant face positions occur in the downswing.
Halfway Back
As he turns the club away he turns his body with the golf club, hands and arms don’t go independently
As Adam approaches the top of the backswing we can see his lower body remains exceptionally stable as his upper body turns around it. On of my favourite things about Adam’s Takeaway is how his arms turn with his body and never move independently. We also begin to see Adam really loading into his right leg as his upper body turns behind the golf ball, and from a down the line view we can see the club is perfectly on plane.
Top of the Backswing
By the time he reaches the top of the backswing Adam has stored a tremendous amount of power behind the golf ball. His upper body is more behind the ball than when he started, and his arms have stretched wide and away from his head. You will also notice that his lower body has hardly moved from its initial position and Adam is prepared to drive his lower half towards the golf ball.
Halfway Down
Adam’s begins the sequence downwards with his lower body using the ground to push his lower body towards the ball. This is the ideal way to begin the downswing, and as you will see on the left hand side his club begins to fall downwards towards the original plane line as a result. When we combine this falling movement of the golf club with a closing club face we have the perfect launch conditions for the high draw that Adam Loves to play.
Impact
Adam’s delivery of the golf club to impact is spectacular, his hips have fully opened up to the target at this point and cleared the way for the upper body to really fire the golf club through the impact area.
As you look at the face on view on the right hand side you will see how well Adam has posted on his lead leg, but more importantly how he has managed to square the golf club up to the ball and align it with his lead forearm. This “catching up” Of the golf club allows Adam to hit upwards into the golf ball and maximise his distance from the tee.
The Release
As the ball begins its flight we see Adam looks as if he is almost chasing the ball with his long levers which are free wheeling through the impact zone in an unstoppable fashion. Adam has maintained his amazing balance and stable lead leg as he has done throughout his golf swing.
The Finish
Scott’s finish is probably one of the most photogenic in golf. This huge winding finish is amazingly balanced despite how much power he has created in his swing. Scott’s entire swing could almost be summed up when we look at this position. Stable, balanced, athletic and poised.
