What does it look like in the middle of a swing-restoration project? Jordan Spieth can tell you: “I had gotten long and a little quick, and my grip had drifted very weak,” he says of his former swing. “The face was open, and I had to flip it at impact to try to square it.”
The result? A two-year victory drought and some ugly numbers in the strokes-gained stats that Spieth focuses on.
The three-time Major winner and his swing coach, Australian Cameron McCormick, have gone back to basics, starting with the grip. “Every year since I was 14, my grip would get weaker during the season, and I had to fix it in the offseason,” Spieth says. “But it got to the point where I just didn’t adjust it back enough.”
As mechanical changes go, turning the hands 4 degrees to the right isn’t complex. But bringing the new grip from the range to the course has been bumpy. “I’m going in the right direction, but it’s taking some time,” he says.
“This isn’t anything new. I’m just getting back to what I always did.”
SWING KEYS
Remember the best: “You look down on your grip all the time, but you don’t register slight changes – even when you hit balls nearly every day,” Spieth says. “Keep track of how your grip looks when you’re playing your best, and use that as a reference when you practise.”
Keep tilt in the turn: “We’ve all tried to get a little more speed by turning bigger. But you need it to happen the right way to get something out of it,” Spieth says. “It has to happen within your posture, so your left shoulder will be lower, not level, with the right.”
Square it earlier: “I’ve always been a low-rotation player. I get the face square early in the downswing and maintain it through the ball,” Spieth says. “With a stronger grip, I’m more stable through impact. I don’t have to twist the club or flip it to make the ball fly straight.”
Letting go: “My left elbow doesn’t look like some other players through the ball, but for me, it’s a sign that the club is square longer in the through-swing,” Spieth says. “I’m feeling less like I have to steer it now. I can just let it go. The results will come again.”
Jordan Spieth by the numbers
27 / 185cm / 79kg
Dallas, Texas
Driver: Titleist TS3 (10.5 degrees)
Average drive: 269.5 metres (294.7 yards)
Clubhead speed: 114 miles per hour
