Analysis: How 13-time LPGA Tour winner Brooke Henderson hammers it

Just 26, Brooke Henderson is Canada’s most successful professional golfer, with 13 LPGA Tour wins, including two majors, at press time. What’s even more remarkable about her success is that she’s done it all with a homemade swing under the tutelage of her father, Dave. It’s easily one of the most unique and explosive moves in golf today and certainly nobody takes the club as far back as the diminutive, but powerful, native of Smiths Falls, Ont. Here, Brittany Henderson, Brooke’s sister and longtime caddie, breaks down the superstar’s swing.

1. One aspect of many that makes Brooke such a good ball-striker is her powerful base. She has tremendous leg and core strength, which she developed at a young age as a hockey goalie. I feel like she spent so much of her childhood in a perma-squat on the ice. She obviously works hard on her fitness, but she also possesses a lot of natural athleticism. Brooke is very much a feel player so if she’s ever struggling on the course we focus on getting her back to a natural, relaxed setup.

2. Much has been made about how far Brooke chokes down on the club. She’s done this all her life. I’m six years older than Brooke and when she started playing golf, she did so with old clubs of mine that were too long for her. She never used what you’d call junior clubs and she got used to handling that weight. It’s always felt natural to her and helps her be more consistent and accurate. She tried not choking down at one point but she just didn’t feel comfortable. Why change what isn’t broken, right?

3. Brooke has always had a very athletic move with a lot of width and lift in her takeaway. Her arms, hands and chest move together to take the club back. Her shoulder turn is really big, but her hip turn is small relative to her shoulder turn. That allows her body to coil properly and creates resistance, which leads to her explosive power.

4. How far Brooke takes the club back past parallel is not something she’s conscious of. It is simply the result of her full shoulder turn, which is so important in the golf swing. A lot of amateurs rush their backswing. They are eager to get back to the ball. Don’t be! Everyone’s full turn is different based on range of motion. Brooke’s is obviously much bigger than most, but my advice for recreational golfers is to make what you feel is a full turn for you. That will lead to proper timing so you can make your best move back down into the ball.

5. When Brooke gets to the top, she’s in a great position, and from there her hands drop to the inside, shallowing out her swing and creating a lot of lag. Again, this is natural to her and helps her generate a lot of speed and control with the club. Her arms and hands move with tremendous speed on the downswing and through the ball.

6. Impact is everything in golf. It doesn’t matter how you get to a good impact position; it just matters that you get there with a rhythm and sequence that work best for you. Brooke hits it a long way for somebody of her stature and this is because of the speed she generates with the club and how she clears her hips through impact so well. She delivers the club to the ball with a square clubface and uses the ground to generate power.

7. Brooke finishes her swing so well — always full and always in balance. This a result of that big shoulder turn she makes. Getting in that fully loaded position at the top allows the proper sequencing on the way down and for her to be fully extended. She has so much speed coming down and through the ball and then she always ends up in a good finish position. She rarely comes up and out of a shot. It is a swing she owns and it has brought her a lot of success.