Swing sequence: Brett Wetterich: 'hit it from the inside

Golf Digest, August, 2007 by Peter Morrice

* I don't play with a lot of swing thoughts. I focus mostly on keeping my left foot planted on the downswing and trying to hit the ball from inside the target line.

If my lower body races out in front coming down, I get to the outside of my left foot too soon. That drops the club behind me, too far to the inside. From there I tend to push the ball, or hook it because I'm trying to flip the face closed at impact.

When I do a good job of keeping my left leg firm on the downswing, the club stays inside but not too much. Then I can hit the inside-back part of the ball and turn it over for a little draw. That's the shot I'm looking for with the driver.

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DRIVER SWING SEQUENCE

Age 33 / Height 6-feet / Weight 205 / Driver Titleist 907D2, 8.5 degrees / Ball Titleist Pro V1x / Driving distance (rank) 299.9 yards (9th) / Longest drive in 2007 437 yards

RAW, NATURAL POWER

A slugger with great instincts

BY TODD ANDERSON

* One look at these photos, and you know Brett Wetterich kills it. But he's also one of the most consistent ball-strikers on the PGA Tour, ranking 22nd in greens in regulation this year. His swing is far from textbook, but his strength and athleticism make it work. He's right where he needs to be at impact--fast but stable, too. Here's what I see.

Brett makes a huge shoulder turn on the backswing, but his hips don't rotate much at all. This winding action creates a lot of energy in his body, which he unleashes at the bottom of the swing. In fact, his downswing complements his backswing perfectly: He stays centered as he turns to the top no big move off the ball then his lower body leads the downswing, maintaining the relationship between his hip turn and shoulder turn. At impact, with his hips releasing and his upper body tilting back, he looks like a home-run hitter taking it deep.

When the upper body backs up on the downswing the way Brett's does, the result can be a quick hook because the clubface tends to flip over when it passes the chest. Brett avoids this with strong forearms and wrists. Check out his arched left wrist and higher shaft plane at impact (frames 6). This position allows him to release the club and hit a draw.

In addition to a strong left wrist, Brett has a lot of stability in his left leg on the downswing. This prevents his lower body from getting too far ahead of his upper body, which can drop the club way inside. His right side is definitely down and in as he approaches impact, but the club is not stuck behind him. These moves are common among great ball-strikers, and Brett is one of the best out there.

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NO ROTATION

Brett doesn't rotate the clubface open on the takeaway. This sets up a slightly closed face during the swing.

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BIG TURN, QUIET LOWER BODY

This takes some serious flexibility. Brett makes a huge shoulder rotation but hardly turns his hips. His left knee is basically where it was at address. This big windup leads to a powerful downswing, with the lower body unwinding the upper body.

FADE AT SETUP, DRAW AT IMPACT

Here's an idiosyncrasy. Brett looks like he's set up to hit a fade, with his shoulders open--you can see the bottom part of his left forearm (near right). At impact, his right arm is under his left and closer to his body (far right), promoting an inside path to the ball and a right-to-left ball flight.

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ARMS STAY ON CHEST

Brett's trademark lean away from the target keeps his arms close to his body. This strong connection, which makes him less likely to flip the clubface over through impact, can be seen in homerun hitters like Albert Pujols.

HOOK-PROOFING

Leaning back through impact can cause the face to shut quickly. For a power draw, Brett releases the club straight down the line with the toe up.

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Todd Anderson Golf Digest Teaching Professional with Peter Morrice

Ranked No. 25 by his peers among Golf Digest's 50 Greatest Teachers, Anderson is director of instruction at the Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga. For more tips, click golfdigest.com/instruction.