Min Woo Lee's best tips for maximum pound-for-pound power

Ritchie Smith, the longtime swing coach of Min Woo Lee and his major-winning sister, Minjee, describes Min Woo as “a squiggle.” Whereas Minjee is a straight line—organized and disciplined—Min Woo is creative, playful and unpredictable. It makes sense then that Min Woo’s ascension to the PGA Tour was somewhat unexpected.

“I didn’t necessarily love golf when I was younger,” Lee says. “I quit for a year when I was 11 because I thought it was a boring, old-man’s sport. I really liked soccer, [Australian Rules] football, taekwondo and lifting weights. I enjoyed them much more than golf.”

It was only when Lee learned to crank up his driver speed and hit the ball longer than older kids that he started thinking about a future in the sport. He would quickly develop into one of the most exciting and athletic players in golf—one who ranked second in ball speed last season on the PGA Tour (188 miles per hour) despite his lean, 165-pound frame. He also was in the top 10 in several more driving statistics including fourth in strokes gained/off the tee.

“His awareness of how his body moves and what he can do with the golf ball is off the charts,” Smith says.

Over the years, Lee and Smith have worked to harness that athleticism in an effort to create speed in a more stable way—the balance of horsepower and control. The rest of us might not have the physical gifts of Lee, but Smith says there’s still a lot anyone can learn and copy from this swing. On the following pages, they’ll show you. —LUKE KERR-DINEEN

TILT, BUT DON’T OVERDO IT

Setting up with your left shoulder higher than the right shoulder is ideal for driving. It boosts carry distance, Smith says. However, too much tilt makes it harder to load or transfer weight.

“Min Woo tends to have his left shoulder much higher than his right,” Smith says. “When that happens, he can’t really turn into his right side. He just lifts his arms. We want his right just a little below his left (above).”

This reduced tilt at setup also will help amateurs who tend to hit off their back foot. “It’s probably the easiest thing in your swing to fix,” Lee says.

Another thing to check is your grip. Lee has to make sure he’s not holding the club in a weak position, with his right hand more on top of the handle. “Now I’m getting my hand underneath more to support the club (above, right),” Lee says. “It’s a smoother feeling, folding my right arm as I go back.”

Smith says it also helps square the clubface, a big perk for slicers.

MORE: The hidden power source in Min Woo Lee's golf swing, revealed

LOAD INTO A LOW RIGHT SIDE

There are two points of emphasis in Lee’s backswing. “We want to keep his arms extended but his right shoulder low at the top (below, right),” Smith says. “When he lets it go, his arms get higher and higher until he loses control. When he keeps his right shoulder low, he’s using his shoulder structure as a limiting factor. That keeps speed under control.”

Adds Lee, “It’s the feeling of width, with my arms in front of my body, but I stay compact.”

For ams, a low right shoulder also makes it easier to swing down on an in-to-out path with body rotation.

Smith also makes sure Lee loads into his right hip and glutes: “We want him to load—but keep his right knee straight ahead (left). If that right knee turns out, you begin to lose that load.”

Lee says it’s also important to keep that knee bent, staying in the athletic posture he started in at address.

USE YOUR CORE MUSCLES TO POWER UP

Perhaps the most important component to Lee’s impressive driving is how he generates speed coming into the ball. “We’re really conscious of him bringing the club down with his abs—not with his hips, not with his back,” Smith says. “His abs are pulling his arms down in front of his body so he can release fully through.”

A good way to make sure the muscles in your mid-section are firing is by keeping your left ankle stable in the through-swing (above, right), Smith says. “If your abs aren’t in control, your hips will spin and slide, your arms will get stuck behind you, and your left leg will bow like a wobbly wall in an old house. There goes all your power.”

Lee says if there’s one thought to take from all of this, it’s to “use your abs more than you think. Make sure they move the club (above, left). It’s nice when you feel that unison of your abs and your body moving together to swing the club. It’s why I hit it pretty far for my size.”