TOUR TECHNIQUE
Rose Zhang shows how you can swing smooth and still rip it
Some golf swings are just more fun to watch. Exactly why—the tempo, the simplicity, the raw power—can be hard to put your finger on. But when you see it, you know.
Such is the case with Rose Zhang, 21, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour since turning pro in June 2023 and now a member of U.S. Solheim Cup team. Rose’s swing is an alluring blend of classic positions and power features, held together with an elegant rhythm.
We used the Mustard Golf app to get a closer look. Mustard Golf, a partner of Golf Digest, tracks body and club movements throughout the swing and tags strengths and weaknesses using parameters created by top teachers and supported by AI technology.
Here’s what we saw, and what you can learn from Rose’s world-class swing.
First, her body leads her arms, both back and through.
Second, her wrists hinge late in the backswing and unhinge late in the downswing.
Third, she creates speed from proper sequencing, not effort.
One of my first impressions is that Rose makes a massive turn with her upper body. This is because her body leads her hands and arms going back, not the other way around, which is a common amateur fault. To make a powerful backswing, start your body turning immediately off the ball to give it time to make a full rotation to the top.
On the way down, Rose again leads with her body, which drags her arms down and through. This is where many amateurs get into trouble: They yank the club down so their body chases their arms on the downswing, and they end up making a weak slap at the ball. Instead, start down with your body and let your forward rotation pull the club into impact.
Wrist action accompanies these moves. Rose hinges her wrists late in the backswing, so the club goes back very wide before the wrists set it at the top. A good thought is to stretch your arms back, your trail arm in particular, then let your wrists hinge—the later, the better.
Coming down, Rose keeps her wrists hinged as her body drives the motion, setting up an explosive release through the ball. Amateurs have a tendency to spring, or unhinge, the wrists too soon. Try to feel like the clubhead stays back as your body turns forward.
Speed is the last piece. Rose creates clubhead speed by blending these motions in the correct order on the downswing: the body turns, the arms swing and the wrists release. If that sequence is off, you feel a lot of effort but don’t get much power. Rose’s swing produces effortless power.
And that’s fun to watch.
