Golf_Digest_USA_-_May_2019

(Ben W) #1
14 golfdigest.com | may 2019

Play Your Best Swing Sequence


T


he palm beach post
called him a “no-name
champion” after he
won the Honda Classic in early
March, but Keith Mitchell and
his driver have quickly become
known quantities on the PGA
Tour. The second-year player
from Chattanooga can roast a

golf ball and led the tour in
swing speed in 2018 (125 miles
per hour). Cameron Champ is
now the fastest man in pro golf
at 129 mph, but Mitchell is still
significantly above the tour av-
erage of 113 mph.
“He has a huge advantage
hitting the golf ball as far as he

does,” says his longtime coach,
Chan Reeves, director of in-
struction at the Atlanta Athlet-
ic Club. “Now that other parts
of his game are coming into
form, that length advantage is
really going to help him.”
Although Mitchell has
always been long off the tee,

he says things really started
to click when he switched to a
power fade, largely controlled
by a hard rotation of his torso
in the downswing.
“I was worried it wouldn’t
go as far as a straight ball or a
draw,” he says. “I’m not worried
anymore.” —Ron kaspRiske

TURNING TOGETHER


Mitchell isn’t afraid to
create more coil in his
backswing by letting
his hips rotate with his
trunk. “But he’s not
swaying off the ball—
that’s key,” Reeves says.
“He’s fully rotated, but
he’s still pretty quiet
from the waist down and
very stable. All golfers
can benefit from a stable
move like this.”

MOVING ON UP


Reeves likes that
Mitchell isn’t hinging
the club up too soon.
“Here the club is hinging
itself,” Reeves says. “It’s
the effect of creating
so much width in the
swing arc going back.
That wide takeaway is
a big reason he’s able
to swing so fast. He’s
giving the club a lot of
space to build speed.”

A GREAT START


Looking at these
photos taken the week
of Mitchell’s win at
the Honda Classic, his
coach, Chan Reeves,
immediately checks the
takeaway. “We want
the club initially on line
with the target and then
moving inside,” Reeves
says. “If his arms get
away from his body, it
leads to weaker fades.”

Keith Mitchell

Giving new meaning
to the term power fade
Free download pdf