Golf_Digest_USA_-_May_2019

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