Golf Monthly’s Top 50 Instructors Reveal Secrets Behind Tommy Fleetwood’s Swing

Tommy Fleetwood’s offensive play is easily among the top 10 in the world.

He has won the Tour Championship in recent months and performed well in winning the Ryder Cup at Bethpage and is now ranked fifth in the world.

Of all his attributes, his swing and batting is probably the one thing most pros wish they could emulate.

PGA professional Barney Puttick breaks down what makes the Englishman unique among his peers.

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A few years ago, when Tommy was struggling in his game and he was taking a lot of hook shots and the ball was getting stuck behind him, he went back to his old coach, Allen Thompson. They hit some half balls, they call them windmill drills, where they just go halfway through the swing and reestablish the plane.

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This is a beautiful golf swing. Looks like he just stepped out of one of those swing wheels. This is a deceptively simple action. He often looks like he just hit a 50-yarder because it’s just a shoulder-high to shoulder-height move and it’s a straight shot, and he just hit a 7-iron that went 180 yards to 6 feet.

So the possibility of something going wrong is very small, and very few people are getting off the plane now. Obviously, it has to be slightly shallower because when you stand behind it, there’s this minute draw.

If there’s a pin cut on the right side, it’s probably not on his top ten list of things to do, but who needs to shape it if you hit it like a radar?

Why does it work?

Because he cuts off the follow-through, it’s easy to see the path to the goal and everything looks simple. The sound it makes is incredible too, and that comes from a very solid shot.

By holding the club tighter, the clubhead is closer to you, giving you greater control. Anytime you make a change you increase your awareness. It is for these reasons that I often advocate for players to practice split swings to give them a different feel.

How do we try this?

If you want to try to grip the club, start with the short irons. Start with small shots and it will help you get a better feel for your shots. Don’t go too low, I’ve seen some players have the butt of their clubs stick out and this affects the weight of the club.

So grip the club an inch tighter and get used to the feel of the swing. As golfers, we hit the ball from the same position a lot of times, and once you change it up, your brain thinks it’s a little different and it heightens your senses.

As you might guess Tommy is hitting these half balls, he actually prefers the feel, and it’s something you can definitely try on the range.

You should never be afraid to try something new, so start with those half-swings and get a better feel for hitting the ball.

About Barney Puttick

Barney turned professional in 1979 and worked under Ian Connelly, best known as Sir Nick Faldo’s original manager.

He once tied with Greg Norman for third in the 36-hole championship in Cannes, behind Corey Pavin. He has been with Mid Herts GC since 2000 and is a Golf Monthly Top 50 instructor.

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