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Watching these two swings on TV in full speed I could see the club doing some serious dancing at the top so I figured it would be interesting to slow them down and check them out more closely. What we will see are two distinctly different backswing techniques that produce excellent approaches to impact, both getting the upper right arm nicely in front of the right hip for a sidearm style release, Steele’s being slightly more extended toward the target. Both players have the shaft well flat of the plane at P3, with Smith utilizing a severely externally rotated right upper arm and lifted left arm, while Steele lets his right arm bend more early, leading to a more conventional transition than Smith, who is so laid off as he approaches the top that he has to pull his right arm behind him and downward to get his left arm into position down and across his chest. The amazing thing about Smith is that even with the club lassoing across the line his right arm is still in front of him enough for him to open his body and deliver a hands forward strike. Steele is fairly remarkable for how flat his left arm angle is at the top considering he is 6’2” and bends over quite a bit at address. I always marvel at the talent involved in taking complex techniques and making them consistently good, and both Smith and Steele are prime examples.
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