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Aaron has changed his swing dramatically since his Stack and Tilt days, going from a backswing that moved well inward and across his chest to one much more out in front of him. He is known much more for his short game and putting than for his ball striking, which has been statistically poor in relation to the rest of the Tour. A few weeks ago at the Travelers he almost put it together for a win, but a wayward drive deprived him of a chance to birdie the 18th and a tie with Kevin Streelman, who stole the title by birdieing the last 7 holes. His swing is one of the most aesthetically pleasing on Tour, but as we have seen with a majority of the greatest players past and present the athletic use of the ground is one of their hallmarks, and Aaron prefers to stay at the height he starts with during the swing by holding his right leg almost stationary during the backswing. His control of the shaft is exemplary, but his arms and hands approach from a considerably higher position than he starts with because of the lack of depth in his midsection. This presents a more complicated wrist release at impact, and could account for a part of his ball striking struggles. He has great rhythm, however, and as I mentioned the shaft is never stuck behind him, giving him a good chance to deal with the release area. He is in great physical shape and it would seem that he would be capable of doing just about whatever he wanted to with his pivot, and my suggestion would be to try to add some movement backwards with the right leg without straightening the knee. I believe that would create more space for his arms and hands in the forward swing, which would allow him to pass through the impact area closer to his body, un-complicating the wrist release and making is easier to square the face consistently. As good as the rest of his game is, Baddeley could easily become one of the best out there with continued improvement.
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