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I got some great shots of Charl at the Barclay’s this year when he, Luke Donald, and Sergio joined Kevin Streelman (I work with Kevin) for a practice round. It’s rare to be out on the course with a camera and tripod but as I like to take shots of Kevin that I can use the V1 to analyze I happened to be prepared to get some nice footage. The down the line view was from the par 5 3rd hole (I think) and the face on was on the drivable 5th. The one on the 3rd was one of the most amazing drives I’ve ever seen. Kevin crushed his out there 305 (perfectly flat fairway, no wind) and Charl’s ball was at least 25 past him. I was a little low with the camera shot as the tee box was elevated and they were on the very back, but I got the angle as good as I could. The shot on the 5th ended up in the left bunker by the green. I was struck by a few things in Charl’s forward swing, but his backswing is what I would consider optimum. He has a great body for golf, totally lean and strong, and he winds the thing up tremendously with a simple looking movement. His arm, wrist, and clubface position at the top are impeccable. After that he varies a bit from my own preferences as he drops his hands almost straight down, but he counters that nicely by driving the right elbow in front of the right hip and having total control of the shaft. He plays the ball somewhat more back in his stance than most top players, and as a result has quite a bit of backwards movement with his head as he moves into and through impact. His right leg tends to splay out a bit as he hits the ball, but his hips remain deep in general and he finishes “in the box”. Overall a hugely powerful and effective move from one of the best ball strikers on the planet.
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