Luke Donalds Short And Compact Golf Swing

Watching Luke Donald playing in the Heritage at the Harbour Town Links on Hilton Head Island I was once again struck by what a beatiful golf swing he has. Luke Donalds golf swing is short and compact and so consistent - so very consistent.

In my opinion he is one of the best ball strikers on tour and this weeks results (so far - who can forget the recent melt down from Rory McIlroy?) have verified this. There is one round to go and if he should win he will become the new World Number 1!

The interesting thing about Luke Donald,s swing is its simplicity. If only one could bottle it and sell it!

Everything Donald does in the approach to his shots is copy book perfect and if there are any faults I cannot see them.

• His grip is perfectly placed on the club and just looking at it there is no sign of any tension.
• His stance is well-balanced, feet are shoulder width and he is able to move either way off this solid base without any danger of over balancing.
• The posture is picture book perfect with his shoulders directly over the balls of his feet and his arms hanging vertically down. His spine is in a straight line and he neither stretches for the ball or finds himself too close to it.

I believe it is this perfect set-up that allows him to produce the same shot time and again.

The take away is initiated by the shoulders. If you get an opportunity to watch his takeaway in slow motion note how his shirt under his left shoulder stretches indicating the power being built up there. The shoulders and hips are turned only to the point where he is comfortable and the left arm never bends on the backswing - there is no power leaked there!

The down-swing, initiated by the hip turn, is very precise and his spine hardly moves from the original alignment. His head is perfectly over the ball at impact and his hips are well clear of the club. Hands are ahead of the ball giving him the ball control he is so good at.

He does not have a high finish, preferring rather to have maximum control on his shots. Although don't be fooled as he can "get it out there" when he needs to.

I have just been flicking though "Google Images" of his swing and his finish is the same in almost every shot. I highly recommend the average player spends some time emulating him. Try to feel like he looks.

Donalds stock shot is a draw which he controls with great eye and hand co-ordination and a simple repetitive golf swing which will hold up under pressure.

Donalds swing should allow him to play injury free for years to come with his wrist injury now something of the past.

Luke Donald's golf swing is in my opinion the best on tour but he also has a fantastic short game and has this week been nailing every putt from about 12 foot.

I hope he makes it to number one by the end of the week.