The world's best female golfer over the last 10 years, Annika Sorenstam, isn't available for individual lessons at her new boutique teaching facility, Annika Academy, at the Ginn Reunion Resort near Orlando, Florida. But the next best thing is: her younger sister, Charlotta.
Charlotta has made more than $1.5 million during her 12-year tour career. Her best year was in 2000, when she notched her first win at the Standard Register Ping, outdueling her sister and Karrie Webb.
Charlotta may be 68 victories and 10 majors behind Annika, but she's still a fabulous teacher. And her own sweet swing is very similar to Annika's, since they have shared the same instructor, Henri Reis, since they were teenagers. And at $100 an hour, Charlotta is a bargain. (Some teachers charge $300 or more an hour.)
She conducted the lesson on a plush mat inside one of the two hitting bays, which open to the spacious driving range and come equipped with state-of-the-art video and computers for swing analysis and clubfitting. It was nice to be out of the sun on a hot day yet still see the ball's flight. Plus, we could step right over to the computer for Charlotta's analysis of my swing.
Her philosophy, like her swing, is one of simplicity: Turn back and through, particularly with the shoulders while keeping leg movement to a minimum. I had way too much leg action—even while standing still! I wasn't even aware of the Chris DiMarco-like nervous twitter with my legs at address, which she felt led to jumpiness during the swing.
I made about 10 swings with a 6-iron before we sat down at the computer. The first thing she noticed was my less than full shoulder turn. She called up video of Annika and compared our swings side-by-side. During my backswing, my left shoulder barely got to a line she drew up from the ball, while Annika's shoulder passed the line.
Another big fault was a hip slide on the downswing instead of an aggressive clearing of the hips. To give me the feeling of what she wanted me to do, I took my setup position while she stood behind me and grabbed my left pocket. As I made a swing, she yanked on my left pocket during my downswing to get rid of the slide and create a quicker turn of the hips. The result was a crisper, straighter shot while managing not to bean her on the head during my follow-through.
Reis, who runs the academy, believes in teaching students more by feel than by numbers, so he's a big believer in drills. Charlotta had me throw a medicine ball sideways to get the sense of what she wanted my body to do. With my arms extended and the ball held at chest height, the throw was much more powerful when I simply turned to my right and back to my left. When I slid my hips, the toss lacked distance and direction.
It's amazing what a difference another pair of eyes, especially a world-class set like Charlotta's, can do for your swing.
