Lorena Ochoa & the soft draw pattern?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Guitar Hero

New member
hey guys...

i found this clip of her swing, and i am wondering if her swing would fall under the SD pattern...

YouTube - Lorena Ochoa swing analysis

There is allot of up in that take away. Nice vertical sweet spot path. Right elbow off the body and folds with the forearm more horizontal to the ground. Club head is not going inside with this Great Take Away Move. This is a pattern I teach many golfers. The pattern is very close to one used by a famous long drive golfer.
 
Last edited:
Many elements of the swing are soft drawish. Although I agree the takeaway in this video does not look as much "arms inside" as SD video. I followed her around my course several years ago, and she hit a lot of little draws and big draws.

As someone who watched only a little less Lorena than Self-Mastery last year, one observation I have is that during the first part of the year when she was dominating she had that "point right of the target" (particularly on the driver) look at the top of the backswing and the commentators, particularly Dottie Pepper, kept saying they wished she work on getting a little less "across the line" at the top, that this would improve her. They were making this comment when she was winning every other tournament and bombing her driver.

Then in the fall when she played she showed up and looked more "standard" and pointing less to the right at the top of the backswing. And she was not nearly as dominant. Of course, there may well be more to it than that.

Of course, I will wait to hear from the resident Ochoa-expert on this...
 
I don't do swing analysis-

I am not an Ochoa expert. I am a super fan. I have more pictures of Lorena than her mother:D

Back when Mexican's and S-M were the only ones cheering for Ochoa, she had a more inside takeaway. She would get a nasty case of the lefts and pull hook her way out of contention. Noway she's a SD'er. As said, look at her takeaway. DS maybe. Pull hookers develop that kind of takeaway to stop the lefts... I know I did.

Amateurs like me fan it open and suck the club way inside and hit hooks, then we learn how to fade it, but don't like how weak fades are, so we learn how to make a fader's takeaway and keep our old DS thoughts and feels- The results are a tight draw.
 
Last edited:
No comments on her swing, just that my sister in law met her at a wedding in Guadalajara and Lorena was very gracious, nice, and willing to take a picture with her. Those who have met her or know her in the city all have very positive things to say about her. If Lorena is on the TV, Ill watch.
 
:eek:

Ps. I'd Appreciate It... If You Don't Kick the Crap Out of Me....

I liked the carnival comment, by the way; I just read that today. Very funny. Better watch out, you'll start to grow on people.:)

When are you going to post up video of your counter-rotation swing?

I agree with the comments about Ochoa being very gracious. It doesn't help you hit the ball better, but it makes me want to pull for her. I liked the way she ran her tournament at the end of last year.
 
Last edited:

Brian Manzella

Administrator
Analysis

She is a natural across-the-line—top-of-the-backswinger.

So she is working on a less in move to add more left arm rotation, which should result in LESS across-the-line at the top.

I don't like it.

I would have kept the takeaway, and added the rotation later in the backswing.

Still, a great swing, and move to and past the ball.
 

Guitar Hero

New member
Awesome Golf Swing!

Swing sequence: Lorena Ochoa (Target-line): Golf Digest Magazine

The sequence in the top left corner is from 04

NIblick is right!

If you pause the video and move the slider back and forth you will see the vertical sweet spot path she is using. Take a look and see how much UP she has during the take away. No chance of the sweet spot path and sweet spot balance getting off track here. Also notice the club face position (Sweet Spot Balance) during the take away. No fanning going on here. A golfer that sucks the club head in on the take away should study this take away move. You can learn allot watching this swing in slow motion. Kenny Perry has a take away similar to this. Awesome Golf Swing!

To Better Golf,
John W Rohan-Weaver CMAI, GSEM
 
If you pause the video and move the slider back and forth you will see the vertical sweet spot path she is using. Take a look and see how much UP she has during the take away. No chance of the sweet spot path and sweet spot balance getting off track here. Also notice the club face position (Sweet Spot Balance) during the take away. No fanning going on here. A golfer that sucks the club head in on the take away should study this take away move. You can learn allot watching this swing in slow motion. Kenny Perry has a take away similar to this. Awesome Golf Swing!

To Better Golf,
John W Rohan-Weaver CMAI, GSEM

I used Byron Nelson's takeaway to cure my inside-suck-it-in takeaway. As a go left player, I can see how Ochoa's takeaway would calm the pull hook, but it felt absolute too vertical for me. It felt like I was lifting the club out and to the right. I hit some great shots with that kind of takeaway, mostly fades, but it felt too loose.

 
Last edited:

Guitar Hero

New member
I used Byron Nelson's takeaway to cure my inside-suck-it-in takeaway. As a go left player, I can see how Ochoa's takeaway would calm the pull hook, but it felt absolute too vertical for me. It felt like I was lifting the club out and to the right. I hit some great shots with that kind of takeaway, mostly fades, but it felt too loose.


It sounds like you have found your ideal sweet spot path and you are on your way.

The structure with the hands arms is a little on the firm side with a more vertical sweet spot path. You will see this in her swing. You do not want the club head flopping around at all. The elbow position is very important when using sweet spot paths. An incorrect elbow position can take the sweet spot off path and out of balance with a loose feeling in the take away as well.

Using 3-D sweet spot paths instead of 2-D shaft planes makes it very easy to find the sweet spot path that works for you. There are many sweet spot paths that work more inside on the take away as well. The fault of sucking the club head inside is easy to fix with the correct structure, right elbow position and motion matching it to the sweet spot path.

I see many golfers roll the club head inside when moving to the first parallel position of the shaft. If the golfer goes to the 3:00 position for the first parallel shaft position chances are they did not have enough up in the take away and the sweet spot path and balance will be off. The main reason for this is seeing the take away with a shaft plane image in their mind.

To Better Golf,
John W Rohan-Weaver CMAI, GSEM
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top