Part of the facination of golf is making a good golf swing. It's certainly not all there is to being a good player but it is a foundation that gives a player an opportunity to be in an offensive mode rather than constantly scrambling for a score.
We thought you might be interested in seeing a few of the swing sequences from some of the leaders in the championship so you might benefit from analyzing their swings and appreciated what they are doing. Please note that to enjoy these swing sequences you need to click on the image to enlarge it and then use your mouse to scroll from frame to frame. You then use the back button to return to the posting.
We'll start with Daniel Northington. While these may not be representative of his best swings, notably the one he made on 18 tee where he powered it long and straight off the tee, these are representative of what he was doing in competitive conditions. The first sequence was taken on hole #16, after he had just four putted for a double bogey. So he may have had some extra energy to put into the tee shot.
He took an aggressive line off the tee on the slight dogleg left uphill par four and powered his tee shot over the trees on the left side. It was an approximately 300 yard tee shot. It made my back hurt just watching the flexibility and speed of the swing. Here is the swing that produced the result. Click on the image to see the detail of the photo, then click on the back button to return to the story. It is obviously a powerful swing and there is a complete release of the right side to a long flowing finish that is mostly a product of the tremendous force being applied with the entire body.
Northington went on to make par on 16 after hitting a short iron to the green. On 17 tee, he hit a long drive down the left hand side of the fairway that finished at the bottom of the hill in the trees in the rough. Fortunately, he had a clear swing for his second shot and went on to make a par in route to his three shot victory. Here is the swing that produced the tee shot. 
The next two swings shown below are from Peach Reynolds. As you recall, he shot 66-69-68 in the first three rounds so he was obviously swinging well. The first swing produced a drive straight down the middle of 17 fairway and it is worth studying for a number of reasons. In his late 50's Reynolds still has considerable flexibility and strength. It allows him to swing the club the way he does.
The positions in the swing are classic old school swings. Note the takeaway that is similar to Hogan's with the clubhead and hands moving away from the ball simutaneously. They almost have the look of the hands dragging the clubhead back rather than moving the clubhead prematurely with the hands. The takeaway leads to lots of width in the backswing which allows him to load properly into the right side. The position at the top is also classic with the weight shifted properly to the right side. He then initiates the downswing with the lower body and a nice weight shift to the left in the downswing to recenter the swing and increase the torque in the core of his body. At impact he is behind the ball and extends nicely through the hitting area. He completes the swing in a balanced finish. It's a nice golf swing and indicative of why he played so well during the championship and has been a consistent ball striker for years.
Reynolds follow up shot from 17 fairway on a downhill lie shows nice positions as well.
The next three photos are shown to emphasize the importance of good posture in the swing. Drew Bell, Daniel Northington and Peach Reynolds are all shown at address position on the 18th tee. Note the similarities in their posture in that they all have relatively straight spine angles and proper knee flex. It's no accident that these players were in the final group on the final day of the championship.
Drew Bell at address on 18 tee. He hit a good tee shot into the fairway and played his second just left of the pin..
Daniel Northington at address on 18 tee. Although he is slightly more rounded in the spine he is in excellent position to begin the swing with balance and power. He hammered this tee shot straight down the middle about 300 yards and left only 86 yards to the pin for his second shot. 
Finally, Peach Reynolds on the tee at 18, where he hit another good drive down the middle. While his upper back is not as straight as Bell or Northington, his overall posture is excellent and the balance with the lower body prepares him for an athletic move into the ball. 
We hope you enjoyed these photos and please feel free to comment below.
