Leaderboards 
Become a Member 
Shop 
Trade In quick coaching
How to Duplicate Cameron Young's Power in Your Swing
By Keith Stewart, PGA
Published on
Cameron Young of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.Getty Images
Cam Young’s incredible power is fun to watch. In Round 1 at Riviera this week in the Genesis Invitational, his measured driving distance was 341 yards! If you watch Cam play, you quickly notice his speed through the ball. What also catches your attention is the manner in which he builds up all of that power. We all want more speed like Cam and the amateur golfer can certainly copy him in order to add a little extra pop to their game.
The best way to describe what everyone can duplicate from Cam is to first look at his stance. Notice the width of his feet, especially with the driver. Many times, amateurs employ a very narrow stance, and it limits their ability to turn properly and keep their balance. Young’s power starts from the ground up and that strong position his legs are in really supports his swing.
- Try this right now. Go grab your driver and take your normal stance. How far apart are your feet? If they are not positioned outside the width of your shoulders, then they are too close. Make this adjustment right away.
Moving up from his feet, the next place to look is his belt line. Notice how it is tilted toward his trail foot.
- Get back up and face a mirror with that driver again. Take your new wider stance. What does your belt look like? Is it level or does it tilt like Cam’s? Make sure your trail hip is lower than your lead one.
Our arms are very close in length. Therefore, when we grip the club conventionally with our trail hand lower than our lead hand, our body must adjust by tilting toward our trail side. If you remain level, it throws off your pivot (turn). Not to mention, your balance. With both new setup fundamentals in place, you will immediately feel like a more powerful player when you take the club back.
- This time find a place where you can swing the driver. It can be on the practice range, in the garage or outside. If you have high ceilings, inside works too. Take your new wider stance and make sure you feel your tilt. Now start your takeaway and turn your upper body as far as you can go. Is your torso in-between your two feet or has it swayed?
The next crucial step in building a powerful swing from the ground up is keeping your upper body inside of your lower body. From this position, you will start to feel very stacked when you swing. Think of being a skyscraper. Keep everything inside your foundation. As you watch Cam Young all weekend, pay particular attention to this position. He doesn’t rush to get there; he just winds up and then explodes through the ball.
He's able to do this because of his setup. Amateurs lose tons of speed through the ball because they are using energy to remain balanced. This power loss can be fixed very easily. You don’t have to change your swing; you just have to pay attention to these specific setup keys. Once you do, the turn will instantly feel more powerful and taught. You will explode out of your transition and rip through the ball like you wouldn’t believe. So get stacked and start heading toward your speed potential.
