How does Collin Morikawa’s swing work? We break it down

He’s only been a member of the PGA Tour since 2019, but Collin Morikawa already has written a near Hall of Fame résumé for himself. The former world No. 1–ranked amateur and collegiate standout at UC Berkeley has won six times on the pro circuit, including the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. His record-tying final-round 64 in the former remains one of the great major performances in recent memory. (Oh, and for you punters out there, a tip: Morikawa has back-to-back top 10s at Augusta National and a pair of top 5s in our national championship.)

At 27, Morikawa stands as one of the best iron players in the game. He’s also one of the Tour’s most accurate drivers. Stats don’t lie: Since turning pro, he has gone 8th, 5th, 2nd, 17th and 4th in the all-important Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green ranking. This is someone who doesn’t miss often.

A longtime student of Rick Sessinghaus, a Ph.D. in applied sports psychology, Morikawa recently has sought the help of GOLF Top 100 Teacher Mark Blackburn. The pair have been working on getting Collin’s body in position to consistently take advantage of his preferred and natural left-to-right ball flight. Morikawa is five-nine and 160 pounds. Doesn’t matter — he can bomb it when he has to. 

Check the sequence below to learn how to do likewise.

1. Address

Morikawa’s grip is truly unique: a combination of choked down, turned left (weak) and angled to the shaft. This is why his hands sit so low at setup with more knee flex compared to his peers.

2. Takeaway

Collin’s club moves out at the start due to the angle he creates between his hands and the shaft at address. You’d probably fare better getting your hands and clubhead to line up at this point.

3. Top

Check out that left wrist bow! If you grip as weak as Collin, you have to have that bow to get the clubface in a “normal” position. A stronger grip and a flatter wrist is better for most.

4. Downswing

You need to add shaft twist on the downswing in order to properly square the clubface. Collin checks that box by adding bow to his left wrist. His rapidly rotating lower body helps keep the club lagging behind his hands for pure power.

5. Impact

Look at the difference between the angle of Collin’s belt and the logo on his shirt on his upper back. Wow! Thanks to this right-side bend, he can drive the shaft through impact with abandon and without fear of snapping it left.

6. Release

Aside from his right arm straightening and wrists releasing, Collin’s follow-through is very similar to his impact position. He’s continued to open and drive his hips from the ground up. This is the secret to flattening the clubhead arc for a super-powerful strike. Needless to say, copy this!