What Makes It Work? Nelly Korda Golf Swing Analysis

Nelly Korda won in a close finish at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship last week, sneaking over the line in a one-hole playoff with Ryann O’Toole. Korda is widely admired for having one of the sweetest-looking swings on any professional golf tour, but what makes it so good? Find out in our Nelly Korda swing analysis.

• RELATED: Nelly Korda Player Profile
• RELATED: Nelly Korda What’s In The Bag
• RELATED: LPGA Tour 2024 Schedule and Results

Nelly Korda Golf Swing Analysis: Set-Up

Like all of the swings I have analysed in this series, Nelly Korda has a beautiful posture and stands really well to the ball. Her weak grip helps keep her face open, hit the ball high, and avoid a left shot she really doesn’t like. It is possible to address the ball in a way that helps with dispersion so this is something worth thinking about if you hit the ball wide.

Backswing

Korda initiates her swing by moving the club head with her wrists, which is very interesting and not something seen often. This is a great move to stop the club head from getting inside and sequences up the backswing nicely, allowing the club, her arms, and her body to reach the top of the backswing all at the same time.

Nelly Korda pivots beautifully in the backswing, reaching the top of the swing with what appears to be no movement laterally to the left or right; her hips and shoulders stay very centred. Her shoulder tilt is quite steep, which is a great ball striker move, and she finishes the swing with a perfectly square club face.

Downswing

Nelly Korda loves to draw the ball, and thankfully, she is in a position to do so at the top of the swing. Korda starts down with a lateral hip shift onto her front foot whilst moving her arms down in front of her chest. At this point in her downswing, the club is in a neutral to maybe even a fade position, so she is going to have to make some adjustments late in the swing to do so.

As Korda moves the club down closer to the ball, from the steeper downswing position, she shallows the club by early extending ever so slightly whilst tilting her right shoulder down, which gets the club into an inside draw position just prior to impact. With Nelly having such a weak grip, she has had to start releasing the club early, which closes the face and produces the draw. Interestingly, her weight is up on her toes at impact, which isn’t something you commonly see in elite golfers, but this happens due to the early extension.

Into the Finish

Korda’s follow-through is perfection. With her extended arms, spine, hips, and legs, you can really see why she is so good with her irons. The clubhead traces a really wide arc into the finish, which is why her swing seems so gracious. Nothing to critique here.

Nelly Korda Swing Analysis: What can we learn?

Nelly Korda is back at world number 1, and swinging like this, it is going to be difficult to topple her off of the top spot. Here are 3 things in Nelly Korda’s golf swing that I think anyone can implement in their swings and improve:

• Perfect set-up. This is the easiest part of the swing any golfer can get right. Good grip and balanced posture go a long way in making everything work smoother.
• Backswing sequencing. The clubhead travels the furthest in the backswing compared to the hands, arms, and body, so get it moving quickly!
• Extend into your follow-through; this is going to help you carry the ball further and swing faster.

If you enjoyed this Nelly Korda swing analysis, keep an eye out for more tour winners’ swing analysis in the future.

If you are interested in seeking further information from Jack that is more specific to your golf game, you can book an in-person or online golf lesson by clicking here.

• RELATED – How To Draw The Golf Ball
• RELATED – Master The Most Important Part Of The Swing
• RELATED – Scottie Scheffler Swing Analysis