Anatomy of Simon Dyson's golf swing (From York Press)

Anatomy of Simon Dyson's golf swing

8:10am Saturday 6th February 2010

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SIMON Dyson’s decade as a golf professional was capped by the York-born ace powering into the world’s top 50 players.

His ascent into the world’s elite, which has earned him a place in the hallowed US Masters at Augusta on April 8 to 11 – the first Major of the season – has been augmented by no fewer than four championship victories on the European Tour.

In 2006 he lifted the Indonesian Open and the KLM Dutch Open, and last year he topped that brace with conquest in the KLM Open in Holland for a second time and a staggering success to lift the prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the home of the game, St Andrew’s Old Course.

At the core of the dedicated and diligent Dyson advance is one of the most fluent driving actions in the current game.

And here in The Press we can exclusively reveal some of the driving secrets behind the 32-year-old’s success as Yorkshire’s most successful pro player of the modern era.

Steve Robinson, head professional at Sandburn Hall Golf Club, where he has a flourishing Academy, was the first coach to tutor Dyson, who arrived at Malton & Norton GC as a youngster barely taller than his golf bag.

Since those formative days Robinson, who, in spring, will take up a new national coaching position with the English Golf Union to add to his many coaching duties, has regularly updated Dyson with any coaching refinements.

Only recently Robinson went out to Portugal to watch Dyson in action at the Portuguese Masters, where he filmed the York star during practice.

From that coverage, The Press has singled out these five portraits, complete with complementary explanations from Robinson, to clearly demonstrate the irons magic of the man who has kept North Yorkshire in the forefront of international golf.

Picture 1: “Simon has changed many aspects of his swing since his amateur days. One is his posture.

“As an amateur, he would stand too upright to the ball and his arms would hang away from his body. Now he pitches his spine towards the ball and his arms hang underneath his shoulders.

“He can now swing his arms and hands in balance with his body. This set-up is a great example to any youngster aspiring to be a tournament player.”

Picture 2: “As an amateur Simon would get his arms working away from his body and the club head working behind his hands. Now you can see his arms are more connected to his body and the club head stays outside his hands longer. This is a very safe take-away move.”

Picture 3: “At the top of his back-swing Simon’s left wrist is bowed, a move Simon has had in his swing since I first played golf with him aged 11. Many coaches would have been tempted to change this.”

Picture 4: “But when Simon puts the club into the delivery position you can see he has set the loft back on his left wrist and the club head, with the toe of the club pointing up.”

Picture 5: “Simon ends the swing in the classic follow-through position in balance.

“Remember – movement generates power; balance controls the power.”

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