Collin Morikawa has been one of the most successful golfers on the PGA Tour over the past five years.
With six PGA Tour wins to his name, including two major championships, the 28-year-old has established himself as one of the biggest names in the professional game.
However, Morikawa has really struggled over the past two years or so and is without a win since October 2023.
That doesn’t mean to say that he’s finished at the very highest level of the game.
He’s just in the midst of a dip right now and he will undoubtedly be back to his very best at some point in the near future.
Morikawa is still a great person for amateur golfers to learn from, given the consistency of his motion both on the backswing and down through impact.
Collin Morikawa’s trick to fix a problem area for amateur golfers
One of the things that amateurs struggle with the most is completing a proper shoulder turn.
The main problem they have is that they try to initiate the backswing with their shoulders and arms.
However, Morikawa recently highlighted how he tries to start his backswing by moving his big muscles, before allowing the smaller muscles to follow suit.
When speaking to Golf Digest, Morikawa shared his secret to correctly initiating the backswing.
“I want the big muscles in my chest to initiate my backswing,“ Morikawa explained.
“I feel like my sternum moves back with my hands, and then stretches towards the sky. When your wrists get too fast and snatch the club away, it can cause all sorts of issues.“
By using Morikawa’s method, you should be able to create more effortless power, and your ball-striking will become more consistent.
Why Collin Morikawa’s tip makes so much sense
The reason for this is because you will then become less reliant on the timing of your hands through impact.
If your body turns as one and your arms follow, you will have a far greater chance of striking the ball consistently well.
In addition to that, initiating your backswing with your torso will enable you to create more power and speed rather than wasting the majority of your energy before you’ve started your downswing.
A good way to help you get the feeling for what’s required here is to take your club away ‘low and slow’.
Keep your clubhead as low to the ground for as long as you can on your backswing whilst feeling like you’re storing all of your energy up before you make the transition to your downswing.
It will feel alien at first but just like any change to the golf swing, the more you practice the move, the more comfortable you will become with it.