Golf coach decodes Tommy Fleetwood’s recently improved ‘windmill’ golf swing
Tommy Fleetwood is a player who is known for his refined swing technique. Recently, the Englishman has made some adjustments, moving toward a "windmill" swing that has brought him good results.
Coach Dennis Sales has published a study about Tommy Fleetwood's swing on his X (former Twitter) account @DennisSalesGolf to provide the most comprehensive illustration of the Englishman's movements.
The study consisted of three posts in which he studied Tommy Fleetwood's swing from different angles. In the third, the player himself explains how his swing works by prioritizing core movement and keeping his arms and forearms straight and firm.
Coach Dennis Sales, for his part, summarized the study in his final post with the following words:
"Some keys that Fleetwood has used to develop his golf swing. To me, this is the biggest reason behind why he has built such a great swing.
The “WINDMILL” swing is simple. To perform it one needs to do a few things.
1- I love the hit hard stop fast concept. It becomes like cracking a whip. Acceleration to deceleration is good.
2- Arms straight to maintain better arm structure. These pieces help the maintenance of the triangle (formed by both arms and the torso)."
Dennis Sales is one of the top golf instructors in the United States. He is currently based in Texas where he has a large student base. Throughout his career, he has worked with some of the biggest names in the game, including two-time Major champion Zach Johnson.
Who is Tommy Fleetwood?
Tommy Fleetwood, 32, is a player who has had an interesting professional career. His main successes have come on the DP World Tour, although he has also had good performances on the PGA Tour.
He started as a professional golfer in 2010, playing in some developmental tournaments such as the Challenge Tour and the PGA EuroPro Tour. He won both in 2011, which quickly led him to the DP World Tour.
His first win on a major European Tour came at the 2013 Johnnie Walker Championship. Since then, he has won five more tournaments on the Tour.
He made his debut on the PGA Tour in 2013, but it was not until 2018 that he became a member of the main world Tour. At this level, his best result has been a tie for second, which he has achieved five times.
As for the Majors, Fleetwood has had good results even though he has not won. In 34 appearances, he has finished in the top 10 seven times, with two runner-up finishes (2018 U.S. Open and 2019 The Open).
Fleetwood also has an active international career. He has represented Europe in three editions of the Ryder Cup, winning twice (2018 and 2023). He also represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he finished T16 with a score of 11-under 273.