THE GENIUS OF JORDAN

HE WANTED A CONFIDENT, RELIABLE SWING. HE FOUND IT IN A CLEVER WAY

- RON KASPRISKE

photographs by WALTER IOOSS JR.

ATHLETIC FROM THE START

Among the improvements Jordan Spieth and his coach, Cameron McCormick, have worked on is to get Spieth in a more athletic setup. A deeper hip hinge at address (right) puts him in position to make a more dynamic swing.

A GRIP THAT WORKS BETTER FOR HIS BALL FLIGHT

Since recovering from a painful injury to his left hand, Spieth has been able to strengthen the orientation of his hands on the club so the right palm is turned slightly more under the shaft(below). This gives him better control of the clubface, so he doesn’t lose many shots to the right.

If social distancing during the pandemic has revealed anything noteworthy about how PGA Tour pros go about their business, it might be just how much thought Jordan Spieth puts into every shot he hits. Without large galleries to muffle what is said inside tournament ropes, Spieth’s conversations with his caddie, Michael Greller, have been a fascinating peek inside the mind of one of the game’s most thoughtful and determined players.

“He’s worked very hard over a long period to get his swing to where, when he takes the club back, he’s only got a picture in his mind about the ball flight he’s trying to create. That’s what he’s talking [to Michael] about,” says his longtime coach, Cameron McCormick. “His swing is now jelling with what he sees. There’s no conflict.”