Eddie Pepperell swing sequence

Golf Monthly looks at Eddie Pepperell's drive and gives you the advice you need to hit the perfect shot.

Eddie Pepperell shows you how to perfect your driver shots.

Even on tour there are differences in the quality of each player’s ball striking.

But from my memory of watching him at elite boys’ level in the past and analysing this series of photos, it’s clear that Eddie hits the ball very solidly.

To illustrate the point, I’m going to cut straight to his move through impact. In pictures four and five on the top row, notice how well over the ball his upper body is.

Even with a driver in hand there’s no hint of his upper body hanging back or lifting off the shot. He stays in his posture beautifully, and this helps him really squeeze the ball at impact – something that all great ball strikers have in common.

Interestingly, Eddie’s great strength – his ability to squeeze the ball at impact – may also, at times, be his weakness.

I suspect his bad shot comes when his upper body gets ahead of the ball at impact, and his weight shifts too quickly on to his left side in the downswing, leading to a block.

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Of course, his fairly brisk but consistent rhythm and excellent timing ensure this rarely happens, hence his rapid rise.

The other elements of Eddie’s swing to pay particular attention to are his spine angle and swing plane.

In the bottom row, you can see how well he sets and retains his posture throughout the swing. Despite making a powerful upper-body turn, that spine angle remains constant.

It’s this key element that helps him swing the club on a great plane, which produces a very neutral ball flight.

There’s something pleasingly old-fashioned about Eddie’s swing – he relies on solid foundations and simple mechanics to deliver a crushing blow.

I really like his demeanour as he goes about his business, too, so wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him progress further quite quickly over the coming years.