Paul McGinley Swing Sequence

Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Barney Puttick takes an in-depth look at a Paul McGinley Swing Sequence to see what you can learn from Europe's Ryder Cup Captain

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This Paul McGinley swing sequence is one of my favourites on tour. It’s an uncomplicated action that Paul is able to repeat time after time. This is one of the main reasons why the 47-year old remains competitive.

We can all take a lot from this action, particularly compared to players like Dustin Johnson who, at 6ft 4in and 14 stone, is nine inches taller and 2.5 stone heavier than Paul and with an action the majority of us would struggle to recreate. Something that all golfers would do well to imitate is Paul’s set-up. It is technically superb, and provides a very stable base from which to initiate the swing. From there, the swing remains impressively on plane throughout.

In fact, if you were to put Paul on the Explanar (a training aid designed to encourage golfers to swing on the optimum plane) it would fit perfectly. I’ve used this swing in lessons to demonstrate how to swing on plane. Imagine a wheel or hoop running around Paul’s body, on plane with the set-up, and his path would fit this wheel throughout.

I’m a particularly big fan of the movement Paul makes from the top of his swing, which initiates the downward motion. The weight transfer and turn on to the left side are outstanding. It’s almost the complete opposite to stack and tilt, and is one of the main reasons Paul is able to create impressive power, relative to his height. Note that this is a turn rather than a sway, a trap that many golfers fall into, particularly when trying to hit the ball further.

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This Paul McGinley swing sequence shows that the repetitive nature of the action, the fantastic rhythm and the outstanding change of direction into the downswing all mean that there’s no reason why Paul can’t continue to play well. Once the pressure of the Ryder Cup has passed, I have absolutely no doubt the 2014 European captain will go on to be very competitive on the Senior Tour, if he wishes, when he reaches the age of 50.

Neil Tappin
Digital Editor

In his current role, Neil is responsible for testing drivers and golf balls. Having been a part of the Golf Monthly team for over 15 years and playing off a handicap of 3, he has the experience to compare performance between models, brands and generations. For 2022 he thinks the main trend in drivers is: "In a word, consistency. Whilst all the brands are talking about ball speed (and the new drivers are certainly long), my biggest finding has been how much more consistent the ball flights are. Mishits don't seem to be causing the same level of drop-off or increase in the spin numbers. This means that more shots seem to be flying the way you want them to!" As far as golf balls are concerned the biggest development is in the, "three piece, non-Tour, urethane-covered section. For regular golfers, these models offer superb performance at both ends of the bag without denting your wallet quite as much as the premium Tour-played options."


Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he is now the brand's Digital Editor and covers everything from Tour player interviews to gear reviews. In his time at Golf Monthly, he has covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points. 

Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons (4-9): Mizuno JPX 919 Forged Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 46˚, 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X