Rafa Cabrera-Bello Swing Analysis

published 8 January 2016

Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Paul Foston offers his Rafa Cabrera-Belo swing analysis by taking a close look at his swing in this slow motion video

Rafa Cabrera-Bello Swing Analysis

Take a quick look at the video that accompanies this piece and you’ll notice one thing immediately. This is a young man’s swing! It is athletic, supple and powerful, and when you start to analyse the detail, it is easy to see why he averaged 290 yards off the tee at 61% of fairways hit in 2015.

Interestingly these attributes of athleticism and power are evident in the only static position in the golf swing – address. He’s relaxed but also beautifully poised, ready for action. He sets a perfect posture with his hands hanging directly down beneath him – textbook! As he moves into the takeaway his hands, arms, club and body all work together. This is the beginning of the synchronisation that allows him to combine power with accuracy.

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The most impressive position in this golf swing is at the top of the backswing. He has a huge upper body turn – over 90˚ and yet his hips have rotated only a very small amount. The flexibility required to do this is impressive and the rotation in his upper body working against the stability of his lower half is the real engine of his swing.

As he starts into the downswing his hips have bumped towards the target. This creates the room to then drop the club down into a fantastic delivery position. After the bump of the hips comes their rotation towards the target. This is seriously fast, moving his weight to the left and leading his upper body through its’ rotation towards the target. With his body cleared, he can release the angle in his wrists with power and accuracy.

Despite the speed of his swing, Cabrera-Bello is able to finish in perfect balance. This is an example of effortless power – a golf swing that combines athleticism with great mechanics to deliver both speed and accuracy.

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