Rafa Cabrera-Bello Swing Analysis

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

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 July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he went on to become a feature writer interviewing many of the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy and Arnold Palmer.

A 5-handicap golfer, Neil is a club member who takes a keen interest in the health of the game at grassroots level. You’ll often now find him writing about club-related issues such as WHS, membership retention and how best to bridge the gap between the range and the course.