A unique swing for Brooke Henderson to call her own

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Smiths Falls, Ont. (pop.  8,978) lost a Hershey chocolate factory to Mexico a few years ago.

Producing medicinal marijuana might be Smiths Falls’ growth industry now, but Dave Henderson, a retired elementary school teacher, is having his own success with grass: coaching daughter Brooke – the seventh ranked woman golfer in the world – and sister Brittany, who is an accomplished player who’s taking a year off from her own playing career to caddie for Brooke.

Dave has been and is Brooke’s coach and they’ve developed and polished a golf swing that has been called unconventional on The Golf Channel.

It has been pointed out Henderson swings the club back past parallel – quite a bit at times – and has what you might call a bit of a “handsy” swing, though it’s coupled with a powerful uncoiling of her body. The club gets behind her a bit in the downswing and she straightens both legs at impact.

Well, unconventional is working.

This isn’t Jim Furyk’s quirky action, famously described as an octopus falling out of a tree.

“I’m definitely a feel player. I think everybody is different. I know there are players out here (on the LPGA Tour) who are extremely technical. Lots of times I don’t understand what they’re talking about,” Henderson told Yahoo Sports with a laugh after the third round of the ANA Inspiration, golf’s first major of the year.

“I’ve kind of had the same swing since I was like three years old. Nobody ever really touched it or changed it and I’m really grateful they didn’t. It’s unique to me, but it works.

“I’m always trying to get it a little bit stronger and a little bit tighter and things like that, but it’s definitely my swing and hopefully it’s here for the long run.”

Henderson is a gifted athlete. She was a goaltender during her hockey career, which has given her a strong lower body and she’s got shoulders for which an Olympic swimmer would gladly surrender their Speedo.

Dave Henderson figured if you can’t move the ball on the LPGA Tour, you are not going to contend. Turns out not only do chicks dig the long ball, but their dads do, too.

The Hendersons’ goal this year was to squeeze another 10 yards out of that physical prowess.

She averaged about 253 yards off the tee at the Women’s U.S. Open last summer.

At the ANA Inspiration, Henderson was averaging 267.7 yards a drive through three rounds, good for sixth in the field (nobody was close to leader Lexi Thompson, who was cranking them out 290 yards).

To try and get those extra yards, Dave said they were willing to sacrifice a little accuracy. They studied the technique of two-time Canadian long drive champ Jamie Sadlowski.

“We try and get a little bit better every day, every week, every month, every year,” Dave said. “We tried to lengthen out her swing on purpose. You watch Jamie Sadlowski and the position he gets his wrists in – he’s 5-11, 170 pounds and he’s hitting it 400 yards – so we talked about that.

“We’re willing to give up a couple of fairways. Lots of times we miss them on purpose to get better angles into greens as long as the rough or sand dictates that. The fairways here (at the ANA) are narrow and the grass is very long and deep and it’s probably hurt us a little bit, but unless you get the ball out there, you’re never going to compete anyway.”

Through it all is the underlying individualism of Henderson’s swing, but she knows it. She feels it.

“Like a blind person playing a musical instrument, they feel the notes, they hear the notes. Brook plays like that when she golfs,” said Dave.

“A lot of people say she swings past parallel, but we often go by the rule, who can swing 126 mph and keep the face square? If you can do that, does it really matter the rest of the positions?”

There you have it.

It’s a swing the Hendersons own.

When it comes to Smiths Falls, there’s apparently success to be had with the home grown stuff.