Rafa Cabrera-Bello

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.

 

Neil Tappin
Editor

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 has also presented many Golf Monthly videos looking at all areas of the game from Tour player interviews to the rules of golf. 

Throughout his time with the brand he has also 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: PING Blueprint S (4&5), PING Blueprint T (6-PW) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X