Ludvig Åberg is one of the brightest young stars in golf today. Since turning professional in 2023, the 25-year-old has secured a runner-up finish at the Masters, a victory at the Ryder Cup, and two PGA Tour wins to his name.
Perhaps his most impressive performance to date came last week at the Genesis Invitational, where he achieved a come-from-behind victory at Torrey Pines in the Signature Event. With this win, Åberg snapped a winless streak that had lasted over a year — and reminded the golfing world why so many are excited about his potential.
“He’s like the Terminator of golf swings,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jonathan Yarwood. “It’s like he’s a cyborg. He never makes a swing that looks any different.”
In a game where consistency is key, there may be no greater compliment.
On the heels of Åberg’s big win, Yarwood sat down with GOLF.com to break down the young Swede’s swing — and explain the moves you should copy for your own game.
Ludvig’s ‘effortless’ speed
Åberg does not have any quantifiable weakness in his game. During the 2024 season, he ranked inside the top 25 in Strokes Gained: Total, Off the Tee, and Approach. In his weakest strokes-gained category, around the green, he was just about Tour average.
Åberg has the full package when it comes to modern skillsets, but where he really separates himself from his peers is off the tee. Over the course of his first full season on Tour, he ranked 14th, gaining more than half a shot per round over the field.
Much of this proficiency off the tee can be attributed to his ability to hit the ball not only far (with an average clubhead speed of 119.7 mph) but straight — and he does so in a manner that looks incredibly simple.
“He just creates effortless speed,” Yarwood says. “When you look at it, everything is so sequenced and harmonised together. All you have to do is look at his finish — how it just snaps to the finish every single time. It’s like a metronome.”
Åberg’s elite sequencing and fluidity are poetry in motion, but the real secret to his “effortless” swing speed lies in the way he uses the ground.
According to Yarwood, Åberg sways a bit more off the ball than typical Tour pros, which shifts the mass and pressure into his trail foot. From this position, he’s created plenty of resistance and potential energy, which he unleashes in the downswing.
“He then shifts hard to the left with both his upper and lower body, pushing down into his left foot,” Yarwood explains. “As he strikes, he pushes out of the ground, and his lead side extends beautifully — his body opens up at just the right time, with controlled violence, almost like a punch from Ali or Tyson. It’s a very sophisticated movement with a lot of physics, but it looks like ballet. It’s amazing to watch.”
You can see this move in action in the video below.
How you can copy Åberg
Hoping to swing exactly like Åberg may be a fool’s errand, but that doesn’t mean you can’t copy certain movements and apply them to your own game. However, the type of movement you can apply depends on your ability.
High-handicap players
For higher-handicap players with less athletic ability, you shouldn’t attempt to copy all of Åberg’s sequencing. Instead, focus on just his move off the ball and load into the trail foot.
“A lot of people try to keep their heads still, but his head moves, and his mass shifts into the right foot,” Yarwood says. “For less athletic players, you can still shift your lower body and keep your head back on the downswing. This will raise your attack angle.”
With a higher attack angle, you can hit up on the ball more and generate much more power off the tee than you would otherwise.
Low-handicap players
If you’re a more technically advanced and athletic golfer, you can try to incorporate more of Åberg’s sequencing moves into your own swing. You’ll still want to load your pressure into the trail foot, but to initiate the downswing, you’ll want to “bump” into your lead side.
“A more sophisticated move, like he does, is to bump into the right side,” Yarwood says. “Then shift back to the left and push into the ground, which will move the head back and increase the attack angle.”
This move is much more sophisticated — but if you can successfully master it, you’ll generate tons of clubhead speed, just like Åberg does.
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