Intermediate

Golf Tips: Copy Nelly Korda's Swing Tempo With These 3 Keys

By Brendon Elliott, PGA
Published on

With no disrespect to Scottie Scheffler and his dominance in the men's game, Nelly Korda may be the best golfer on the planet right now. Going for her fifth straight win this week at The Chevron Championship, the LPGA's first major of the year, Nelly sits in a very familiar place near the top of the leaderboard.
One of the most striking things about Nelly's swing is its fluidity. Her motion is smooth and graceful, with no wasted or unnecessary movements. Her natural rhythm and tempo allow her to generate power without sacrificing accuracy.
Another key element of Nelly's swing is her balance. She maintains a stable base throughout her swing, which allows her to continually make solid contact and control her shot trajectory. Her weight shift is subtle and controlled, which helps her to maintain her balance and generate power.
Nelly's swing also features a high level of coordination between her upper body and lower body. Her hips and shoulders rotate in a way that creates proper resistance between each other, allowing her to generate torque and power. Her arms and hands remain relaxed and passive, allowing the club head to do the work.
Of course, Nelly's swing didn't develop overnight. It has taken years of hard work and dedication to reach the level of proficiency that she now possesses. The following three tips can help you find better balance, fluidity, and rhythm in your swing, but, just like with Nelly, it will take some time to really get things dialed in.
Focus on your posture
Maintaining good posture from set up and throughout your swing is essential for achieving balance and fluidity. As you get set, focus on keeping your spine and sternum steady and over the ball, with your weight evenly distributed and your feet shoulder-width apart. This will help you maintain your balance throughout the swing.
As you move throughout your swing, always try to maintain that feeling of centeredness, with those critical points of the spine and sternum steady and over the ball.
Practice your transition
Many golfers lose rhythm and fluidity during the transition between the backswing and downswing.
To improve this, practice your transition by slowing down your swing and focusing on the smoothness of the movement. Once you have mastered a slow and smooth transition, gradually increase your speed until you can maintain the same fluidity at a faster pace.
Use your hips correctly
A consistent and solid golf swing relies heavily on using your hips correctly. This helps generate power and maintain fluidity. Additionally, it allows for a consistent strike at impact and a reliable shot shape. Check out this sequence from Nelly:
Notice Nelly rotating her hips throughout the swing, starting with her backswing and continuing through to your follow-through. As you swing back, your hips should rotate around 45 degrees, with your upper torso rotating an additional 45 degrees beyond that. That resistance between your upper body, rotating closer to 90 degrees, and your 45-degree hip turn creates the wind-up, which is necessary for you to be powerful once you transition down from the top of the swing.
As you unwind in the downswing, your hips must lead the way and rotate out of the way so that your hands and club can approach the ball from the inside. Hips that do not clear properly in the downswing create problems with consistency in your swing.
Turns out, there's a lot you can learn from one of the LPGA's stars who's on an unreal run!
Brendon R. Elliott, PGA

Sorrento, FL

Brendon Elliott

Director of Instruction, Freelance Golf Writer

[Brendon Elliott, PGA](https://brendonelliott.com/), is an award-winning PGA Professional, player-development coach and nationally recognized golf writer with three decades of experience in the golf industry. As of 2026, he has been a PGA Professional for 17 years and has earned more than 25 PGA Section and Chapter honors for his work in coaching, education and player development. In 2017, he received the PGA of America National Youth Player Development Award. ## Coaching Competitive Teenage Golfers Through [BE A GOLFER](https://beagolfer.golf/home), Brendon specializes in working with competitive teenage golfers who want to improve their performance, better understand their games and prepare for the demands of high school, junior tournament and college golf. His primary focus is [Remote Coaching](https://beagolfer.golf/remote-coaching), which allows him to remain actively involved in a player’s development regardless of location. Rather than relying on occasional lessons or isolated swing fixes, Brendon works with players throughout their competitive journey. His coaching covers much more than the golf swing. Players receive ongoing guidance in structured practice, short-game development, putting, course management, tournament preparation, performance analysis, goal setting and the mental and physical habits required to improve over time. Using video analysis, virtual coaching sessions, performance data and regular communication, Brendon helps each player understand what to work on, why it matters and how to make meaningful progress between practices and tournaments. Brendon accepts only a limited number of in-person students in Central Florida. His priority is building long-term [Remote Coaching](https://beagolfer.golf/remote-coaching) relationships with competitive teenage golfers and their families. The goal is not simply to help a young player hit better shots. It is to help that player become more prepared, more accountable and more capable of navigating everything competitive golf demands. Brendon’s career has included serving as a head golf professional, general manager, college golf educator, career development director, academy owner and longtime junior golf leader. He founded Little Linksters Golf Academy in 2008 and led the organization for more than 16 years before selling the academy in late 2024 and launching [BE A GOLFER](https://beagolfer.golf/home). ## Golf Writing and Media Brendon is also a nationally recognized and prolific golf writer and storyteller. He is the Senior Golf Writer for [Athlon Sports](https://athlonsports.com/author/brendon-elliott) and has written extensively about professional golf, instruction, player development, equipment, golf history and the people shaping the game. His work has also appeared with PGA.com, GolfWRX, PGA Magazine, MyGolfSpy and several other prominent golf media outlets. Through [One More Roll Golf Media](https://onemorerollgolf.com/), Brendon provides editorial content, feature writing, consulting and media services throughout the golf industry. His background as a coach and educator shapes the way he writes, while his work as a writer strengthens the way he coaches. He understands how to explain complicated ideas clearly, ask better questions and connect the technical, strategic and personal sides of golf.