At address, Zhang is focused on her alignment and grip. "Get those things right, and it’s just two less things to worry about," she says. Specifically, Zhang is looking for a "neutral-grip position" that has her hands matching the orientation of the clubface—the palm of her right hand and back of her left hand are facing the target just like the clubface.
Zhang's longtime coach, George Pinnell, has emphasized the proper sequence of the takeaway: She likes to keep her lower body quiet as the first few feet of the swing are controlled by a coordinated rotation of her upper body and arms. She wants those two to work together rather than start back only with her arms.
As she continues to take the club back, Zhang is focused on maintaining width, which is a helpful thought for golfers who struggle to generate speed. Her thought is, Start wide and stay wide. "When my arms are wide, it takes the slack out of my swing, and prevents me from whipping the club inside," she says.
When Zhang maintains the width in her arms, it also forces her to make a full turn with her shoulders. "A lot of people worry about how far they take the club back before they start the downswing. I don’t think that’s the priority," she says. "It’s more important to take any extra movement out of the swing.
As Zhang begins her downswing, an important focus is on transferring her weight to her front side, which is a helpful thought for golfers who struggle hitting shots off their back foot. "I’m a big believer that the swing happens from the ground up. Before I come down into the ball, I want to get most of my weight into my front side. The goal is to rotate around my left leg like it’s a post," she says.
Zhang's focus on tempo is particularly important at this point in her swing. She's careful not to rush, and says her feel is for the speed to happen down around the ball. "If you start down fast from the top, your timing and tempo will be off and you won’t be accelerating as you hit the shot," she says,
The phrase Zhang and George Pinnell prefer is to let the club find the ball. "Remember, you’re trying to make solid contact more than anything else," she says.
Zhang's focus on tempo and contact means she's only swinging at what she says is 75 percent. She recognizes that might not be the right number for all golfers, so she recommends experimenting with different swings in practice: some at full speed, and others at a smoother tempo. "You’ll start to really understand what pace produces the most solid shots for you," she says.
Finally, Zhang says she's focused on a less messy finish, which is something the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy emphasize as well, and with good reason. "Why? When you finish in balance, fully unwound, it means you made a good swing regardless of where the ball goes," she says.