Swing sequence: Tiger Woods in Dubai

The changes that Tiger Woods has made to protect his back appear to be paying off, and are evident in this fairway wood sequence taken on Tuesday at the Dubai Desert Classic. It also seems as if Woods has gone back to some of the core principles he displayed in his younger days - mainly, more width, forearm rotation and overall height in the backswing along with a more traditional weight transfer. Check out the photo gallery and GCA lead coach Travis Fulton’s analysis to learn more.

Tiger has always had one of the best setups in the game. You can draw a straight line down from the back of his collar to his toes, a sign of excellent balance.

FAVORITE MOVE No. 1: I like how his hands are wider and more in front of his body at this point, a signature of his early days.

Tiger’s right hip is higher than his left, which suggests he’s applying more pressure into his right heel. This allows him to stay taller to the top of the backswing.

There’s much more extension to his spine at the top of the backswing. He’s maintaining his height whereas before his spine would gradually lower on the backswing.

He’s done a relatively good job of staying in his spine angle and allowing his hands to work out toward the ball, which shallows the club.

FAVORITE MOVE No. 2: Tiger would like to replicate this position with all of his woods. The shaft is slightly above his trail forearm, not underneath, which suggests that the overall path is more to the left, promoting a fade.

By transferring his weight from his right heel to his left foot he’s able to stay more on top of the ball at impact, which reduces stress on the lower back.

FAVORITE MOVE No. 3: The path of his hands is working back up and to the left here, allowing the club to turn the corner nicely and minimize face rotation.

The shaft exits just at the bottom of his left shoulder and there’s an ideal amount of club face rotation, suggesting the path is staying to the left - a good sign for Tiger, who struggles when his path is too much to the right.

Tiger is standing tall on his left side with a very level belt line, which alleviates tons of pressure off of his lower back. Very much of an “I” finish versus a “C” finish.

Travis Fulton, who did the Tiger swing analysis, is the lead instructor at the Golf Channel Academy with Travis Fulton, located at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. For more information about Travis, a regular co-host on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive talk show, and to book a lesson, please click here.

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Swing sequence: Tiger Woods in Dubai