The Release! What it Should and Shouldn't Be.

I encounter many golfers who are unconsciously trying to manipulate the club face through impact in an attempt to keep the face square and the ball on line. They have a sense that holding the face off will somehow keep it square through impact. I get it, but the message I’d like all to get from this article today is that holding off when it is not required simply doesn’t work. In fact, I’m of the opinion that holding the face off actually decreases the golfer’s ability to control the face angle at impact. Watch this for a better understanding…

Here are a few notes to take away:

• In the downswing the club face is always closing relative to the target. This is purely a function of the rotation inherent to the swing.

• The release starts long before impact and is strongly influenced by the face angle in the early part of the downswing. An open face will encourage an early release, while a closed face will delay the release.

• The lead wrist goes from flexion (bowed) to extension (cupped), while the trail wrist does just the opposite, just the same as if you were throwing a frisbee with your lead hand and a ball with your trail hand.

• Semantics: a scoop is when a player adds loft and a flip is when a player is required to speed up the rate at which the face is closing.

Try the little exercise I demonstrated with the magnetic club face indicator. Start with one hand for a few swings and then add both for a few swings. Pay attention to how quiet the face actually is through the impact zone. Don’t swing too hard with the indicator on the club face or it will go flying! In real swings the feel should be that you are letting the wrists and clubhead fly in the downswing and through the strike. Throw it - hard!

Thanks for watching and please shout if you have any questions or comments. Happy Holidays from myself and my family to you and yours.

Rotation Drill

Most of us should be working towards better rotation through impact. One of the biggest differences I see between the everyday golfer and the pros is the amount of hip rotation that has occurred at impact. What I call the “two cheek” impact position where both butt cheeks are visible from down the line at impact. This drill will help! Take a look…

Notes:

• Grab an 8 or 9 iron and set up to the ball which initially should be on a tee.

• Wind about halfway back into the backswing and pump down to where the shaft is approximately parallel to the ground. Here you should feel your chest and hips as open as you can possibly get them.

• After a few rehearsals give the ball a light hit and slowly build up speed while incorporating this sense into full speed swings.

Let’s keep in mind that in order to be able to rotate more freely through impact is largely an indicator of the clubhead and club face being in an acceptable position in the early part of the downswing. If your club face is wide open and you try to rotate more through impact there’s a strong chance you’ll actually hit the ball worse! Start with getting the clubhead deep in the early downswing and the club face fairly strong - from there this drill will work wonders for your ballstriking.

Thanks so much for watching/reading along. I hope that in some small way I am able to contribute to the joy you experience out on the links. Until next time…

A Strict No Tipping Policy!

We’ve all been there - a constant battle between fats and thins, blocks and sweeping hooks! This malady is something I experience all too often on my lesson tee and I have an idea that I know will help many of you. Once you work your way through this article your approach to ball striking, your concept of how it should work, will never be the same again. Take a look…

I have come to believe that the primary culprit in tipping the upper body back is the quest to work the clubhead back to the inside or shallow the club on the downswing. I’ve written that “It’s All About Impact”, but you can only arrive at an appropriate impact when certain elements are in place going back and on the way down. The better the clubhead is positioned in the early downswing the less likely golfers are to tip their shoulders and spine away from the target too early.

Here’s a face on shot of Tiger Woods from the PGA Championship in San Francisco. I like this example as the bottom of his sleeves seem to correlate to shoulder tilt in these frames.

Tiger Woods

Frame 1: Far too many golfers have significantly more shoulder tilt than this at address. The lead shoulder should always be higher, but only marginally.

Frame 2: It’s amazing that Tiger can turn this well after his back issues. That being said, notice how much higher the trail shoulder is than the lead. He has turned well, but perhaps more importantly, he has pivoted on a fairly steep incline with the shoulders.

Frame 3: The inclined pivot going back has aided his ability to initiate the downswing without a hint of tipping away from the target. The weight is left and the body is rotating appropriately.

Frame 4: A great checkpoint for all golfers - make sure that just before the shaft gets back to parallel to the ground, your shoulders (or sleeves) are pretty close to parallel to the ground as well. From here the low point of the arc is well forward of the ball and the player can rotate freely through impact, aiding with club face control. Better ball striking and accuracy!

Get out to the practice tee and make a few exaggerated practice swings as I demonstrated in the video above. It will, and should, feel strange, but straight away you’ll notice how the low point to the swing is now after impact and you can rotate more freely through the strike. Give it a go and let me know your findings.

Thanks for reading!

The What, the Why and the How about "Getting Open" at Impact

What does 'get open' at impact mean? Why is it important to be open with your hips and chest as you approach impact? Now for the million dollar question - how can I do it? Start by taking a few minutes to watch and listen as I address all of these questions here...

What is it?

• PGA Tour players are on average around 45º open with their hips and around 25º open with their chest at impact
• Some are more and some are less, but all are open to some degree

Why is it important?

• Getting the body rotating through impact allows for the hands to play a more passive role, thus allowing for a quieter clubface through the strike
• Most golfers hit shots off line due to an inability to control the clubface through impact
• All golfers would like to be more predictable with their ball flight and a quieter clubface through the strike will typically lead to improved control

How can I get open?

• Get the clubhead deeper/more behind you as you start the downswing
• Use your wrist angles to maintain control over the clubface and get it in place for a passive ride through impact
• Observe your lead arm position going up and most importantly, coming down, while avoiding anything extreme

The great golfers pictured above have an uncanny knack at controlling the clubface through impact. I'm convinced that getting the hips and the chest more than less open as the club strikes the ball will help you to become a more consistent golfer. 

Get to it!

A Better Downswing to Reduce Blocks and Hooks

As we all know most golfers tend to struggle with fading and slicing the ball, but there is a large portion of the golf population, typically lower handicap players, that struggle with hooks and the occasional block. This article is for you!

There's a huge correlation between between a golfer's club speed and their handicap. The higher the speed, typically, the lower the handicap. The key is being able to manage the golf club while generating higher club speeds and that can only happen with a proper pivot and more specifically, a proper downswing pivot. Here's how...

As you begin your downswing you want to feel the following:

• The weight remaining on the trail foot for longer
• Cast your net! More rotational and less lateral
• The legs separating slightly
• The handle of the club working out or in front of you while the clubhead stays behind you

The objective here is to get the clubhead traveling less outward and along a more neutral path through impact. Getting your body to rotate on the way down in more of a 'merry-go-round' fashion and less of a 'ferris wheel' fashion will deter the clubhead from getting too far to the inside.  

Try this feel slowly and with soft shots before working up to full swings. You'll be amazed at how challenging it is to actually stay back and rotate versus driving forward. Stick with it and realize that in order to improve the quality of your shots you're going to have to improve how the clubhead communicates with your golf ball.

Thanks for reading and if you have a friend who you feel might benefit from this information please share!