Many amateur players struggle to hit fairways consistently when hitting their woods.
When the arms ‘overly-separate’ from the body during the backswing, an incorrect ‘out-to-in‘ swingpath is created for the resulting downswing. An ‘out-to-in’ swingpath delivers an overly ‘steep’ angle of attack into the ball at impact. This is especially detrimental when hitting the longer (less lofted) clubs.
A ‘too-steep’ completed backswing is most commonly caused by a lack of shoulder and
hip rotation – instead, the arms excessively separate from the body ‘lifting’ the club upwards whilst the body remains static.
An incorrect backswing position prevents any chance of performing the correct rotational movement into and through impact on the downswing. In an attempt to lay clubface on ball, players inevitably present an ‘open’ clubface at impact. This imparts clockwise/cut spin onto the golf ball causing the ball to curve to the right excessively during its flight.
If you suffer from a slice or excessively left-to-right ball flight, try the following practice drill. It might be deemed a ‘party piece’ however it is a great practice drill to increase your amount of rotational movement throughout the swing when hitting your woods. It will train your arms to remain closer to your body throughout the swing and deliver a clubface at impact that is aligned to your target.
- Tee the golf ball up slightly higher than normal with your Driver and address the golf ball whilst on your knees (it is a good idea to place your golf towel on the ground) See pic 1
- Complete your backswing by rotating your shoulders in sync with your arms. Your club should remain close to the ground (on a flat swingpath) pic 2
- You should have coiled your shoulders and arms against your hips (pic 3 shows completed backswing)
- From here, simply rotate your arms and shoulders back into impact on the same plane/path as the backswing. I suggest doing this slowly to start with – you are not attempting to hit a 300 yard bomb down the practice area (although with a little practice, you will surprise yourself in
how far you can hit the ball from your knees) - Once you can do this consistently, stand up in your normal address position and make swings with the same rotational shoulder and hip movement.
Tom Long – Golf Professional
