B BODY / TOUR TECHNIQUE
HIT IT LOW
TO HIT A LOW PIERCING SHOT that can penetrate almost any wind, you need to adjust your swing speed and the club’s
POINT THE FACE DOWN • Most amateurs need help hitting the ball lower because of an open clubface at impact. It’s hard to flight the ball low if you’re consistently delivering the face open, which creates more loft and spin. To fix this, pay attention to the face on the takeaway. Swing the shaft back to parallel and check that the grooves are pointing down towards the ground (top photo, left), not the sky. If they are, the back of your lead wrist will be flat, not cupped, mirroring that of the face both here and all the way to the top of your backswing ( left ). From this square position you will find it much easier to hit the ball solid and bring the flight down.
loft. You subtract speed by abbreviating the length of your backswing ( above, left ) and follow- through ( above, right ). This is done automatically by narrowing your stance, which restricts your ability to turn your hips and shoulders on the backswing and generate maximum speed. I move my trail foot closer to the target, which effectively moves the ball further back in my stance, slightly behind my sternum. With my upper body more on top of the ball, it’s much easier to return the han- dle ahead of the ball at impact, reducing the loft on the clubface. Don’t get me wrong, I still try to smash it, but by bringing my feet closer together, I can be aggressive without having to worry about imparting too much spin. That’s a good lesson for you: Don’t take speed off by slowing down your body rotation. Make sure that your follow- through is at least as long as your backswing, and let your setup dictate your speed.
82 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2024
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