If you don’t do it
We’ve established that straightening the trail arm early causes a loss of posture, but what exactly happens? The hips push towards the ball, and the spine loses its forward tilt ( right ). You see, your brain is very good at heading off trouble. When your trail arm straightens too soon, your brain senses that the club, in effect, is getting longer, so it tells your body to stand up to compensate. Obviously, that’s no recipe for consistent contact. You might time it right now and then, but you’re likely to hit a lot of fat and thin iron shots. Sound familiar?
Drill: The Throw
Here’s another great way to train the correct straightening of the trail arm on the downswing. Place a ball two metres in front of you on your target line, hold another ball in your trail hand, and take your setup without a club. Now, swing your trail arm back like you’re making a normal backswing, then start down and throw the ball ( left ) at the other one on the ground. If you hit it, or come close, it means you kept your trail elbow bent as your arm moved back in front of you. If your arm were to straighten too soon, you’d slam the ball down right in front of you.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 91
MAY 2024
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