If you don’t do it
The lifting action that plagues poor pitchers has a distinct look if you freeze the swing right before the club reaches the ball ( right ). The hands are back – the trail hand under the trail shoulder and its palm turning upwards. From this position, the clubhead bottoms out behind the ball, typically producing chunks or skulls. If you manage to get lucky and catch one solid, you still hit a weak shot because you’ve added loft to the clubface that you didn’t expect. Compare this to the correct image on the previous page ( left ). The hands are centred on the body, the trail arm is pointing in front of the ball, and the chest is turning towards the target. That’s how you hit solid pitch shots with predictable loft.
Drill: The Impact Tap
The other drills got your body turning to impact (The Towel Turn) and your trail arm straightening correctly (The Throw). Now let’s get a club in your hands. Swing a 6-iron but stop halfway down, keeping the bend in your trail elbow and wrist ( far left ). Then, turn your body forward until your hands are in front of the ball and stop ( middle photo ). Finally, tap the club into the ball, hitting it 10 metres or so ( left ). This teaches you to not lift or add loft to the face; just turn forward and straighten your arm to hit the ball. Ingrain those moves (pitching first, then full swing) to learn what great impact feels like.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 93
MAY 2024
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online