t u r f t a l k
Keep the Golf Club Outside the Hands b y To m F i t z p a t r i c k
Amateurs and pros alike can find themselves dragging the handle thru impact, or worse yet flipping the club head through impact, providing
no real compression to the golf ball when hit.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3: A simple drill is to lower your right hand below your left by three inches. Swing back slowly keeping the grip point- ed at your navel while the right arm feels higher than the left. Here’s a pro tip to make it easier to do so: start the swing by pushing the left shoulder down and the lead hand back. It in- stantly starts the club head on its proper track while the hands stay close to your right thigh. Figure 4: The tennis stroke is similar. Rafa Nadal’s arms trav- el back only a short distance at
Figure 3
Rafa Nadal
T he goal in golf is to return the club to the ball at impact in the same position that it started at ad- dress. Once a good grip is established, the handle should start back on an inside track while the club head moves on an outside track. It’s called keeping the club head outside the hands. I like to feel the grip almost brush my right pant leg on the way back. It automatical- ly sets the club head outside the handle with the face still looking at the ball the first two feet of the backswing. Likewise I like to feel the grip brush the pant leg on the way down. That way I know the club will likely return to impact in that same position it held at address. Feel this concept come to life with a 20-yard pitch shot. If you can keep the handle tucked in close to your right thigh, your arms and body will be more synchronized.
You basically are putting the club in the most powerful pre-impact position. You will sense where the shaft best needs to be as it starts its descent into the ball. That’s a really big deal in golf. So often the sum of the swing prior to this descent position determines these vital three feet that the club head travels into the ball. Amateurs and pros alike can find themselves dragging the handle thru impact, or worse yet flipping the club head through impact, providing no real compression to the golf ball when hit. Figures 1 & 2: The zone that the club head stays outside the hands is from when the shaft is horizontal back to horizontal thru. The grip should feel low, not high, thru impact. An added benefit to a low grip at impact is that it helps you maintain your spine angle and not stand up on the shot.
which point the wrists are loaded yet the racket is still outside his hands. The fascinating part is that his racket points slightly downward to meet the ball—that’s the same as in golf. As he strides into the shot the racket continues to be outside his hands—all the way to the finish! Rafa, who is an avid golfer, swings the golf club the same way!
Tom Fitzpatrick is a David Leadbetter certified instructor and an active realtor with Scenic Sotheby’s Intl Realty. Contact him at (850) 225- 4674 or tom@scenicsir.com
Tom Fitzpatrick
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