OF ALL THE THINGS THE BEST GOLFERS IN THE WORLD DO WELL, which moves should average players try to add to their games? I know what you’re thinking: There’s no way I can move like that. To some extent, I agree with you. I’ve been coaching on tour for 20 years, and players have never been more fit or had more immediate, accurate feedback on how they’re swinging. Most of them have been doing golf-specific exercises since col- lege, and they track their technique every day, so they’re able to do things we can only dream of. However, not every tour-pro move is off limits – you might be surprised that there’s lots you can steal. You just need to know what to focus on. The good news is, you don’t have to be perfect: The better you do these things, the more they’ll help. It’s not all or nothing. By adding these pro moves, you will mimic the best players where it matters the most and lower your scores. – With Drew Powell
250-300
Keep Your Trail Arm Soft
open a little as you bend the right arm, which will put you in a perfect backswing position every time. To determine if your trail arm needs softening, take a picture of your setup from down the line. From this angle, you should see the trail arm sitting below the lead arm. Feeling like your trail elbow is pointing more towards the centre of your body will help get you into the proper setup position. If your arm is straight or your elbow is facing the camera, you know you need to loosen it up.
arm is too internally rotated because it’s rigid, which shoves the shoulders open. With open shoulders, you’ll tend to take the club back too far outside, which leads to that dreaded out-to-in path coming down and a slice. A softer trail arm also promotes an on-plane backswing, where the club moves on the plane established by the shaft to the ground at address. The trail arm controls the structure of the backswing, and by keeping it bent slightly at address, it’s easier to fold it going back. The clubface will naturally
he setup is critical to allowing the club and body to move properly in the backswing. On tour, nearly every player
starts with a soft trail arm. The right elbow for right-handers is slightly bent at address and when viewed from behind, looking down the target line, it sits below the left arm ( above ). This serves two crucial functions. First, it squares up your shoulders. Many aver- age golfers who fight a slice tend to get their shoulders open in the setup. This often happens when the right
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80 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MAY 2025
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