GETTING OFF TO A BETTER START
Most of the changes we made were to my backswing, and it started right off the ball. As I said, I had a ten- dency to pull my hands in and leave the clubhead out. You can see in this photo (below) that the clubhead is just inside my hands, which is where I want it. In my old swing, the clubhead would have been well outside my hands. That’s always been a problem for me and requires re-routing the backswing to set the club in a good position at the top. Nothing beats starting the club on line and letting the swing flow from there. Knowing that, we worked on getting my hands and the club tracking to the inside in sync. A good image for me is that the clubhead moves first, getting a little head start before the handle moves – after all, the clubhead has further to go. It’s also important that my upper body is beginning to turn at the same time so that I feel some pinch pressure in my right armpit, which keeps my arm swing and body turn connected. A lot of times I rehearse my takeaway before I swing, making sure my hands and the clubhead are lined up.
“Rickie was getting out of position right away, which put him on a recovery mission. A good check- point for any golfer is when the shaft gets parallel to the ground. Make it line up with your stance line, which means the club is starting on the correct plane. Some golfers practice with a club across their toes and match up the shaft they’re swinging to the one on the ground. I prefer to lay the club across the heels, because some golfers flare one or both feet. Getting started right can’t be overstated.”
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GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 43
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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