DRILL: ELEVATE FROM BELOW To train yourself to apply pressure from underneath the shaft during the initial stages of the backswing, take your normal left-hand grip and open your right hand so that your fingers lay flat against the underside of the handle. Rehearse taking the club back to waist high, allowing your chest to turn while raising the clubhead up with your shoulders ( photo, upper right ). The open-faced hand helps isolate your shoulder joints so that they do the primary lifting. Repeat several times and then make several half swings with both hands on the club, mimicking the same feel of lifting from under the grip. Check to see that when the club reaches hip high, it is directly between your arms ( photo, above ). If it’s on plane, it will feel balanced and light, not heavy. Complete your backswing by twisting your ribcage and keeping the clubhead between your arms. So long as the club- head stays centred, it will feel as if it’s right on top of your hands at the comple- tion of your backswing, and the clubface will be square ( photo, previous page ).
CHECKPOINT: KEEP CLUBHEAD BETWEEN ARMS Another good way to validate your takeaway is to loosen your left-hand grip on the club halfway back and let the shaft fall to your shoulders. If you’ve correctly lifted the clubhead with your shoulders and the shaft is on plane, or between your arms ( above, left ), it should come to rest close to your right shoulder joint ( above, right ). Conversely, if you pull the club to the inside on the takeaway, it’s likely to fall behind this shoulder. The relationship between the club and your arms is critical to your swing. Keep it centred between them, and you’ll strike the ball solidly every time, just like the pros.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 41
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
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