2011-01-05 16:12
Master employing your right hand
For an efficient golf swing your left side needs to play a dominant role as the centrifugal force is created by that side. However, to get your game to the next level you need to learn to employ your right hand and arm correctly instead of focusing on your left side only.
Right-handers do things better with the right hand in daily life. They unlock the car with the right hand and turn on the lights with the right hand. With the right hand things are felt to be more natural, comfortable and easier to do. It is just a forced and awkward action for the right-handed golfers to hit the ball with their left hand only. It is not easy for right-handers to hit the ball consistently well unless their left hand is supported and guided by the right. To be a top-notch ballstriker you need to learn to use your right hand and right arm correctly during the swing. Golf is a two-handed game and it's imperative that your strong dexterous right hand support and guide your weak clumsy left hand. A good way of learning the correct movements of your right hand and arm is to practice throwing or tossing a ball with your right hand. Start with your address position, holding a club against the ground with your left hand. Be sure there is enough room between your abdomen and left arm to swing your right hand and right arm through. Now, holding a ball in the fingers of your right hand, swing your right hand and right arm back fully and throw the ball as far as you can through the space created between the club and your body. The clubhead in contact with the ground allows your head and upper body to remain quiet behind the ball, encouraging you to swing your right hand and right arm correctly backward and forward. Repeat this drill until you feel the new sensation of the correct movement of your right hand and right arm as it brings about many good things. First of all, it helps your bodyweight remain on the inside muscles of your right foot and leg at the top of the backswing, right forearm and bicep forming an L-shape. Second, it encourages your lower body to lead the downswing, preventing your shoulders and hips from rotating prematurely or immoderately on the forward swing. Third, it allows your right elbow to tuck closely to the side halfway down, with the upper part of your left arm tightly pressed against the side of your chest through the ball. This is critical for hitting the ball powerfully on a path that is from inside to out. Fourth, it enables your right heel to come off the ground at the right moment well after impact. Raising the right heel prematurely on the downswing means over-the-top move that causes pull to the left or pull-slice. Last but not least, it facilitates pulling the club down at the early part of the downswing and pushing it toward the target through the ball. Halfway down a tug-of-war position is created, which is critical to hitting the ball solidly with accuracy. In a nutshell, correctly using your right hand and arm encourages a variety of good things to happen naturally and automatically without any extra effort. Golf swing is identical to a throwing motion and one of the good ways to be a powerful ballstriker is to swing the club with the throwing motion, which requires your right hand and right arm to play a dominant role through the shot. Right-handed golfers, particularly advanced players, would be better off spending the lion's share of their practice time and energy to master using their right hand and arm correctly rather than trying to learn to use their left hand and arm at full stretch. That enables your left hand and arm to work correctly and naturally guided by the right. That is the far quicker, easier and more efficient way to learn and master a good golf swing. |