Three Keys to Better Impact

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Korea Times Golf Columnist

It's not right to say that there is only one correct way in swinging a golf club. There is a profusion of correct ways to hit the ball successfully. It's as if there were a lot of ways to reach a destination.

Left alone, you will make an efficient swing in accordance with your body type. However, a variety of instructions that do not fit you destroy your natural swing, making the golf swing more difficult than it is. The more faulty instructions you take, the more severely your swing goes wry.

Each individual's swing form needs to differ as much as face does respectively. So, it's essential to find a swing keys that work for you and groove them instead of tinkering with every swing tips you hear and read.

Here are three keys that may fit you.

Bump your left hip slightly for a C-shape finish

One of the most common swing faults committed by recreational golfers is swinging the club on an outside-to-in path on the downswing. This fault results from misusing the left shoulder during the transition from backswing to downswing.

Initiating the downswing in a faulty way by spinning the left shoulder open prematurely to the target forces the hands to move out and away from the body, causing the head to be dragged in front of the ball. That forces the club to approach the ball from outside the ball-target line, resulting in pulls and pull-slices. And the head moving past the ball toward the target causes a sharp descending blow, frequently bringing about chunked iron shots and popped-up drives.

To cure an outside-to-in path on the downswing it's imperative to move your left shoulder correctly. You need to begin your downswing with a slight bump of your left hip toward the target. That lets your arms and hands drop naturally close to the body instead of moving away from the body to the outside.

That also helps keep your back pointed at the target longer during the downswing, allowing your head to remain behind the ball. Your head staying behind the ball on the downswing means a properly shallow angle of attack. You will make thinner divots with the irons, hitting driver on the sweetspot of the clubface with a level or slightly upward swing.

Also, bumping your left hip slightly toward the target to initiate your downswing prevents pulls and slices as it lets your arms and hands fall down instead of moving out at the start of the downswing, enabling you to swing the club through the ball from the inside.

Importantly, that facilitates maintaining the side tilt of your spine away from the target through impact and at finish.

To set up correctly you need to create two spine angles at address, which are forward bend and side tilt, and to hit the ball solidly you must keep them constant during the entire swing so that a C-shape is created at the completion of the swing.

The recent trend is a level finish as it helps prevent the pain on the lower back. However, with a classic C-shape finish you will hit the ball more firmly and consistently.

Swing your hands underneath your chin

To hit the ball powerfully from inside the ball-target line, picture a line running from your chin straight down to the ground at address, and swing the club back to the top, using your normal takeaway.

Now, on the downswing, be sure your hands pass underneath your chin. Not allowing your hands to pass outside that imaginary line means the correct inside-to-out path through the ball, also meaning powerful impact.

Finish low and around

Similarly, to hit the ball far and straight try a finish that is relatively low and around.

Striving to extend the club out toward the target during the follow-through causes your left arm to stay straight too long, reducing the clubhead speed. The stiffness in your left arm interferes with centrifugal force.

To accelerate the clubhead through the ball, it's essential to allow your left arm to fold immediately after impact as the right arm extends down the target line and around your body.

To this end, be sure that your left elbow is pointing toward the ground as your left arm folds after impact. That way you will finish low and around your body, hitting the ball more solidly.