Three timeless keys to better ball-striking
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By Kim Jeong-kyoo
Korea Times Golf Columnist
There are far more correct ways of producing solid strikes than the total number of the golfers in the planet. Probably you've read or heard a plethora of swing tips and are doing the same almost every day. However, most of them are not as effective as you might expect. Here are three basic swing keys that you must know to hit the ball to the best of your abilities.
Put your hands where they should be at the top
Your hand position at the top of the backswing is crucial to slotting the club into its downswing path to make solid, powerful impact that sends the ball far and straight. Too high a hand position tends to cause an over-the-top move that leads to pull or pull-slice; too low a position brings about a weak shot. Only a proper hand position is instrumental in producing solid, accurate shots.
Your hand position at the top of the backswing is determined by your build. Stout or short-armed golfers have difficulty swinging the club high above the head. They will naturally swing the club back so the hands are below the right shoulder at the top.
On the other hand, tall, flexible golfers face no problem raising their hands above the head. They will swing the club high above their head or somewhere between their head and right shoulder.
To maximize both distance and direction you need to know how high or low should be your exact hand position at the top. To check where your hands should be at the top, assume your normal address position without a club. Then, swing back only your right arm to the top of the backswing and hold that position. Now bring your left arm up to hold your right wrist with left hand.
If you are stout or are not sufficiently flexible, you will discover a substantial space between your hands. You have to bring your right hand down toward the left to let your hands join together. That is the unforced, proper hand position of your own at the top of the backswing.
Make a full shoulder turn
Recreational golfers tend to lift their hands and arms on the backswing rather than make a full shoulder turn. If you are one of these golfers, you will suffer either pull or pull-slice.
A full shoulder turn is essential to hitting the ball straight and far. You need to complete your body turn by coiling the upper body behind the ball, bracing your right knee, so your back is facing the target at the top of the backswing.
A proper, sufficient shoulder turn stores power, positioning the club correctly for a dynamic downswing. That also facilitates shifting your bodyweight properly to the right side going back and to the left coming through. Without a proper weight shift during the swing you cannot generate maximum clubhead speed through impact.
For a swing that is easy to repeat even under pressure situations, your swing needs to be simple; one of the best swing keys to accomplish this is to complete your shoulder turn so your back faces the target at the top of the backswing.
A word of emphasis about correct shoulder rotation: keep your left shoulder staying up, at a constant height from the ground unless you set up in a bent posture. Allowing the left shoulder to drop during the backswing is one of the biggest causes of weak, poor shots including chunk, in which the club strikes the ground before making contact with the ball. You will get the club digged into the turf and produce a huge divot. This is particularly true if you stand over the ball in an erect posture.
Maintain the gap between the elbows
All great ball-strikers have one thing in common: maintaining the gap between the elbows during the entire swing, particularly through the ball. For solid strikes you need to let your elbows restore their original distance created at address or even pinch closer together just prior to impact.
That makes it easier to get the left elbow properly aiming at the target and the right elbow pointing at the right hip at impact. For a powerful impact from inside to out, you have to let your right arm be tucked tightly into the side and pointing at the hip bone at impact.
Retaining the gap between the elbows through the ball also means that the clubface has returned to its original address position and is pointing at the target.
Focus on maintaining the gap between the elbows formed at address throughout the swing, particularly at the top, halfway down, at impact and at the early part of the follow-through. And you will delight in hitting the ball far with pinpoint accuracy.