Whack your ball solidly against your firm left side
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By Kim Jeong-kyoo
To hit your ball far and straight to your satisfaction, you need a firm left side. Firming up your left side, you’ll stay in a powerful impact position. A firm left side leaves you staying stable, helping you increase your power and distance. Great players whack their ball, leaving their left side remaining firm. You cannot hit your ball solidly unless you stabilize your left leg at impact.
Typically, your left leg collapses if you swing your club down from outside your target line without an enough weight shift. Without your correct weight shift to your left, you’ll swing your club from “high to low” and cut across your ball. This faulty move prevents you from firming up your left side correctly. You cannot stabilize your left leg. You need to make sure your left leg braces or resists your turn through your shot. That ensures you whack your ball as far and accurately as you want.
Here are nine tips selected to help you hit your ball against your firm left side.
1. Move your weight from your right heel to your left toes
To firm up your left leg properly, you need to shift your weight correctly. Let your weight move from your right heel to your left toes on the downswing. Or, feel your weight shift from your right hip to your left hip. If you transfer your weight properly, your left leg will not crumple. Faulty weight shift from right toes to left heel prevents you from firming up your left leg and left side.
2. Swing your driver from “low to high”
When you hit your shots off the tee, think of swinging your club from “low to high” through your ball. Importantly, picture you are finishing high, your hands above your head. That will prevent your left side from collapsing throughout your swing.
3. Roll your right foot inwards
Roll your right foot inwards rather than lift it directly upwards. Raising your right heel directly upwards forces your right knee to move forward toward your target line. This deprives you of your space to swing your arms through. Or rather, your right knee partially blocks the path of your club returning to your ball. This eventually pushes you to rise or damage your address posture, preventing you from firming your left leg at impact. To hit against a firm left side, you need great timing. Hitting your ball at a timely moment under pressure is no easy matter. Rolling your right instep inwards, however, you can unleash your entire force into your ball full tilt. You won’t make superfluous moves up and away from your ball. Critically, you’ll stop letting your left side collapse.
4. Avoid letting your body move with your club
Importantly, don’t let your body move with your club. In a good golf swing, your right side does not follow your club in the backswing. Your left side resists the forward movement of your arms and club through your shot. Avoid swaying your body to your right side on the backswing and to your left side on the downswing. That way you cannot hit against your firm left side. To prevent your body from mistakenly moving forward toward your target, keep your head steady behind your ball on the downswing.
5. Leave the big toe of your right foot off the turf on the downswing
Just leave the big toe of your right foot off the turf as you hit your ball. This will let your feet work properly during your swing. If your feet do not work correctly, you’ll incur diverse swing faults. Especially, you’ll have difficulty leaving your left side remaining firm through your shot. Your footwork is poor if you are missing right or left, incurring fat or thin shots.
6. Don’t straighten your left leg too early
Avoid straightening your left leg mistakenly as you change your direction from backswing to downswing. This locking-up action disrupts your rhythm and balance, robbing you of your power. This deprives you of every chance to shift your weight left, preventing you from leaving your left leg remaining firm. Think of keeping your knees flexed through your shot, and your left leg will straighten at a timely moment.
7. Shift your weight to outside your left foot
Just focus on moving your weight to outside your left foot, leaving your head staying still. As you swing down, let your left foot roll onto the outside edge of your left foot. That ensures you firm up your left side and rotate your body fully.
8. Resist the temptation to hit your ball hard
Don’t try to kill your ball from the top with your right hand. This temptation prevents you from shifting your weight to your left side properly, causing your left side to collapse. Before you hit your ball, you first need to let your arms and your club fall down. You need to make a “downswing” by swinging your arms downwards rather than flail your arms violently to hit your ball.
9. Keep your clubhead outside your hands
To firm up your left side automatically, just keep your clubhead outside your hands throughout your swing. Make sure your clubhead does not come inside your hands during your backswing. Importantly, leave your clubhead staying outside your hands as you start your downswing. Toward this end, just turn your belly toward your target as you start your downswing.
Keeping your clubhead outside your hands is the easiest way to firm up your left side properly without your deliberate effort. You’ll swing your club on the proper plane. An on-plane swing encourages your body to work properly, allowing you to keep your left leg firm and stable effortlessly. After all, you hit your ball with your club. It behooves you to concentrate on your club rather than how you use your arms, your legs and your body.