Create critical positions properly for powerful ball-striking (5)
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By Kim Jeong-kyoo
You need to hinge your wrists so your left arm and club shaft form a 90-degree angle roughly halfway back. That is, let your left arm and club shaft create an L roughly hip-high when your left arm is horizontal.
Hinging your wrists correctly, you will feel your clubhead light on the backswing. Don't rotate your arms and hands too much as you swing your club back. If you over-rotate your club with your hands and forearms instead of hinging your wrists, your club will feel club heavier going back. Also, you will swing your club back too far inside the target line.
Don't swing your club back too slowly. That will prevent you from hinging your wrists properly.
Importantly, do not grip your club too tightly. You need to preserve a light grip pressure throughout your swing. With too tight a grip pressure, you cannot hinge your wrists properly.
To hit your ball longer, you need to widen your swing arc as much as possible. A bigger arc helps you create more power and distance. To increase your swing width, move your club back roughly waist-high with your left arm only. Then, place your right hand on your club. Then, you will see a gap between your right arm and upper body, with your right arm above your left arm.
Stay clear of shoving your club straight back or lifting the club with your hands only. That will cause your arms to separate from your chest, preventing your arms from working in tandem with your body. When that happens, you will have difficulty hitting your ball at a timely moment. Also, you will have trouble keeping your balance.
Remember to keep your right forearm above your left arm roughly halfway back. This allows you to create a wide swing arc. This will ensure you keep your arms extended fully.
More important, this will allow you to swing your arms up correctly, helping you swing your club down and through full tilt. You will enjoy a fluid, full finish.
Similarly, you need to preserve the triangle created at address during the entire swing.
Also, don't forget to keep your left arm straight halfway back. If you mistakenly let your left elbow bend during your takeaway, your swing arc will decrease. Shortening your backswing, you will rarely increase your swing speed to your maximum. You won't have the time or space needed to speed up your club. Indeed, to increase your swing speed to the full, you need to keep your left arm straight at the top.
Critically, when your left arm gets horizontal, you need to let the cap of your club handle point toward the target line.
If the butt end of your club handle points inside the target line, you've wrongly swung back too steeply. That also says you've moved your club back outside the target line by lifting it with your hands. You will incur repulsive pulls and pull-slices.
Similarly, if your grip end points outside the target line, you've swung your club back too flat. That also means you've swung your club back too much inside the target line. If you are an advanced player, you will suffer revolting pushes and push-slices. If you are a novice golfer, you will come over the top to have pulls and slices thrust on you.
To get the cap of your grip pointing toward the target line halfway back, you need to feel your clubhead weight. Or rather, you need to create a swinging force. These will help you hinge your wrists freely and correctly without extra effort.
Indeed, you need to feel your clubhead pull your arms and hands upward during the backswing. Differently put, you need to let your hands and arms follow your clubhead once you've started to take your club back.
Keep your left heel down on the ground halfway back. If you have less flexibility, however, you need to let your left heel come off the ground as you complete your backswing. Allowing your left heel to rise will help you turn your hips and shoulders more and thus create more power.
A great way to take your club away from the ball is the forward press. Just nudge your left hand toward the target just a fraction before starting your takeaway.
That will allow you to swing your club back smoothly. Importantly, you will swing your club back on the proper inside path. Also, the forward press will prime or signal you to keep moving your hands toward the target during the follow-through.
Stopping at the moment of contact or allowing your clubhead to pass your hands, you will add loft to your club. Also, you will have trouble squaring your clubface. To hit your ball successfully, you need to swing through your ball and square your clubface when your club meets the ball.
Critically, the forward press can help you set up good rhythm and tempo. You will stop snatching your club back abruptly. Or rather, you will swing your club back smoothly, enjoying a fluid, graceful swing. Without swinging rhythmically at a leisurely pace, you will rarely unleash your power fully into the shot at the right time.