Three must-make moves for long, straight shots

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Adopt a slightly strong grip to promote soft draws. Keep your weight evenly balanced on your feet, with your weight placed on the balls of your feet. Put roughly 55 percent of your weight on your left foot when you hit short and middle irons. Squat just a little as you address your ball. This helps you preserve your address height during your swing. Keeping your address height constant allows you to swing your club on the proper plane, going back and coming down. You’ll enjoy solid contact on the sweet spot of your clubface.

At address, make sure you let the toe of your club stay slightly off the turf. That helps you hit your ball straight or curve your ball from right to left. That also allows you to tilt your spine properly forward toward your ball every time you address it.

Overall, address your ball in a bent posture. To this end, just picture that you are ready to hit the ball with a baseball bat.

To swing your club fluidly, you need to start your swing as a reflex of a move. Beginning your swing from a static position, you’ll rarely take your club back smoothly. You are apt to jerk it back abruptly and fail to complete your backswing.

To swing your club back gracefully, gently kick your right foot and your right knee toward your target. The moment you kick your right knee, move your arms and your club back as if you’re swinging a baseball bat. That way you’ll start your swing as a reflex of your right knee kicking. That helps you swing your club back fluidly. Also, you’ll swing your left arm properly across your chest.

Don’t try to keep your head still or swing your club back along your target line. This can restrict you from swinging your club back fluidly, inhibiting you from whacking your ball full tilt. Just think of making a baseball swing, and you’ll swing your club freely on the correct plane.

Complete your backswing by gently thrusting your left shoulder to your right side, away from your target. That way you’ll turn your shoulders fully behind your ball. Turning your shoulders fully, you can hit your ball far without sacrificing accuracy. You’ll start your downswing gracefully, using the uncoiling force of your upper body. Equally important is putting your body in a position to swing your club down and hit the ball toward your target.

Critically, keep your grip pressure constant as you complete your backswing once you’ve gripped your club lightly but firmly at address. This helps you hinge your wrists freely and fully without conscious effort. To hit the ball satisfactorily, you need to let your wrists hinge fully.

Start your downswing like you swing a baseball bat. After all, you’ve swung your club back the way you carry out a baseball swing. Doing this, you’ll naturally stand more on your left foot as you start your downswing.

Whack your ball hard, as if you’re hitting the ball with a bat. You will feel your club move around your body. Your golf swing is a circle that goes around your body. To whack your ball with your bat, you’ll drop your right elbow under your left. Put differently, you’ll slot your right elbow, swinging your club on a shallow in-to-in path.

Swinging your club down on a steep plane, you’ll incur pulls and pull-slices, digging deep divots pointing left of your target. Too steep a downswing says you’re yanking your club down mistakenly from outside to inside your target line.

All you need to do to avoid too steep a swing is make a baseball swing. Stand erect and swing your driver around your chest like a baseball bat. You'll feel your arms and your club moving across your chest on a consistent plane. Then, bend forward from your hips gradually to change your attack angle. Keep bending forward until you can hit your ball from a tee. That's your proper swing plane.

To ensure this further, imagine a line extended upward from your ball to your chest at address. And just make sure your left arm and your club move under the imagined line. You’ll swing your club back on the proper plane, hitting your ball solidly. Swinging your club on the proper plane, you’ll square your clubface and hit your ball in the center of your club. Most importantly, you’ll increase your swing speed to its maximum.

Succinctly, if you make a baseball swing, you’ll naturally move your club on the proper plane. You’ll swing your club properly in an arc as you whack the ball. You’ll let your club head work from inside to square to inside your target line as you hit the ball.

Critically, a baseball swing is a familiar motion you can copy easily. Carrying out a baseball swing, you don’t need to manipulate or maneuver your swing. You’ll stop “drawing” the swing you have in your mind.

Keep your head down through your ball. Don’t raise your head too early before your ball rebounds to leave the clubface. Try to keep looking at the spot where your ball was sitting as you complete your follow-through. Lifting your head too early pushes you to stand up, damaging your address posture. Failing to preserve your address posture at impact, you’ll rarely hit your ball solidly on the sweet spot. If you have trouble hitting the ball solidly, take care to preserve your address height throughout your swing.

To recap, your first move is kicking your right foot and your right knee to your left side. To ensure your full backswing turn, you need to thrust your left shoulder right as you complete your backswing. This is the second move you must make to hit the ball far and straight. Your third move is swinging the club back like you hit a ball with a baseball bat. That way you’ll slot your club into the correct swing path going back and coming down. With these three moves, you will hit the ball properly from inside to inside your target line. You will enjoy long, straight shots or soft draws every time.