One of the most common faults you will see with beginner and amateur golfers is that they will try to hit the ball by swinging their arms at it, usually too quickly. This comes from a desire to hit the ball as far as possible without concentrating on how to generate power correctly. Your body weighs much more than your hands and arms and so to impart maximum force on the golf ball we must involve the body in our swings.

Think about your own swing, are your hands and arms driving the swing or are they being led along by the ‘turn’ of the torso? We need to engender the latter and for this there are many useful drills, one of which we will have a look at now. Hold an iron at either end and position it behind your back so it rests square across your shoulder blades. Now take up your normal posture as if you are addressing the ball. You are now in a position where your hands and arms are locked by the golf club resting behind your back. Now you can try turning your upper body to develop a feel for it should drive the swing. Don’t make any forced actions with your lower body though as this will turn naturally due to your flexibility.

Now that you have a feel for a correct rotation and coil in the back swing we have to consider the downswing as well. Similar to the backswing, swinging down with your hands and arms will result in a weak, inaccurate shot. With the downswing, the lower body makes the first action and moves into the ball, followed by the upper body and lastly the hands and arms. Think about the action of a tennis player hitting a forearm shot. He doesn’t just swing his arms at the ball; it is a full body action with the body leading the attack of the shot.

Watch any beginner playing golf and you will most likely see a lifting and lower of their spine angle. This is a common problem with beginners but if you watch your angle in the mirror while trying this drill you will notice it stays much more consistent. This means more distance, more accuracy and more shots off your handicap.

By: Lewis Freeman

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