Many recreational golfers have the right instinct for what is wrong with their swing. But issues arise when they apply a superficial “solution” that doesn’t address the actual ISSUES in their swings.
The best example? Tons of amateurs “grab” the club head while making an impact with the ball. It translates into poor contact with lots of loft and (usually) an open bang. It only takes a few of those pictures before you start trying to do something about it.
Usually, this means pushing the handle towards the target in an attempt to remove the grip motion. You may be able to get away with that in one short step or chip, but when you add length and speed to the swing, that push of the glove actually makes you catch it more because your body responds by moving away from the shot. This will cause you to throw the clubhead just to avoid hitting the ground six inches behind the ball.
In reality, the root cause of a scratch in the shot often has nothing to do with your hands or your release. This is because you are not spinning in a way that moves the low point in front of the ball, which promotes proper ball compression at impact.
Working with my teaching partner Morgan Hale, we addressed this very problem in the video below. The student was impeding his spin, lifting out of his stance and using his hands to try to create more speed through impact – but it doesn’t work!
To help solve the problem, we gave him three easy drills to improve his spin, create a true pivot and get his lower point in front of the ball. If you have trouble getting the irons off your kicks, they can help too.
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3 exercises for better compression
1. Stretch and turn
Pull an exercise bar against your chest with your arms fully extended, then do slow backbends and twists while keeping the bar fully extended. If you stop rolling or make a high move, you will immediately lose stretch in the band.
2. Push with precision
Many people do a good job of pushing off with their foot during the landing, but when they do, they slide everything toward the target. Pushing is good, but you need to add the feel of the lead hip thrust BACK to take the right turn through the ball.
To teach yourself this feeling, have a friend stand to the side and hold a stretch stick in front of your lead hip. As you take practice swings without clubs, make sure you’re swinging in a way that you don’t slam your lead hip into the club.
3. Mowing scope for the lawn
Another way to feel this is to have someone stand in front of you holding the resistance band on the ground with their foot where the ball would be. Hold the other end of the bar in your lead hand, and when you make your turn, pull the bar hard after the kick, as if you were starting a lawnmower. The effort it takes to create the tension will encourage you to rotate and push that hip back instead of sliding it toward the target.
