Welcome to Play Smarta regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you become a smarter and better golfer.
A term you’ll hear quite often in golf lessons is “front axle lean.” As in “you need to tilt the shaft forward if you want to hit the ball hard.” I know it’s something I’ve printed many times, and it’s something many golf instructors have said as well.
That’s why Athletic Motion Golf’s video hook (below) stuck so much when I ran it on Instagram. “Is the weak axle in the shock just a myth?” ask. At first he scoffed at the idea. But after watching the clip (and later, full video on YouTube), makes perfect sense.
Illusion of the weak axis
When golfers hear that they need forward shaft lean in the swing, they often try to achieve it by simply holding on until their hands go over the ball.
“That’s where the illusion lies,” says Shaun Webb. “Because the way to create that image is not what you think.”
While it is true that your hands MUST be in front of the ball when you reach the shot, when you break it, it doesn’t just happen by pushing your hands towards the target. Instead, it results from several moving components along the swing.
To see what’s going on, get your body in the right kicking position. Your hips should be open about 45 degrees, and your shoulders should be slightly open. Your weight should be on your front foot and your hands should be slightly in front of the ball on the ground. From a front-on view, this illustrates the forward axle tilt.
This is where “illusion” comes in. Square your hips and shoulders back and let your arms and hands follow.
“His hands, club and everything are further away BACK when his pelvis is square to the target than they are at address,” says Mike Granato.
The only reason the hands are in front of the ball and the shaft is bent toward the target is because the hips and shoulders are OPEN when you reach impact. It is the turn of the body that causes the shaft to bend forward, not pressing the hands towards the target.
Feel the opening of the body and the hands and arms behind, and you will hit the ball better than ever before.
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