How Jason Day’s key swing thinking can help your ball strike

When we hear that a tournament player is working on a specific aspect of his swing, we naturally wonder why and how we can incorporate that into our game. After all, professionals know best, right?

That’s why after listening to a recent episode of The Smylie Show where Jason Day shared one of his key swing changes, selfishly I needed to learn more so I could level up my game.

As Day explains in the clip below, he’s working on his own publishing model, specifically his the way of the hand.

“Basically, what I’m trying to do is create the path of the hand going up,” Day says. “Old school Tiger used to do it. Some of the best strikers in the world used to do that.”

Day says it’s something he learned from his swing coach, GOLF Top 100 Teachers Chris Como.

“I want to be able to have the path, or the hand path, go from low to high,” Day says.

He demonstrates that this low-to-high hand path helps him drive his hips forward, create a forward press, and maintain the angle of his spine during impact. This allows him to hit the ball and deliver his speed just after impact – something we see from the biggest hitters in the game.

Check out this video of three-time world champion Kyle Berkshire’s golf swing. Notice how the fastest point of his swing occurs right after impact and the ball seems to trip his club. It’s similar to the mechanics we see from a baseball player swinging for the fences.

So how can you apply these principles to your swing to improve your hand path and increase your distance from the club? According to Addison Craig, a GOLF 100 best teachers to watchyou must stay connected.

When amateurs hear the phrase hit on it, they have a tendency to become too steep in their movement and break their hands and arms through the hit. Which results in a loss of strength and durability.

Instead, Craig says to think of your release as throwing a medicine ball down the target line. If you tried to throw the ball with just your arms, it wouldn’t go anywhere. You need to stay engaged to recruit larger muscles that will help you launch the ball.

The same concept applies to your golf swing, and you can practice this feeling with Craig’s link drill.

Relationship training

To test it, grab an iron and place the grip end of the stick on your belly button. Then, enter your normal setup. Take a few swings, taking the club half back and half way, keeping your arms straight and the butt of the club close to your body.

Craig says you should feel your body and hands rise naturally with the club. Finishing with your arms pointed at the target and the stick still attached to your body.

In addition to improving your hand path, this drill will also help you understand where to give your speed in the swing. As you bounce back and maintain that connection, you should feel your peak moment instinctively immediately after impact.

Use Craig’s drill, or even a handy training aid, to maintain your body alignment and develop a low-to-high hand path that promotes a more powerful and consistent stroke.

Links from Sure Golf

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