If you want to hit the ball cleanly – and with tons of power – you need to make first contact with the ball.
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There are many things that have to happen in hitting that ball clean away from the face of the club, straight and very fast. One of them is to carry your swing bow reaches its low point just ahead of the ball. That’s the secret to tournament-level contact and that feeling of Yes, I got that right! The only way to do this is to shift your center of mass towards the target as you are hitting the ball.
Here’s how to visualize what you need to do. At address, visualize a line going straight down to the ground just from your lead shoulder (below, left). As you reach the end of the backswing, your goal is to shift your body forward, placing your leading shoulder a good half-foot in front of the imaginary line (below, right). Notice in the photo how everything – the head, torso, hips and lower body – has been moved towards the target.
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When trying this, many rec players simply tilt their hips toward the target. This will only cause your upper body to hang and move the lower part of the arch behind the ball. Not good!
Once you get it right, you’ll not only hear the sound of clean compression, you’ll feel it.
Brady Riggs is one GOLF Top 100 Teachers who teaches at Hansen Dam GC in Pacoima, California, and PGA WEST Golf Academy in La Quinta, California
