You know you should turn on your back turn. And, from my position at the learning desk, I can see that most players do. But as you can imagine, some swings are just better than others, not only for creating potential energy in the backswing, but also for positioning your body and club for a powerful, on-plane shot on your way back to the ball.
The biggest mistake I see is the way players move their torso away from the ball. It seems natural: We have muscle fibers in our torso that run east-west, so why not just use them to turn on our backs? In boxing terms, this gives you several options, one of which is a left cross (top left). It’s a strong turn, but it leaves a lot of energy on the table.
It’s best to think about throwing an upper left (middle) cut with your body not only rotating back, but stretching your abs, lats, and rib cage as you rotate slightly up and around. Hopefully you can see the difference.
It’s a power-saving move that, even better, keeps the clubhead more in front of you, making it easier to keep it on plane as you swing down. When you cross instead of uppercut, the club will become very flat and “stuck” behind you.
It will take a lot more work through influence to get it where it needs to be. But with an uppercut, you’re a knockout.
VJ Trolling lower and GOLF Top 100 Teachers who teaches at the Performance Center at Frederica GC on the island of St. Simons, Ga.
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