Turn, and get ‘loaded’
on to your right side.
From the set-up, I want you to focus on exaggerating
the backswing moves. Make as full a hip-and-shoulder
turn as you can, allowing your head to ease to the
right as you turn your back on your target. From
the set-up position, where your weight is evenly
split, feel it shift across as you use that right
knee as a brace, winding and ‘loading’
into the right side. This exercise is great for
players who have a tendency to hang back on the
left side with a hint of a reverse-pivot. It forces
you to rotate into your right side. You will notice
here that my left heel is pulled slightly up off
the ground, while the left knee works in towards
the ball – no problem. In fact, you may find
that this type of leg action leg helps you transfer
your weight, as it does for me. Let me stress, this
exercise rewards you with a big turn but not an
overswing. The ideal combination is a full shoulder/upper
body turn with a compact arm swing. Look at big
hitters today like Els or Tiger. Over a stable leg
action they combine a fantastic turn with a relatively
short arm swing – and that’s the key.
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The Power
Move: Let it all fall ‘in sync.’
What I want you to do is get into the habit of stretching,
checking your set-up position and making this full
turn. Then comes the second – and crucial
– stage of this exercise: from the top, I
want you to feel the unit of your hands, arms, shoulders
and club fall as one unit to get the downswing underway.
No other movement is necessary. The left arm rides
down and across the chest, while the wrists retain
the full cocking that you achieved in the course
of making your backswing. So, from the top, all
you do is ‘re-rotate’. You have maximised
your torsion, and you simply drop it all back into
this power slot before unwinding your body (i.e.
rotating your ‘core’) through the ball.
In so doing you initiate a chain reaction: the left
knee pulls away from the right as you squat or sit
down into the downswing and the arms fall into the
classic delivery position. That’s the d#ynamic
of a good swing. You simply rotate your upper body
over the stability of the knees, and allow the arms
to swing and be driven by the centrifugal forces
you create. |
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Photography David Cannon/Getty
Images. Shot on location at The Wisley Golf Club, Surrey |
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