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Turn, Turn, Turn: For every swing there is a reason

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Slicing and hooking are nothing more than club face (in relation) to swing path issues. If the golf club is coming from inside and the club face is aimed at the target at impact, the golf ball will have left axis tilt, or hook spin. If the club is coming from outside and the face is aimed at the target at impact, the golf ball will have right axis tilt, or slice spin. This is assuming that you make contact in the center of the face, however. Heel hits and toe hits are a different matter entirely.

Many golfers tackle the problem of errant shots by attempting to change the angle of the club face at impact — they take a stronger grip or weaker grip, or they try to change their release. And there’s no question that you need a good grip to play good golf. But changing your grip will only change the angle of the club face at impact. Since physics shows that the club face is responsible for 75-85 percent of the initial direction of the golf ball, changing your grip will only impact the starting direction of the ball, not the curve of the ball. If you want a change in spin axis, you must change the face-to-path relationship.

You are probably asking yourself, “Ok DC, how do we do that? ” Let’s take a look at it in some detail.

An arc, by definition, is a curve. The correct swing arc for the club head is from the inside, to the ball, and back to the inside. (Note: For a right-handed golf, coming from the inside means approaching the ball from the side where he or she stands in relation to the ball). There is a small flat spot at the bottom of the swing, but the club head travels largely on a curve.

Now, to assist you in creating this curve, your body will need to rotate during the swing. The torso turns away from the target in the backswing and toward the target in the downswing. In other words, your backswing turn assists in creating room for you to swing from the inside.  And your downswing turn assists in creating room to swing BACK to the inside.  Notice I said “assist” because it is not a law that the arm swing follows the turning of the body. But it does create room to allow this to happen.

How can this help you with hooking or slicing?

If the club is traveling too much from outside, you need more BACKSWING turn to give you more room to swing from the inside. And if the golf club is traveling too much from the inside (hooking) you need more DOWNSWING turn to give you more room to swing from the outside, or at least straighter into the golf ball. So think “turn away” if you’re slicing and “turn through” if you’re hooking.

This also helps better players fade and draw the golf ball; draws and fades are milder versions of hooks and slices where the face-to-path ratio is reduced. I have my tournament players think maximum turn back, minimum turn through on draws and minimum turn back and maximum turn through on fades.  Again, it reduces or increases the amount of inside, straight or outside path room available. Again this is not a guarantee that the turn assures the path in or out but it does help. Of course, sequencing also plays a big part in swing path; some players turn back well, but open the upper body too soon coming down. This, in effect, defeats the purpose of the turn in the first place.

The only long-term cure for a slice or a hook is a change in the face-to-path relationship.  Focusing on the proper rotation can help in this.

Note: If you read my article “Golf is a Reaction Game” you will remember I said that in order to change your swing habits you need to change your ball flight. And this is where a grip or release change can help. By starting the ball more right or left, you can learn to create a better swing path in due course. But the face is a temporary fix, not a permanent solution. That is what is so invaluable about Doppler radar golf ball tracking systems like Trackman and Flightscope. We know the exact the face-to-path ratio. The only thing left to do is hit it in the center. But that’s another lesson.

As always, feel free to send a swing video to my Facebook page and I will do my best to give you my feedback.

Click here for more discussion in the “Instruction & Academy” forum. 

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Dennis Clark is a PGA Master Professional. Clark has taught the game of golf for more than 30 years to golfers all across the country, and is recognized as one of the leading teachers in the country by all the major golf publications. He is also is a seven-time PGA award winner who has earned the following distinctions: -- Teacher of the Year, Philadelphia Section PGA -- Teacher of the Year, Golfers Journal -- Top Teacher in Pennsylvania, Golf Magazine -- Top Teacher in Mid Atlantic Region, Golf Digest -- Earned PGA Advanced Specialty certification in Teaching/Coaching Golf -- Achieved Master Professional Status (held by less than 2 percent of PGA members) -- PGA Merchandiser of the Year, Tri State Section PGA -- Golf Professional of the Year, Tri State Section PGA -- Presidents Plaque Award for Promotion and Growth of the Game of Golf -- Junior Golf Leader, Tri State section PGA -- Served on Tri State PGA Board of Directors. Clark is also former Director of Golf and Instruction at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Dennis now teaches at Bobby Clampett's Impact Zone Golf Indoor Performance Center in Naples, FL. .

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. James

    Jun 3, 2013 at 6:46 am

    Great article. Helped me a ton. Thank you!

  2. Scott

    Nov 14, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    I have a terrible swing. All upper body, all arms. No control. I absolutely have “the big banana” shot.

    This article was the first thing that actually made sense to me and worked at the range. First time trying this I was 50-50 between shots at my target and pulls, BUT the ball flight completely changed. This produced a more piercing trajectory with rollout rather than my normal extreme side spin.

    Thank you! Like Austin said, if you make it out to the SF Bay Area I owe you a meal of your choice!

  3. Matt

    Oct 26, 2012 at 11:04 pm

    Read this article and decided to try it out on the range. Helped so much! I instantly could move it both ways and hit the ball so solid. So excited to see how it continues to help! Thanks!!

  4. Pingback: GolfWRX.com – Turn, Turn, Turn: For every swing there is reason | Golf Grip Instruction

  5. Austin

    Oct 8, 2012 at 6:59 am

    Dennis, Thanks for this tip! This is one of the best for immediate results. I took this to the course and it works. I hit 11 of 14 fairways when I have been hitting about 3-4 for 14. Had a ton of birdie putts and was working the ball both ways with your help! Thanks so much! If you are ever in Nashville I owe you lunch/dinner! Thanks again.

  6. Anne

    Oct 7, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    GREAT. THANK YOU

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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Instruction

How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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