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The Wedge Guy: You can change your stripes

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Over my 40-plus years in the golf industry and a lifetime in the game, I have had the opportunity to observe thousands of recreational golfers of all skill levels. I believe the common thread between all of us – from scratch player to high-handicapper – is that we all would like to get better. And in the context of golf, “better” usually means more consistent.

While I am blessed to have been introduced to golf early in life by a scratch player father [I actually do not remember life before golf], I am totally aware that most golfers took up the game much later and are self-taught for the most part. And therein lies the problem that obstructs meaningful improvement for so many.

It is often said that the golf swing is very unnatural – of course it is, because there is nothing else in your life that requires that particular set of body movements. But under detailed “de-construction, I’ve long believed the golf swing is made up of a series of very natural movements that anyone without serious physical infirmities can learn to execute.

As I observe recreational players, it is readily apparent to me that the movement most of them exhibit is the result of a serious misunderstanding of just what the objective is to move a golf ball from here to there. Logic drives this, as you are standing there with a striking implement in your hands, and there is a ball sitting there that needs to be propelled “that way.”

The natural tendency, therefore, is to rely on whatever eye/hand coordination you may possess, wrap that club around behind you somehow, and deliver a blow to the back of the ball, all while controlling the club primarily with your master hand — which is your most developed eye/hand coordination.

Great — it makes sense — but that notion is totally wrong.

At its simplest, the movement required to efficiently propel a golf ball is a learned method of swinging the club, first into the end of the backswing, then through the ball to a full finish. The legs and body core provide the power, and the arms and hands guide that rapidly moving clubhead through the ball into a follow-through. It’s not a “hit.”

Once the swinging motion is learned to some level of repeatability, then you can easily learn how to stand so that the ball will be precisely in the way of that swing. And if you can grasp that concept — the need to evolve your hitting action into a swinging action — you have made the first giant step to “changing your stripes.”

The “secret” is that such a swinging motion is much easier to learn how to repeat than is a “hit” at the ball. So, if you want to make giant strides in your golf – regardless of your skill level – figure out how to evolve your “hit” into a “swing”. And I’ll share that this un-learning and re-learning process is best done far away from the golf ball.

Of course, I cannot help you completely rebuild your golf movement in this blog, but I can share one simple drill will help you “change your stripes” for the 2022 golf season, no matter what level of skill you have attained to date — that is, if you really want to take on that challenge. And that drill is simply this:

Get a club – preferably a short iron or wedge – and place only your lead/upper hand on the grip. This is where a sound, fundamental grip begins, by the way. The handle should be underneath the heel pad of your hand, and the fingers wrapped around it. You should feel control of the club in the last three fingers, not in the thumb and forefinger.

With this hold on the club, begin to move it back and through in short pitch-shot-length swings using only your lead hand. Keep your master hand totally off the handle. That will force you to push the club into the backswing, and then use the rotation of your body core to pull the club through to the finish. As you develop a swinging rhythm, gradually extend the length of the backswing and follow through by allowing your shoulders and hips to turn more, which will then cause your weight to move into your rear leg on the backswing and your forward leg on the follow-through.

Because of this hold on the club, you will feel your lead hand moving through “the impact zone” closer to your body, and you’ll feel the clubhead rotating through impact, also because of this hold on the club.

As you swing the club back and forth repeatedly, your body will find the most efficient way to achieve this movement within the boundaries set by any physical limitations you may have. And that will be pretty close the foundation of a repeatable, powerful golf swing.

At this early stage of learning, don’t even think about a ball or its location in your stance. In fact, let your stance change as it must to allow you to remain balanced as you make these back-and-through swings. Allow the clubhead to swing a foot or more off the floor to get the feel and flow of this new swinging motion, which will feel very different from the “hit” you have always relied upon.

As you get more and more comfortable with this motion, you can then allow the club to brush the floor to move into a proper swing plane. With that figured out, then and only then you can let your master hand return to the club so the motion is more similar to a real golf swing.

Yes, the golf swing is an unnatural movement, but this drill will help you make it much more natural and take the first giant step to “changing your stripes” for the 2022 season.

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Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs, sets of irons and drivers, and in 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry. Since the early 2000s, Terry has been a prolific writer, sharing his knowledge as “The Wedge Guy”.   But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. C

    Feb 9, 2022 at 12:05 pm

    Yeah, this is why there is an image of Seve doing the upper cut with his trail hand LOL
    You guys need to quit “teaching” because you don’t have a clue

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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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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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