(Part 2, Conclusion)

Continued from blog entry – “All In The Timing (Part 1)”

What to do? At impact, I want you to feel as if the front of your body is still looking at the golf ball, not looking down the target line. Imagine that eyes are attached to the front of your hip sockets.
At impact the eyes should be staring at the ball, not the target. Your weight should be evenly distributed. Your feet should be flat on the ground. On the range, you should make a conscious effort to get into this position drill and rehearse! Trying to do this on the course however, will only tie you up in more knots. Instead, you have to teach your body this motion while practicing. That way, it’ll become something you do naturally, without having to think about it.

Here is a drill that will teach you the proper feeling. You can do this almost anywhere, at home, in the office, wherever you have enough space to take a half swing. Hold a 5-iron halfway down the grip. Address the ball, imagi­nary or real. Now, take your left hand off the club. Holding the club only with your right hand, gently swing it back. Stop when at hip-height. Hold this posi­tion. Next, without moving your right arm, slowly rotate your body until it’s facing the target. Your arm and the club should be behind your body.
The club­ face will be very open, facing slightly towards the sky.

You have exaggerated a common cause of the high slice. If you finish this swing, at impact, the clubface will be wide open, with the right heel well ahead of the toe. The ball would sail off to the right.

Now make the correct movement. Again, address the ball with a 5-iron. This time, however, take your right hand off the club. Take another half backswing. Then, leaving your body turned to the right, swing and release the left arm through the ball. Don’t rotate your body at all. Keep it still! You should feel some tension in your fore­arm as your left wrist and forearm rotates as it moves through the impact area.

Repeat the wrong motion once. Repeat the correct motion 20 or 30 times. Do this every other day for a couple weeks. At the driving range, hit pitch shots using the one-armed, left­ handed method. After you get the hang of it, you’ll be very surprised how solid impact will feel. Don’t forget: Stay flat­ footed to improve your balance, and allow your arms to swing past your body’s rotation.

The first couple times you try hitting the left-handed shots, you’ll probably hit a lot of low hooks. This is cause for celebration. Stay with it. You’re on the right track. The sensation should feel more balanced and powerful than what you’re used to. You aren’t swinging harder, you are swinging better. You’re right on time. In sync.

Tom Patri is contributing editor to Golf and Golf Magazine for Women. He the President of TP Golf Services and the Director of Instruction at Westchester Country Club.