Rising LPGA star Francella tries to keep the momentum after her stunning first victory (Part 3)

Continued from blog entry – “Sustaining success (Part 2)”
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Staying connected

Golfweek Photos/Jules Alexander

One of Francella’s tendencies is for her arms to lift on the backswing and become “disconnected” from her body. Recently, a new issue arose, namely, a weak left-hand grip (pictured top right). “I don’t know where that came from,” she says. In concert, these two problems produce pushes to the right and substantial distance loss. “When she gets her left hand a bit stronger, she can release the club, the ball travels right to left, and in some cases she’ll get another 15-20 yards,” Patri says.

The grip fix comes down to simply being, in Patri’s words, “very diligent and careful about the process of getting that left hand on the club.” Patri has several approaches to keep the shape of Francella’s arm swing more circular around her body. Video and mirror work show her the reality; to ingrain the feel, Francella also will take a series of practice swings at knee-height above the ball, or along the turf on a sidehill lie where a ball would be above her feet (pictured above left).

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