Two features of the golf swing that recreational golfers have a hard time with are weight shift, and lag. Pick up a baseball bat.* We’re going to fix both problems.
Grip the bat right down at the knob. Hold the bat straight out in front of you at arm’s length, with the bat parallel to the floor. Now, slowly, shift your weight to your left side and turn your torso. Notice how your arms start to follow?
The weight of the bat will carry the swing right around to the point where you can’t swing in that direction anymore. At that point, shift your weight to the right and turn your torso to the right. Let you your arms and hands follow when they will. Do not ‘do’ anything with them.
Notice how the tip of the bat is lagging behind until the momentum of the swing and the weight of the bat fling the bat through, quite on its own? And carries the bat around your right side?
Now shift your weight to the left and turn your torso to the left. The bat comes around on its own, lagging behind your arms and hands, which are lagging behind your torso.
Go back and forth, slowly, rhythmically, feeling how the momentum of shifting weight and turning makes all the right things happen.
Now this isn’t really a baseball swing, but it really is a golf swing. Do the same exercise with your driver, swing back and forth gently, in a horizontal plane, five or six times. Feel the rhythm of the swing and how, while lots of things are lagging, they end up where they’re supposed to, when they’re supposed to.
Now just tilt your swing so the clubhead goes through the ball and swing away. Not hit away, swing away. Too easy, isn’t it? And you got the weight shift right, and you’re not throwing the clubhead at the ball any more.
* Note to overseas readers: You probably can't put your hands on a baseball bat. Try picking up two or three golf clubs at the same time. What you need for this exercise is enough weight so that the swing is driven by momentum.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
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