3 Drills to Thaw Your Swing
Dust off those sticks ladies and gentlemen, because it’s almost golf season! If you haven’t been hitting the simulator, and you’ve been stuck in South Dakota all winter, chances are you’re a bit rusty. Before you buy that gimmicky club on The Golf Channel, take a look at these 3 simple drills that will help thaw that swing and get you hitting the ball well again quickly.
- The Split-Grip
Always a classic, but it stuck around for a reason. Take your normal grip on a 7-9 iron, then slide your bottom hand down to the end of the grip so there’s a gap between your hands. Get into your posture (it will feel a little awkward, that’s OK), and take some slow swings. Feel free to stop at the takeaway, the top of the backswing, impact, release and follow-through. You’ll probably notice that the club feels light and balanced throughout the swing, and your impact position is perfect, with the hips open and the shaft leaning forward. Yes, this is how you want your swing to feel, and chances are it will be right on plane. You can hit balls with the split-grip, but make sure to take it slow at first and get the tension out of your hands or you’ll tend to hit it fat.
2. The Feet-Together
Easy there slugger. Whenever we’ve taken a long break, we tend to lose our sense of balance and rhythm. The feet-together drill is a great way to get them back. Simply put your feet together and take some swings in your posture, making sure to turn your body back and through as you swing. Start slowly with a short iron (possibly on a tee), and make solid contact for a few shots before moving up to longer clubs. Once you get the hang of it, swing as fast as you can while staying in PERFECT balance and making good contact. You’ll quickly get a sense of your natural timing and tempo. This is also an excellent warm-up drill, or for when things begin to unravel on the course.
3. The Start-from-the-End
Stick that landing! Your only goal with this drill is to get to a good finish position, with your back heel up off the ground, the club over your lead shoulder, and 90-100% of your weight on your front foot. The trick is, you need to be able to hold your finish. Again, start slow, getting into a good spot in the backswing where your lead arm and the club form an “L” when the lead arm is parallel to the ground. From here, you’re only concern should be finishing fully and perfectly balanced. A lot of good things tend to happen when we just let the ball get in the way of the swing, rather than hitting AT it. Take some practice swings, even stopping at the top of your backswing, and see what it feels like to WHOOSH the club through into a good finish. When you graduate to hitting shots, your goal is to stay in that position until the ball lands. Watch this guy’s swing and you’ll see what I mean:
Hopefully you’re as excited as we are to get rolling on the season. Good luck, and give us a ring at (605) 341-5703 if you need a tune-up lesson before spring hits. Happy Golfing!
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