TW Swing (Nike commercial)

Making an Impact

The difference between you and a tour player? Shaft lean when club meets ball

Swings come in every shape and size, and that's as true for tour players as it is for regular amateurs. But when it comes to impact position, it doesn't matter which tour player you photograph. They're all the same. Good players do one important thing that most average golfers don't - they hit the ball with the clubhead trailing the hands. When Vijay Singh (pictured here) hits a tee shot, for example, the shaft of his driver is leaning 6 or 7 degrees toward the target. That's called forward shaft lean, and incorporating it into your swing can transform your game.



Golf's 6 Degrees
of Separation


Analysis by Tom Ness
with Matthew Rudy
Almost every player has a primal urge to get the clubhead on the ball as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that desire leads to the swing problems that curse most amateur golfers. The act of trying to get the clubhead moving faster - by throwing or flipping it toward the ball - is the single biggest source of frustration in the game.

The impact photographs in this article prove that good players let the hands lead the clubhead through impact - about 6 degrees in front, for tour players. Poor players let the clubhead pass the front arm before impact. In fact, there's a direct correlation between when the shaft catches up to the lead arm and handicap. The later it catches up, the lower the handicap. It's really that simple.

So how can you beat back that primal urge? First, stop thinking about getting the clubhead to the ball and start thinking about getting the handle past the ball. For the average player, that means a fundamental change in the position of the hands at impact. If you flip the club, your trailing wrist flattens and the leading wrist bends through impact. A good player's leading wrist is flat and the trailing wrist is bent.

It might seem like impact happens too fast for you to be able to have any control over it. Try the two drills shown below to get a feel for a tour player's impact position. You'll be surprised how much control you can really have over your ball.



Don't let handle go backward
To get an immediate sense of what tour players do at impact, grab a club just below the grip and make some small swings two different ways. First, try throwing the clubhead down at the ball by unhinging the wrists. Most average players already do this to some degree in a real swing. The butt end of the club will move backward, away from the target, and up toward your belt - leading to the classic chicken wing. Now try a different way. Drive the butt end of the club forward, toward the target, which keeps the club trailing your left arm through impact. Tour players make this move on every swing.




Keep the balloon in place for pure impact
Another way to ingrain a good impact position is to use a balloon (or a grapefruit-size rubber ball) as an impact guide. Place the balloon between your elbows at setup, then hit some chip shots with short, below-the-waist swings. If the body moves in sync with the arms during the swing, the balloon will stay in place. It also means you're keeping the shaft behind your left arm through impact and compressing the ball. If the balloon falls out, you've over-accelerated the clubhead, which forces the elbows to separate. To make crisp contact, your arms should straighten through the downswing. The club will release naturally with your body turn.

Swing sequence: Mike Weir

Full swing: Mike Weir

With a tightened swing, this lefty is poised to become one of the tour's most consistent drivers

From left: A balanced, athletic setup. Ball position and left-hand placement are great. Middle: Mike turns his chin slightly to let his shoulders pass. How Mike Weir subtracted some of his slap shot A lot of things play into the history of a golfer -- like Mike Weir's hockey background -- so as Mike's coach, I had to be careful not to change things just on theory. Mike generates an awesome amount of power with hip speed, a direct carryover from his hockey days. He isn't a big guy -- he won't be hitting 300-yard drives just by increasing his swing arc. We wanted to keep the elements that help him hit the ball with so much authority, but tighten up some of the things that made him hit it crooked. The major change we've made is with Mike's posture. As you can see from the photo at right (top photo), taken in early 2001, he used to have a more dramatic spine tilt through his swing. Now he stands much taller and is in much more classic positions. He's really winding up and staying behind the ball, which helps him hit higher tee shots that carry a lot farther. I give Mike a lot of credit for being willing to make swing changes in the middle of last season. He knew he would struggle a bit before everything clicked, but he is so determined to get better. He's a great natural athlete, and his training regimen would leave an Olympic athlete short of breath. After a lot of hard work, his swing came together at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in October 2001. He hit it great there and at the Disney, then was so solid at the Tour Championship, which he won in November of last year. One question I'm asked a lot is if I as a right-hander have trouble analyzing Mike's lefty swing. When we first started working together in 1996, I did have to use a computer to flip video of his swing over to righty so I could get a better eye. But I don't see it as lefty anymore. Just as a golf swing. This photo from early '01 shows how Mike's spine angle was more bent over. More upright at address than he used to be. More arm extension.

Commit to every swing

Commit to every swing

Rehearse the shot with a purpose, then execute it

By Tiger Woods with Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Golf Digest
July 2006

Before my most recent swing changes I didn't realize the importance of practice swings. They help reinforce swing keys and promote good swing thoughts. Rehearsal swings have helped me with one of my main goals this year: to commit to every swing. Before, I would make a cursory practice swing without that full commitment, and it was mostly a wasted motion. I see the same thing among my amateur playing partners. I also see players make practice swings that don't fit the intended shot. That's a real waste of time and energy.

I don't advocate taking three or four practice swings, because you'll slow down play. One or two should be enough to get you focused on the shot. That way you'll be more concerned with making the proper swing than with the outcome. If I've made a purposeful rehearsal, fully committed to the shot and executed it to the best of my ability, it's easier to accept the outcome.

Putt to a picture on big breakers

I had only one putting coach in my life, and that was my dad. His concept of putting was simple: Putt to the picture. Whenever I had trouble with my stroke, he would reinforce the early lessons, and I'd regain confidence in my mechanics immediately. That mental technique remains with me in the heat of competition, especially on breaking putts, where visualizing the break and putting to a spot at the apex of the break are critical. I get a picture in my head and stroke the ball toward what I see in the picture while keeping my head perfectly still. Alignment is crucial. A lot of amateurs set up for a putt as if it's straight, then push or pull it back toward the line. Set the face of the putter square to your intended line, then align your body to the putter.

Swing sequence: Tiger woods

ADDRESS

Thanks to good fundamentals, I've always had athletic posture. I try to set up with everything--my feet, knees, hips, arms, shoulders and eyes--square to or parallel-left of the target line. I also want to be very relaxed, so I can make a tension-free swing.
























TAKEAWAY

My objective here is to swing the club back along the angle that the shaft was set on at address. The clubhead moves slightly inside as I turn away from the ball. I used to favor a much earlier wrist cock, but now it's gradual. When I'm a quarter of the way into my backswing, I should have about a quarter of my full wrist cock.























HALFWAY BACK

I've maintained the triangle created at address by my arms and chest, which means I've remained connected and right on plane. At this point, my hips have barely moved. This creates good resistance with my lower body and helps me make a big coil with my upper body--a real key to power.























AT THE TOP

A steady head means I've rotated around a fixed point, a critical factor in stabilizing my swing. I used to rock my head toward the target on the backswing, then reverse the direction on my downswing, which tended to make my hands turn over too much. Now my head is more centered and my eyes more level to the ground. The clubface is parallel to my left forearm, an indication that my grip is in a neutral position.























THE RELEASE

This position is a mirror image of halfway back. It shows nice extension down the target line. I'd like to keep my head a little higher and let it follow my body, but I'm getting there. My right foot is grounded, my left foot has rolled forward, and I'm in good balance. I'm hitting a draw here: Notice how the clubface is turning over, and the tee stayed in the ground--proof I caught the ball on a slight upswing from the inside























THE FINISH

I used to snap my left leg straight, and my left foot would jump around. Much better here. I really like this finish with the shaft over my shoulder, and my head and belt buckle facing the target. You can see every spike on my right shoe, so I'm up on my toes nicely. My right knee is flexed, a sign that I didn't come up out of the shot.

Swing sequence: Phil #2

Swing sequence: Phil Mickelson

My Key to hitting goals in 2004? Relaxing and letting it happen

Things like his grip might look exaggerated to the right-hander, but that's only because you aren't used to seeing it. Phil's swing is textbook—just flipped.

Swing sequence: Phil

LessonTee | A game for the majors
Phil might have the tour's
most complete arsenal

There are many great traits in Phil's game that the average golfer can copy. He has always had superb rhythm and phenomenal hands in his short game through to his long game. Balance and control have, at times, been issues for Phil. When you'd watch him play, you'd see aggressive shots--some were successful and some not so successful. Today you still see those aggressive shots, but they're more controlled, especially in major championships.

The swing you see here is Phil in "go" mode. His driver swing is long, but it's sequenced very well, and his improved fundamentals are helping him hit a lot more fairways. His iron swing is more of a control swing. He hits all kinds of cuts and draws, high and low, and manages his distance well--common skills among the world's best players. He's got the complete arsenal: more shots than anybody I've ever seen, and maybe more than any other golfer in the game's history.

It's been great to work on some basics with Phil, without changing the signature of his swing. With the driver, he doesn't like the feeling of being short and tight, or restricted in any way. His body is built for a long, flowing motion. We have made some adjustments, but the flavor of what he does has been the same for a long time.

It's been so exciting to see Phil play great in the majors. One thing I want to point out is that nobody works harder on his game than Phil does. I learned from working with Jack Nicklaus in the 1990s that it's not about the quantity of practice balls you hit--it's about the quality. That's a great lesson to take from what Phil has accomplished. Hitting hundreds of balls and looking for clues doesn't work. You have to have a plan, and he's definitely got one. Watch for him to win a lot more.

Drive it 20 yards longer

Drive it 20 yards longer

By modifying your lower-body action, you can explode through the ball with greater speed and control

You may remember how I "disappeared" from the PGA Tour for five months beginning in August of last year. Well, in addition to spending a lot of time with my wife, Amy, the kids and our relatives, I secretly spent a lot of time on the practice range and at the gym. I followed a plan based on my performance over the past two years. One goal was to sharpen my play with the short irons. I worked very hard at improving my distance control and consistency with the 8-iron through sand wedge. I also improved my physical conditioning. For a two-month period, I worked three hours a day, four days a week, increasing strength in my upper back and hips. I then worked to maintain that strength.

The final area was critical: Changing my swing to increase my driving distance and accuracy. Last year I averaged 293.9 yards in the PGA Tour's official driving distance stats. Not bad, but I felt I needed a few extra yards to keep up with my peers. And I definitely needed to improve my driving accuracy, where I ranked 78th.

The process of change has required a lot of hard work, and the changes are sophisticated enough that I'm still ironing things out. But I'm excited by the results. When the situation calls for it, I can carry the ball 15 yards farther than I could last year, and if you add five yards of roll, that gives me 20 extra yards -- with greater accuracy. The best thing is how simple and sensible the changes have been. They can be made by anyone wishing to pick up a few extra yards. Any chance you fall into that category?


The right path for power and accuracy
The first step of my swing change was to take the club back directly down the target line (above, right), delaying my hip turn and keeping my rear leg stable. That fixed my habit of taking the club back too far to the inside (above, left), which shortened my swing arc -- which I in turn tried to remedy by turning my hips loosely and pointing my rear knee outward. My downswing was inconsistent: My rear leg offered little support as I unwound my hips and upper body in a fast but inefficient manner. The job of squaring the clubface fell to my arms and hands alone -- not a recipe for consistency, let alone distance.

Rear knee governs the backswing
Look closely at my rear leg and you'll see that the position of my kneecap has hardly moved from where it was at address.

It points directly over the toe of my left shoe. My goal is to turn as far as I can go without letting my knee drift out of position.

I don't want my leg to straighten, either. I want my entire rear leg to remain stable, so it can support the motion of my upper body on the downswing. When that motion is released, the stability I've established in my leg and hips helps me direct the clubhead into the ball along the proper swing path, with an optimum angle of attack.

The bottom line: You want a full range of motion on the backswing -- but only as much as you can control!





Arms, body move together
Because my hips and rear leg are firm at the top, I can swing down with everything I've got. My only thought on the downswing is to keep swinging my arms fast enough to stay in front of my chest (on right). This does two things: The radius of my swing is restored to what I established at address, and my clubhead meets the ball in a more head-on fashion as it moves straight down the target line. That means more effective clubhead speed, an honest trajectory and improved accuracy.

Keep in mind, if your arms lag too far behind your shoulders, either you'll drag the club into the ball on a flat, shallow plane and excessively from the inside (that was me) or, if you rotate the shoulders too early in the downswing, you'll route the clubhead outside the target line and hit a slice or pull.

Another benefit of the stable lower body: Late in the downswing, you can really drive off your rear leg. This "springboard effect" supplies extra clubhead speed and ultimately more distance.

Finish tells the tale
The change here is subtle, but you can see it and should try to copy it. My finish today is upright (left, top). Because my lower body provided such a firm foundation for my upper body earlier in the swing, everything flows into a full, free finish. No longer does my spine tilt away from the target through impact and into the follow-through (left, bottom), a sign of poor lower-body stability.

Adjust teeing height, ball position to suit conditions
The search for more distance begins before you set the swing in motion. Always observe course conditions. If the fairways are fast and firm, I like to send my drives out low and hot for more roll. I tee the ball lower than normal, and I play the ball an inch or two farther back in my stance to reduce the effective loft of the clubface (below,left).

Conversely, if the potential for roll is minimized because the fairways are lush and moist, I'll tee the ball higher and play the ball an inch farther forward in my stance to produce a higher trajectory and maximum carry (below, right).

Note that my standard ball position and teeing height are between the two extremes shown here.




Tee the ball lower (left) in firm conditions; higher (right) in soft conditions.

Firm Lie , Fluffy Lie

America's best wedge player shows how to sharpen your sand shots

Chances are, you don't use a one-size-fits-all shot when you're chipping or pitching around the greens. You make some changes based on the situation and the lie, right? Well, your bunker game deserves the same kind of attention.

Sand conditions vary almost as much as grass conditions do. At tour events, we see everything from powdery, fluffy sand (at Phoenix or the Bob Hope) to hard-packed, wet sand (at Pebble Beach). It takes different techniques to play from hard and soft sand. If you can deal with both conditions, bunkers become much less of a hazard.

The first step is understanding the sand. Start with the practice bunker at your home course. Hit a 50-yard pitch shot into the bunker. Does the ball create a big crater and sit in the middle, or does it hit hard and roll to a flat spot? Now get in the bunker and hit some shots. Does the sand come out in clumps or splash out in a powdery spray? Answers to these questions will help you develop a plan of attack.

The wetter and heavier the sand, the firmer the surface will be. That means the ball will stay on top of the sand. In drier, lighter sand, the ball tends to sink. Once you are aware of that, you're ready to get started. Take a look below to see how I play from both types of sand.

Playing from fluffy sand

This shot is the standard explosion you're probably used to hitting. Your weight should be spread evenly between your feet, and your spine should tilt slightly away from the target. Notice how I set my head farther back here. I'm going to hit two inches behind the ball, directly below my chin. Try to skim the club through the sand--don't let it dig in.

Drill

Find your stable footing I can't emphasize enough that your weight has to stay forward on bunker shots from firm sand. To get a feel for this setup, exaggerate by lifting your back foot slightly off the ground as you hit practice shots (right). With no place to shift your weight, you'll be forced to keep it forward. Repeat this feel when you hit shots from firm sand on the course.