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Power Tips & Drills

Learn to hit it big with my 10 simple drills and tips

This Article Features Photo Zoom

1. Four-Step Drill. At the top of your swing, if your body doesn’t rotate properly so that your weight and balance are too much on your left side, (so that your body resembles a “C”), you’ll not only lose a lot of power, but also slice or pull your shots. Rather than making this so-called reverse pivot, I tell my students to make sure that their left shoulder is over the inside of their right knee at the top of their swings.

If you struggle with shifting your weight, try the “four-step drill” I learned from Jim Flick. Do it slowly, making each step separate.

First, set up as usual. Then hinge the club up with your wrists and set it on your right shoulder, while keeping your arms relaxed and staying in your posture. Then—and this is the key step—keep the club on your shoulder and turn back so your left shoulder is over and inside your right knee. After that, simply lift the club off your shoulder and you’ll be in a perfect position at the top of your swing. Now let your arms and the club swing down and let your body react to the swinging of the club. The club will fall to the inside of the target line, the clubface will square up, and you’ll draw the ball.

PERFECT

2. The Right Setup. When a player swings across the ball from outside the target line to inside it, he slices (or pulls) the ball and loses major power. This swing-path breakdown happens for a number of reasons. I’m going to address one of its causes as I see in many golfers’ setups.

RIGHT ARM TOO HIGH

Consider the top photo. Notice that my right forearm is parallel and slightly lower than my left forearm. (In fact you only see one of my forearms.) When your right forearm gets too high at address and you see both forearms, you’ll either start your swing by taking the club outside the target line or twisting it too far inside. (See bottom photo.)

To get your right forearm in the proper parallel position, it has to be relaxed. Also consider strengthening your grip by rotating your right hand to the right so your right elbow points toward your right hip. When that happens, you’ll know that your arms are in a good setup position. From there, you can start off your swing on the correct path.

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