Practising golf drills can be hard work.Every so often, however, a drill comes along that allows you to have a ball. So says PGA professional, GRANT HEPBURN.
One of the most common mistakes that I see amateur golfers make is that, once they reach the top of their backswing, they start the sequence of their downswing by lunging forward with the upper body and arms, instead of their lower body.
They tend to lead with their shoulders and torso, which throws their arms away from the body and results in a steep downward strike that pulls the club across the ball, resulting in a loss of power and accuracy.
In this instruction tip, I will demonstrate the effectiveness of using a heavy ball training aid in learning the correct path of the arms towards the target.
The great thing about the heavy ball is that it also helps you learn how to turn your body in the backswing and how to use your legs in the downswing.
It is an excellent overall training aid. If you don’t have a weighted ball, a soccer ball can provide you with a similar feel.
But first, let’s have a look at the golf swing and the reason so many amateurs suffer from this power leak.
Getting it right
In the correct sequence, you can see how my club approaches the ball from behind my body, on an inside path. It then swings down the line, towards the target, on the way through.
This allows for maximum power, cleaner ball striking and improved accuracy in my swing.
Getting it wrong
In this incorrect swing sequence, I am demonstrating the common ammie fault.
Note how my club is thrown away from my body in my downswing and swings out and across the ball through impact. This will cause my ball to take off left and either go further left or slice back towards the right, depending on the position of the clubface at impact.
The problem is, with my arms swinging out and across the ball, there is a loss of power, as well as a loss of consistency, as my arms swing across the target line instead of towards the target.
The heavy ball drill
A great way to practise the correct way is by using a heavy ball, like I am doing in this sequence.
Note how, as I throw the ball, my head stays back as my legs shift my weight in the downswing and my arms throw the ball up and towards the target.
This allows me to finish with my arms over my left shoulder and trains my body how to swing the arms correctly towards the target.
Arms towards the target
From front on, you can see the movement and direction of the ball, as it is thrown down the line, towards the camera. Similarly, in a golf swing, you should be swinging your arms towards the target.
The ball comes out high and heads straight towards the target on the most accurate and consistent path. My arms finish high over my left shoulder, like they should.
The important thing to notice in this incorrect sequence is how my head moves towards the target in the downswing and the ball is thrown low and left into the ground instead of up and towards the target. This is the typical slicer’s swing and is the wrong way to practise. You can see how my arms finish low and left, and the ball does not fly towards the target.
From this angle, you can see how my arms have come away from my body in the downswing and I have ended up throwing the ball left of my target. My arms finish low and the ball did not reach its intended target.
– This article first appeared in the September 2024 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
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