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Golf Basics - Learn To Turn
One of the biggest challenges for beginning golfers and an area
of constant attention for low handicap golfers as well as
professionals is consistency in their swing. For someone just
beginning to learn and apply the mechanics of the golf swing,
one of the most important concepts to get on the right track
with right from the get-go is to learn that the golf swing is a
rotation of the shoulders and the hips not the forearms and
hands. In short, when learning the basic golf swing, learn to
turn.
One very simple drill you can perform to reinforce and to
illustrate this concept is to place a golf ball (or any similar
object that you can focus on) on the floor in front of you.
Stand over the ball as you would normally properly address the
ball. With a slight bend in the waist and knees, and with a flat
back. Take your left hand and place it on your right shoulder
and do the same with your right hand on your left shoulder. In
other words, fold your arms across your chest.
From this position emulate your take-away from the ball. It is
important to keep your posture in tact and your chin slightly
up. This allows your left shoulder (assuming a right handed golf
swing) to pass slightly under your chin. The key while doing
this is to keep your head still and your eyes focused on the
ball on the floor in front of you. Ultimately, you'll want to
make a full shoulder rotation that completes with your upper
back approaching a point where it is actually pointing toward
the target. Your hips (bellybutton) should achieve an angle of
about half as much.
As you reach your full turn, again be mindful that your head
stays still and you are still comfortably seeing the golf ball.
At the height of your turn we want to feel our weight braced
against the instep of our right foot. Not rolled over the
outside edge of the right foot. Not rolled over the top of the
right foot allowing the right hip to get outside of the line of
our right leg. The weight distribution at your fullest part
should be about 85% on the inside of the right foot. Do not
allow yourself to 'reverse pivot' when you turn. By that I mean,
as you turn you don't want to dip your left shoulder and head
and accomplish your turn by dipping and ending up with the
majority of your weight on your left foot at full turn instead
of your right. Hence reversing the intended weight distribution.
As you begin to release your turn you should do so with your
hips and shoulders. Again keeping your aforementioned posture in
tact. As your hip and shoulder initiate the return sequence,
your weight will move in the same fashion proportionally from
your right to your left side. Allow your hips and shoulders to
pass through the original address position with your right
should now passing slightly under your chin much as your left
shoulder did on the takeaway. All the while keeping your focus
on the golf ball you placed on the floor at address. Upon finish
your weight will now have moved from the right to the left side.
Your hips and bellybutton should finish facing your intended
target with your head and eyes not leaving their focus on the
ball until they are naturally pulled up and toward your target
by the finish.
About the author:
Jeff O'Brien is a youth and beginning golfer instructor with a
real insight on getting your golf swing and game off to a start
by establishing a good foundation onto which you build your golf
swing and game. Be sure to visit (http://www.golf-ology.com) for
more of Jeff's golf tips and
online golf lessons.
Written By: Jeff O'Brien
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