By Ken Butler USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional® Bradenton, Florida

One of the hardest things for a student to accomplish is to take what you have been working on with them to the golf course. That’s why I think it is so important to give them a couple of drills that they can take with them to the course. Deciding which drill or drills that they can use will obviously depend on what you have been working on together on the practice tee.

Here are a couple of drills that I have found to be very beneficial. To be clear, the player must understand that he must have some swing thoughts, although it would be great to go out there and just swing. I think we all know that’s a pretty impossible exercise.

These two drills can be taken to the course and substituted for your regular practice swing. It will clear the head and help to promote a more beneficial, relaxed swing Have a swinging day!

#1 Swing the club with one hand only, preferably with the right hand for a right-handed player. However, a couple of swings with the left hand only will not hurt. When you swing the club with the right hand only, you will feel the body movement better in regard to moving the lower body in the proper sequence. Start by swinging the club, holding the club at the shaft end closest to the head of the club. This will also help the student get the feeling of the club whipping and creating clubhead speed through the hitting zone after one or two swings. Then, reverse the club and swing one-handed, holding the club at the grip end. This exercise can be performed instead of a practice swing, so there will be no slowing of play.

         

  #2 Follow-through drill. As a practice swing, take the club about one-third of the way back. Take a little pause, then bring the club slowly into the impact zone, watching the club square up at impact, but now it is important to go through to a full-balanced finish position: belt buckle facing the target, left foot planted, right shoulder closest to the target, club behind the back with the arms folded in a classic follow-through position. I have found in my own swing, throughout the years, that if I could finish in a good position, the shot would be pretty good. Balance is everything in a golf swing, or in any other sport.

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