Rock & Roll Golf

The simplest concept of a golf swing for me is one that rotates on a spine angle that remains constant during most of the swing (not at the ending of the swing), and also has the shoulders turning on the same plane (the angle established at set up) in backswing downswing and the good portion of then follow through. Although if you looked in real detail under the skin of a moving golfer this may not be an exact truth, it is none the less a great concept of an uncomplicated action. I know the great Tom Watson has said that when he made a change to his swing to this idea he suddenly found consistency and still to this day he has a wonderful looking, timeless swing. A common habit that can creep into some golfer’s swings is they rock their shoulders in the downswing and roll the hands over at impact to compensate and the weight tends to hang on to the back foot too long. In other words, the right should drop under and then the club head is traveling on a swing path or direction too much from the inside. The clubface is turned over using too much hand/arm rotation this closes the face and the ball will hook. This is a movement that can be seen in low handicappers.

The important point here is that you want to rotate your right side (right handed golfer) all the way through the shot and not to drop or rock your shoulders through the impact stage of the swing. An image that may help is a tennis player going through a forehand action.

If you’re on the range try this little drill to get the feeling of firing the right side through the shot. Use a medium iron and place the ball in the middle of your stance. Draw the right foot back until the toe of your right shoe is level with the heel of your left, but try to keep your hips and shoulders square to the target line. Swing the club and in the downswing follow through look for the feeling of releasing you right side all the way through to the finish. It may take you a few goes to coordinate it and you certainly won’t need any hand manipulation to square the clubface up. You should also get the feeling of a better link or connection with your arms.

Appointments with Paul for golf lessons in Wicklow can be booked via Powerscourt Golf Club Reception: Tel (01) 204 6033 or the Golf Shop Tel (01) 204 6031. Read more about lessons from Paul Thompson by visiting the Powerscourt Golf Club Website.