LETTER FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL HOW A SIMPLE HOUSEHOLD HAMMER CAN HELP SIMPLIFY YOUR SWING
I hope everyone has been taking advantage of the great weather and course conditions that we have had throughout March , and as we look forward to April . The time is now to start to simplify your swing . Let ’ s face it - golf is hard . I was shown by a great a long time ago that helped me personally in my quest to simplify the golf swing . If you have an old hammer kicking around then you can play some better golf !
To start , grab a hammer with your trail hand as if you are hammering a nail into a wall in front of your body . You will notice how this instinctively gives you a slight tuck of the trail elbow and drops your trail shoulder below the lead with angle in the trail wrist . Once your holding the hammer , move the weight of the hammer away and this will give you a great feel for a takeaway .
From this point the golf swing is nothing more than lifting your arms as the right arm folds and the body turns a bit . From this position , holding your spine angle and placing the left hand on the right hand will pull your body into a coil or “ turn ”. This places your body in a position to efficiently swing the golf club back down to the ball . A great way to combine the hammer drill with a golf club is to hold a hammer on the grip of the club or tape the hammer down the middle of the shaft . Start with just your right hand on the club and make slow swings .
Once you have practiced this a few times , the hammer can be removed and this feel can be integrated to a normal golf club . To continue this feel , simply turn the clubhead in as if you are hitting the ball with the toe of the club . When turning the club like this , the center of balance goes more to the clubhead , helping replicate the actual hammer feel .
What ’ s great about this drill is that the actual task is driving the technique . Rather than being thoughtful of several technical positions in the golf swing , replicating the instinctive motion of the hammer will put you in the proper positions . This drill will also help you place your focus of attention on the actual club , which is often overlooked . Hopefully this simple little drill can make the complicated golf swing a little more understandable and help to hit some better shots ! Have a great April !
Ben Johnson
PGA , Teaching Professional eaglebrooke newsletter 5