FROM THE HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL
We have all played other sports while we were younger growing up . If you played basketball you shot the basketball , football players throw the football , baseball players throw the baseball and swing the bat . When you shot the basketball , throwing a football or a baseball the right elbow was or should have been always leading the hand holding the ball , until you release the ball during the throwing motion .
The right elbow leading the hand is the biggest reason why we can throw with power and accuracy . This is a motion we can all copy and apply to our golf swing . Many golfers think or focus on the legs and hips shifting toward the target first to initiate their swing transition from the top of the backswing to the forward swing motion , prior to the arms and upper body getting involved in the golf swing . Think about this , if the legs and hips initiate or shift forward toward the target first , before your hands move downward on the forward swing motion from the top of your backswing , one of two bad swing flaws happen to cause us to hit a bad shot . We either cast the club from the top of the swing creating an outside to inside club path or either the arms get stuck behind your body . We then try to save the flawed swing by throwing our hands to the impact position . This will cause an outside to inside swing path creating the clubface to hit the ball off the toe or the heel of the clubface with very little power .
I encourage you to not focus on the lower body as much for a second and allow the right elbow to move downward in front of your ribcage , as you swing the club forward from the top of your backswing . By doing this , we will flatten out our swing plane and the clubhead should swing to the correct impact position hitting the ball on the center of the clubface , while creating a very solid and powerful strike on the golf ball producing a good shot . Creating this motion is how you can start the ball flight to the right and hit a power draw .
YOUR SWING THOUGHT SHOULD BE : The right elbow leads my hands to a good impact position that creates a powerful golf swing and accurate golf shots .
Mike Lane
Head Golf Professional
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