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Gil Hanse
Help From the
Club’s Handle
Your moment of truth in the swing is prior
to contact, and this exercise helps you gain
a sense of the club’s ideal position as it
approaches impact.
Place your hands on the steel part of the
shaft just below the end of the grip and lay
down an alignment stick on the line of your
feet. While swinging less than half-speed, on
the descent, your club should be parallel to
the ground, your feet and the alignment rod.
If you have executed the drill properly, the
handle of your club should be pointed down
the line, not across it. When it comes time
to make a full swing, the same principles
apply in order to hit the ball straight. The
shaft will always follow where the handle is
pointing.
For players who tend to pull the ball, the
handle will be pointing way to the left. For
those players who push shots, the handle
will be pointing right of the intended
target line.
No matter what you did in the
backswing, as long as you get back to where
the club is level with the ground near the
waist-high position on the downswing, you’re
set up for solid club-to-ball contact.
YES
NO
NO
ABOVE: A key element to developing the correct
swing sequence is having the club shaft parallel
to the ground as it nears impact.
RIGHT: If the club’s handle points to the left, you’ll
tend to pull the ball. In contrast, if the handle is
positioned to the right, you’ll push shots.
Co-author Craig Shankland is a 52-year PGA member and a master teaching professional.
Shankland was the PGA of America’s 2001 National Teacher of the Year and is one of Golf
Magazine’s “Top 100 Teachers in America” and Golf Digest’s “Top 50 Greatest Teachers.”
He teaches golf at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., and at Maroon Creek Club in
Aspen, Colo. Co-author Lisa D. Mickey is a Florida-based writer and a regular contributor to
Virginia Golfer.
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that’s not why the pros loved them.
Said Phil Mickelson of Castle Stuart:
“I think from a design standpoint it’s one
of the best I’ve ever seen…it gives me an
opportunity to hit all the shots I’ll play (at
the British Open), all the bump-and-run
shots, the chips around the greens, putts
off the green, and yet it doesn’t beat you
up and it doesn’t punish you.”
Hanse’s makeover of Doral will be in
the spotlight this spring when it hosts the
P