Golf Magazine USA – September 2019

115115115115

YOU HEAR TALK OF getting ‘open’ in a golf

swing, but what exactly is that? In a nutshell,

getting open is when you open your hips and

shoulders at impact more than they were

at address. This really is a golden position,

because it allows you to manage the club-

face, path and angle of attack so you can hit

the ball straighter, crisper and with better

control. There are a few common denomi-

nators in all good swings; this is one of them.

A common mistake is to ‘open’ too

early. This results in a ‘spin’ from the top

that causes the club to drop into a steep

orbit. The natural reaction is to try to get the

club back on plane later in the downswing,

but then your hips and shoulders end up

(incorrectly) square or even closed at

impact. Clearly, that will not allow face and

path control. The key is to shift toward the

target slightly in your transition to be able to

shallow the club. From there you can open

your upper body and torso.

Remember, the timing of when your

body opens is vital. Try this drill: Put an

alignment stick through your front belt

loops. Plant another pole in the ground

about half a grip behind and slightly outside

your lead heel. Try to make the pole in your

belt loops ‘click’ onto the vertical pole as

you hit the ball. Do it hard and fast and try

to time the two. It’s great auditory as well

as kinesthetic feedback. The better you

do it, the better you’ll hit it!

By: Jonathan Yarwood

Range Session:

Drill Your Way to

Crisper Irons

Note the angle of

the alignment poles

at impact. This

is something

I would call a “tilted

opening,” and it

comes from a good

side-bend as you

open your body.

PRIVATE

LESSONS

FIX FAT CONTACT

Sometimes a change in

perspective is all it takes

to fix a fault. Take fat

contact, for example. If

you’re continually hitting

the ground before the

ball, focus your eyes on

the front edge (target

side) of the ball during

the swing. It may not

seem like much—the

diameter of the golf ball

is just 1.68 inches—but

shifting your sight line

forward even this small

amount nudges your

center of gravity toward

the target. Your focus

shifts, too. Amateur

golfers often tend to

focus not on the golf ball

itself but on a variety

of places around the

area of the golf ball. The

combined effect of both

tightening your focus

while moving it forward

will help solve those

dreaded fat shots. Why?

Because this forward

shift helps the club reach

its low point at the ball,

instead of behind it. The

result will be cleaner,

crisper chip shots.

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