34 /JANUARY 2018/GOLFDIGEST.CO.ZA
efore I explain the lateral move, a quick reminder about setup and
weight shift: At address, the top of your spine should tilt away from
the target, so the lead shoulder is high and 60 percent of your
weight is on the trail foot. When you swing back, feel even more weight
move into that leg. That’s important to set up the shift. Now, as you start
your downswing, bump your pelvis towards the target so your lead hip
moves over the top of the front foot (top photo). It’s solely a lower-body
move. (If your torso drifts ahead of the ball, you’ll make poor contact.) No-
tice that as you shift, your arms drop the club on a shallower plane effort-
lessly. This move will enable you to sweep the ball off the tee with an upward
strike for more distance. Here you see Daniel holding a shaft against his
waist and making the lateral move (bottom photo). Note how the grip shifts
towards the target. Practice this drill to get a feel for the first move down.nce your pelvis has shifted forward, it’s time to get those hips
turning. I realise a lot of you play with untucked shirts. That’s
cool. Just pretend you’re wearing a belt and visualise that the
buckle needs to go from facing the ball to facing the target. This rota-
tion happens after you’ve begun the downswing. Remember, the lateral
move gets things started, then comes the rotation about halfway into the
downswing (top photo). If you don’t start rotating your hips at this point,
the club’s path gets blocked by your body. Another thing to remember is
that – like the lateral shift – this is a lower-body move only. Feel as if your
shoulders haven’t turned and that your head stays behind the ball’s po-
sition, like Daniel is showing here. Also note how he’s using the shaft drill
to show how the left hip should rotate away from the ball (bottom photo).
Practice this sensation to improve hip turn.L : SHIFT YOUR PELVIS R : TURN YOUR BELT BUCKLE
BO