Today we’re going to bring back one of the best drills in golf that will help you in these very, very critical areas:
Balance.
Posture.
Tempo.
If you can improve in all three, you’re going to be a much, much better ball striker.
The drill is nearly as old as the game. Hit practice shots with your feet together.
Yes, it’s that simple but this drill will accomplish a lot.
First, it will get you to swing within yourself. It’s difficult to swing fast with your feet together — at best, you’ll totally lose your balance.
Second, it will help you maintain good posture in your swing and we’re talking about proper spine angle. One of the biggest faults with medium to high handicappers is that they tend to straighten their backs at the start of the downswing and the results are never pretty. Concentrate on good posture.
Third, you will immediately have to slow the entire swing from takeaway to downswing in order to maintain your balance.
Best to start out simple with a nine-iron, wedge or another short club. When your feet are together and you have the proper amount of bend in your knees and back, your arms should hang below your shoulders — make sure you take the tension out — let those arms hang, think about cooked spaghetti.
As you start to hit the ball more solid, you can try longer clubs — a seven-iron, then perhaps a five-iron if you’re getting good enough.
What you’ll see is a more solid strike and you may be amazed at how far the ball actually goes when you hit it in the middle of the clubface.
When you’re swinging with your feet together, let your lower body work. That left knee should kick in toward the ball as you clear your hips on the takeaway.
Do this often and your balance, posture and tempo will improve. Get better in all three categories and you’ll have a lot more fun out on the course.
Old drill — simple yet effective.
