How critical is finding the perfect slot position at the top of your swing? Damn critical. Finding the perfect top-of-the-backswing position boosts consistency and increases power. While many talk about achieving this position, few can tell you what it is or how it affects your swing. Even fewer can tell you how to find it consistently. But if you’re serious about cutting down your golf handicap and improving your game, you’ll learn everything you can about achieving the ideal slot position.
To do so you consistently, you must adhere to the certain key fundamentals. Master those first and you’ll find the perfect slot position much easier. Key among these fundamentals is your setup. If it’s incorrect, your backswing is doomed right from the start. Put another way, finding the ideal slot position requires the address and backswing positions flow in the proper sequence. Perfect these moves and you’ll program the perfect backswing and create an effortless, almost automatic downswing, like they teach you in golf lessons.
Posture Is The Building Block
Golf tips in sports magazines stress the importance of good posture. It’s true. Good posture is critical to a good swing. If your body is out of position at address, everything else in your swing will off. So you’ll have to make adjustments to compensate—making a sound backswing difficult to achieve. That, in turn, means the perfect slot position will probably elude you. Check your posture at address to make sure it’s correct.
Then, check your grip and your hands. Many golfers check their grip and hand position at address, like they teach you in golf lessons. But then ignore them during the swing. Gripping your hands correctly at address ensures that they work as a unit throughout the swing. But your hands and wrists can’t turn during the backswing. If they do, the clubface rolls along with it. The chances of your achieving a square clubface position at the top of the swing—and at impact—dwindle significantly.
Swing On The Same Plane
In addition, check to see that the shaft is on the same plane as your left arm during the backswing. For left-handers, it’s the right arm. Midway through the backswing, the shaft should be parallel to the line of play. From there, it should remain on the plane described by the left arm, as it swings to the top. The shaft should not stray from that plane either inward or outward if your want to find the perfect slot position.
Achieving the correct swing plane is the fourth—and most critical—checkpoint for finding the slot. If your arms and shaft are on the correct plane, they’ll swing along the proper swing path with no need for re-routing. You’ll maximize power and control.
In many golf instruction sessions, they tell you to check this position by observing the position of the left arm at the top of the swing. Then drawing a line from the left wrist through the left shoulder to ground. It should intersect the ball. But you can use another checkpoint to assure you that you’ve achieved the correct swing plan Instead of the using the left shoulder, use the top of right shoulder. It should be visible in the “window” formed by the shoulders at the top of the swing.
Keep The Clubface Square
Golfers with high golf handicaps often overlook the last checkpoint—monitoring the clubface throughout the swing. It, too, is a must for finding the perfect slot position. When you’re club reaches waist high, check to make sure the toe is pointing skyward—the ideal position for a square clubface at impact. You should also check the clubface when it gets to the top of the swing. The toe of the club should be pointing almost straight down. This position also produces a square clubface at impact.
Monitoring your clubface through the backswing makes it easier achieve the perfect slot position. So keep all the checkpoints in mind when swinging and you’ll find the perfect slot position every time. This, in turn, will increase consistency, eliminate big numbers on the scorecard, and chop strokes from your golf handicap.