Swing Faults And Fixes

The perpetuation of golf myths often leads to inconsistency and injuries. It also plays havoc with your game and golf handicap. But swinging the golf club the way the body is designed to move improves consistency and limits injuries. Understanding why these myths are wrong is the key to swinging the club the way the body moves. Understanding swing faults and fixes cuts strokes from your scores and, ultimately, whittles down your golf handicap.

The five myths covered below are among the most popular—and the most deadly to your game. Where possible, we’ve provided golf tips gleaned from our golf instruction sessions on how to correct the myth along with drills to help correct the problem.

Starting The Backswing

One popular myth says to start the backswing with your left shoulder (right shoulder for lefties). Beginning the swing this way creates two faults: It limits shoulder rotation and causes the club to get “inside” or “behind” your body. These faults hamper your power and consistency. Instead start the swing with your right shoulder. Doing so keeps the hands in front of the chest and assures a full shoulder turn. More important, it keeps the body connected.

Drill: Cross your arms in front of you. Lift your elbows and arms away from you until they’re parallel to the ground. Rotate your left shoulder to your chin. Return to the begin-ning and rotate your right shoulder to your chin. Notice how much easier it is to rotate the upper body when your start with your right shoulder.

Keep The Left Arm Straight

This is a classic myth we often see executed in our golf lessons. Trying to keep your left arm (right for lefties) straight leads to limited range of motion, poor weight transfer, and a lack of power. It also encourages the right shoulder to dip on the downswing. Correcting this fault is easy. Just maintain the natural bend in your left arm (right for lefties). This allows the shoulders to complete the backswing, eliminates dipping or lifting, and lets the chest rotate fully for a full release at impact.

Drill: Take your address position. Now take the club up until it rests on your back shoul-der. Complete the backswing so that your upper body is behind the ball. This is the cor-rect position at the top of your swing. Lift the club off your shoulder, make your swing and hit the ball.