PGA Golf Professional, John Hayes "Give responsibility to the arms on the forward swing..."

This is reprinted from a monthly newsletter/post by PGA Golf Professional, John Hayes. You can go to his website, www.johnhayesgolf.com, and get more info on Manuel de la Torre, legendary PGA and World Golf Hall of Famer.

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Now for a little help to get you to give the responsibility on the forward swing to your arms and just let your body respond: when golfers use their shoulders from the end of the backswing it can throw the club outside the correct direction on the forward swing causing the club to come from the outside which can give your pulled shots with short irons and slices with less lofted clubs and poor impact toward the heel of the club.

Here is the practice drill: go to the end of the backswing and stop. If the backswing is correct then you should go back in a circular direction from the address position, not straight back from the ball. Once at the end of the backswing simply return the club to a spot ON THE SAME CIRCULAR DIRECTION THAT YOU WENT BACK and stop the club several inches behind the ball. Now that you have a clear picture that you want to go forward in the same circular direction that you went back, simply make the swing, without stopping at the end of the backswing, and make the forward swing trying to return the club to the spot on the circle that you previously stopped at before and let the club continue to the finish of the forward swing. Yes you will hit the ball but that is not your focus. You are focused on returning to the spot in the same circular direction that you swung back.

This fine drill is also outlined in Manuel de la Torre’s great book, Understanding the Golf Swing. As Manuel will say, this is a corrective procedure when a player is using the shoulders and “coming over the top.” (Note: that the PATH of the clubhead on the forward swing is not the same as that on the backswing but the circular DIRECTIONS should be the same for both back and forward swings.

As always, please email me at jh@johnhayesgolf.com or call (727) 692-4679 if you have any questions or comments. I hope to see you soon on the tee at the Chi Chi Rodriguez Driving Range in beautiful Clearwater, Florida.