Should all golfers – both amateurs and professionals alike – warm up for their rounds like Martin Kaymer? The young German seems to be in the zone right now coming off a victory at the PLAYERS Championship and his second professional major title at the 2014 US Open. One consistent variable is the unique warm-up routine that precedes each round—Kaymer places a tennis ball on the inside of his forearms just above his wrists and maintains this position through his backswing.
By maintaining the position of his arms and wrists to hold the tennis ball in place, Kaymer creates a smooth connection all the way through his backswing. GolfTEC Certified Personal Coach Mike Ray adds his thoughts on Kaymer’s interesting routine:
“By using the tennis ball, the elbows stay close together helping the arms stay straighter longer, preserving the radius of the swing path, and allowing for a hand path that stays on the arc long. In addition, it is a useful mechanism for managing the arm swing and lift by controlling how much the right elbow orbits the rib cage early on in the swing. This could help Kaymer keep the club more “in front of the body,” helping him achieve a slightly leftward path to hit his natural fade. When the right elbow flies and lifts off of the ribcage, his projected path moves too far to the right and he hits the pull draw miss.”
Interested in building your own tennis ball necklace to practice with? We certainly were! Take a look at our final product. All you need is a tennis ball, a lanyard, a piece of string to adjust the length, and something to use to poke a hole in the ball. Simply poke two small holes about 3cm apart in the tennis ball, making sure they are big enough to snake your string through and tie a loop. Attach the end of the string to the lanyard and adjust the length so the tennis ball reaches the inside of your forearms just above your wrists. Give it a shot!
Do you have questions about this drill and wonder if it is right for you? Talk to a GolfTEC Certified Personal Coach today to find out more!
