By Ryan Gager
Fighting a weak slice out on the course? You’re not alone, and lucky for you GOLFTEC Coach Karen Walker has a great drill to help those weak slices become long, straight golf shots.
Why does the weak slice happen?
Most problems start when you lift the club straight up while your body stays stationary, then throw the club back down towards the ground moving out-to-in across your target line. This creates sidespin on the ball, resulting a weak, slicing shot. As you can see, there is not a lot of body rotation happening. When discussing the feel vs. what’s real, remember, the club height alone on your backswing doesn’t provide more power or distance.
Instead, focus on rotation. At the top of your backswing your hands should be behind your shoulder, with your chest rotated and pointing away from the target. Two key numbers that GOLFTEC uses in lessons are 88 degrees, which is the PGA Tour average for shoulder turn a the top of the backswing, and 44 degrees, which is the PGA Tour average for hip turn at the top of the backswing. Both are great indicators of how much you are rotating, and the closer you get to these numbers, the better your swing and shot will be.
Hip Rotation Drill
A great drill to make sure you are rotating correctly is to take your club and put the grip in your belly button. Outstretch your arms holding the shaft of the club with the clubhead off the ground, and simply rotate everything back, keeping your arms straight and making sure your club is pointing away from the target. This simple drill will help you feel proper rotation without even hitting a ball.
If you are curious what your rotation numbers are, and how close you are to PGA Tour averages, contact your local GOLFTEC Coach and visit a Training Center near you. Better rotation will have you hitting better golf shots!
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Great drill thank you