TRANSITION AND DOWNSWING
With phil’s old swing, his driving accuracy suffered because he relied on his hands too much to square the club at impact. We went to work on improving his swing plane so he wouldn’t have to rely on timing as much. Now he’s a little more vertical as he approaches the top of his swing ( photo No. 1, right). If you looked at the same position a year ago, the club’s shaft would be a lot less upright. The lesson is, a slightly steep backswing can give you a feeling of having more room to properly swing the club down from inside the target line. You can see him taking advantage of that as he swings down. Notice how the shaft gets flatter. When Phil looks at photos like this, he likes to see it dropping below the logo on his left arm ( No. 2). Also, look at where his hands are late in the downswing. If they’re here ( No. 3), we know he’s got the club slotted and his arms have caught up with his body rotation. He’s going to rip it. I tell my students not to worry about making contact with the ball. Instead, let the ball get in the way of a good swing. Just like this one.