IRONPLAY SWEET STRIKE

Among club golfers, there is often a belief that a longer swing makes the ball go further. Tommy Fleetwood’s compact, powerful action proves just how much of a misconception this is. His compact swing minimises moving parts but maximises speed, delivering controlled power in spades. Tommy can pull this trick o because he uses his body as the driver, the engine of the swing, while keeping the smaller components like the hands relatively quiet. It adds up to control, consistency and pure striking.

Here are three ways you can work on this...

BUTT IN STOMACH

Push the butt of your iron into your stomach, just above the belt buckle. From here, make quarter-swings back and through, no more than eight o’clock to four o’clock. This helps you match up your arm and body motion and trains the feeling of the body as the engine of the swing. It also helps you experience constant face rotation; the face opens and closes with the motion of the body, square to the swing ’s arc.

MAKE SAWN-OFF SWINGS

Swing back so your hands are opposite your trail shoulder at the top of the backswing, and opposite your lead shoulder at the completion of the followthrough. This curtailed swing engages the body and reins in loose arms. It will take a range session or two for your timing to kick in, but ultimately it will improve your strike location and gain you distance through a more efficient and centred strike.

SPLIT THE HANDS

Pull your trail hand o your lead hand and set it on the grip just below, leaving a small gap of 2-3mm. Hit balls like this. This subtle split-hand hold changes the source of the motion in your swing, encouraging the body to drive the club. You might catch a few heavy at first, but persevere and you will train a more e cient, less flippy delivery of the club.