ON THE RANGE TRAIN ROTATION

If your goal with short irons and wedges is height, you will tend to develop an action dominated by the hands and arms as this is the best way to scoop the ball upwards. The problem is it leads to a rocking, tilting motion that kills consistency and control. To feel the difference between this and a more effective rotational motion, take your address posture with palms angled downwards...

1 AVOID ‘THE TILT’

Images 1 and 2 demonstrate what I mean by a tilt. The two hands stay on a line as the arms swing back and through. As you can see, there is no core rotation; the hips remain very square throughout. It’s a rocking-thebaby-type move that causes the shoulders to tilt and the shape of the arc to become a narrow U.

2 SCOOPED UP

Viewing the throughswing from face-on, with the lead shoulder rising and trail shoulder dropping, it’s easy to see how this tilting action could produce a weak, scoopy impact – a rocking-the-baby-type move that causes the shoulders to tilt and the shape of the arc to become a narrow U.

3 TRAIN ‘THE TURN’

Let’s look at repeating this motion, this time with a more effective rotational move. This time, instead of allowing the arms to swing straight back and through, pull your trail hand, arm and shoulder back and upwards while the lead shoulder and arm move forwards, as if reaching down towards the ball.

4 EASE AND SQUEEZE

For the throughswing feel the opposite; this time the trail arm and shoulder reach down towards the ball while the lead shoulder and arm pull up and away. Repeat these two moves slowly at first, feeling how your core and hips respond by rotating back and through. You could do this drill just as easily at home as at the range. But if you are at the range, alternate the rotation drill with clipping off five wedge shots. Try to repeat that rotational feel with the club, softening your grip pressure, allowing your body to make a greater contribution to the move and calming the overall tempo.