LET YOUR LEGS UNLOCK YOUR SWING The problem with staying still
PIERS SAYS: There is a swing pattern we see in club golfers time and again, which we can best describe as a reluctance to move. Club golfers are often afraid to shift and rotate, reasoning it feels safer to hold a position over the ball. We are yet to see a single golfer thrive through this concept. Movement is good as long as it’s the right movement… and that’s what we’ll uncover in this section.
This is a pretty good facsimile of the backswing we see all the time. Afraid to get too far from the comfort of the address position, the golfer simply lifts the club up with their hands and arms. There is minimal shift and rotation and the swing becomes too steep.
Freedom to move
Let’s now compare those poor positions with a couple of good ones. This time I’ve given myself permission to shift and rotate throughout the backswing. With the core more engaged, the motion clearly becomes ‘deeper’, the trail hip and shoulder moving more behind me… and this freer motion sets my arms and the club on a much shallower path.
No room for manoeuvre
Inevitably from that top-of-the-backswing position, the downswing becomes steep and crowded. The golfer typically makes weak, armsy swipes across the ball. While there might be a certain logic in trying to maintain a position, it just doesn’t work in practice.
Inside track
The benefits of that much better-organised and co-ordinated backswing show up best in the downswing path; from that shallower position at the top, the club can now attack the ball correctly from inside the ball-target line. But that’s a position you can find only when you give yourself permission to move.