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The post Peter Kostis has ‘controversial’ opinion on where power *really* comes from appeared first on Golf.

Ground reaction forces have not always been well-understood, but they’ve always been present. You can look at swings from the legends of golf back in the day and clearly see them using their legs throughout the swing. From Ben Hogan to Tiger Woods, the legs have been the driver of the golf swing.

However, while the legs might be crucial for ball-striking, longtime GOLF Top 100 Teacher Peter Kostis disagrees that power is created by the legs.

“This will be controversial as hell,” Kostis says. “It is my opinion that the proper use of the legs, hips [and] body rotation — but especially from the hips down — the proper use of the legs is not to create power. I repeat: it is not to create power.”

So if the legs aren’t creating power, then what are they doing? According to Kostis, they are creating a stable base that allows you to swing powerfully with your upper body.

“It is to create a solid foundation from which you can swing faster,” he says. “The vast majority of your swing speed comes from the waist up.”

Once you have a solid base in your lower body, you are able to whip the club through the hitting zone much faster. But it’s imperative that you have a strong core and upper body to do so.

“I don’t jump up off the ground,” Kostis says. “But it’s a reaction to my swing speed, it’s not to create swing speed. I want my lower body to create a foundation.”

You can check out his full explanation in the video above.

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The post 10 things I learned spending 2 days with golf’s top instructors appeared first on Golf.

The post 10 things I learned spending 2 days with golf’s top instructors appeared first on Golf.

GOLF’s annual Top 100 Teachers retreat always produces a treasure trove of instruction goodies, as the best minds in the game gather for a couple of days of camaraderie, networking, workshopping and education. It’s also a time for us — GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine — to collect a ton of content to use for the upcoming year.

My job was simple. I pulled aside dozens of teachers to get helpful tips for recreational players, which I plan to write about much more when the calendar turns to 2025. But with the summit still fresh in my mind, some tips are, too. Here are 10 quick-hitters, with brief marching orders for each (because some of them we’ll go even deeper on in the months ahead).

Play from the tees pros would. Kind of

Amateurs rarely play from the correct tees. Usually it’s too far back, and we’ve written before about the joys of teeing it forward, but what should the correct yardage be for you? Tom Stickney of Johnathan’s Landing Club in Jupiter, Fla., says that’s easy: play from the same tees that allow you to hit the same clubs the pros would.

“Enjoy yourself. It’s hard enough as it is. If they can’t reach all of the par-4s in regulation and at least one of the par-5s in two, they are on the wrong tees,” Stickney says. “You want to be able to hit in what a pro might hit in on that particular hole. So if a pro is going to hit a wedge, they might do it from 160 and you hit wedge from 80, but then you need to be up at the tees where you can then hit wedge.”

Teachers are still learning, too

Parker McLachlin, a.k.a. The Short Game Chef, put on a bunker clinic (literally) on Tuesday, taking questions and firing shot after shot from a deep bunker to different pins — even diabolical short-sided ones — with ease. He’s magic with a wedge in his hands, and it was cool to see the top 1 percent of teachers in the game engaged, asking questions and still trying to get better. (Use the code GOLF50 to get $50 off a subscription from The Short Game Chef to gain access to more short-game tips. Sign up here. Offer ends Jan. 10, 2025.)

Remember why you’re out there

How do you fix a round gone bad? Erika Larkin says it’s all about your mindset. In short, she teaches playing with joy.

“You can’t play well if it’s coming from a place of fear,” Larkin says. “So you need to realize that you get to hit this next shot, you get to play golf today — you frame it differently. So if you are in a place of, ‘Oh no, everybody is watching and this is going to be a horrible moment,’ instead think, ‘I get to show what I have been practicing, I have a chance to do something amazing, I get to hit this shot right now and I get to be [at this course] today. How bad is life? How bad can it be?’ So you have to spin it. It’s normal to feel nervous sometimes. If you are really not playing well it’s hard to truly fix all the mechanics on the golf course, but you can try to fix the way you are feeling.”

There’s 1 club you need to splurge on

Looking to splurge on just one part of your bag next season? Joe Hallett says to get fit for a driver that will help you launch the ball into the air properly and assist in minimizing any curve in your ball flight.

Don’t make this egregious etiquette mistake

There are lots of etiquette mistakes made on the golf course, but Joe Plecker might have had the most unique etiquette gripe: don’t have competing music playing in your group. Why? It’s just annoying. And loud. He’s got a point.

Tight fairway? Do this

Grip down, Hallett says.

“Gripping the driver down all the way to the bottom of the grip on a short-par 4, it’s amazing how straight you can hit the ball,” Hallett says. “The swing gets shorter, the tempo is better and the ball just takes kind of that mid-trajectory flight.”

Gear

An easy drill to hit more greens

Struggling with your short irons, or from about 150 yards or so? You might simply be hitting the wrong club. Adam Smith suggests taking three clubs out to the 150-yard mark — like a 7-, 8- and 9-iron, for example — and hitting balls with each. He says you’d be surprised how often players don’t know their proper yardages and hit the wrong club to begin with. This simple test will help.

Don’t worry about trying to get more consistent

Jason Sutton does not like when golfers say they want to get more consistent. Why?

“There is no consistency in golf; it’s too broad of a term,” he says. “If you have to define consistency, if I had to, I would say trying to get your bad shots and your good shots closer together. Trying to get your dispersion or shot pattern closer. But I hate that. I like the word repeatability and functionality. Those two things make more sense.”

Sutton says he’d define repeatability as someone’s ability to repeat a pattern of their golf swing more often, which would make your dispersion tighter. As for functionality, he says that’s basically putting all the pieces together from a technical standpoint to match up with what you are trying to do as a goal.

Do these things and your scores will get better, but just don’t say that dreaded word consistency.

What’s one club amateurs should ditch?

A 3-wood, say lots of teachers.

Golf isn’t that complicated, so don’t overthink it

The best tip Hallett’s ever received? It came years ago in his playing days when he had the chance to tee it up alongside World Golf Hall of Fame member Paul Runyan. Hallett was reading a long, big-breaking downhill putt when Runyan walked by and quipped: “It’s not a hard putt, sonny, it’s just a long one.”

“And all of a sudden it just reframed your mind,” Hallett says. “It’s just a putt, just a longer putt, but we’re always like, this is so complicated.”

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The post 10 things to know to pitch with precision, according to Top 100 Teacher appeared first on Golf.

The post 10 things to know to pitch with precision, according to Top 100 Teacher appeared first on Golf.

Follow along to find out what they are. 

1. Use a higher-lofted club

Selecting the right club for your pitch shot might seem tricky, but it’s easier than you think. Remember that you need to get the ball in the air, so you’ll want to use one of your most lofted clubs like your lob wedge, sand wedge or gap wedge. These clubs are also designed with a rounded bottom, or a bounce, that helps them glide across the ground and decreases your chances of catching the leading edge. 

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2. Take your full-swing posture

Most pitch shots require a longer swing, which means you need to set up to the ball like you would any other full-swing shot. That means getting into a balanced, athletic position. Bend from the hips and let your arms hang naturally, with your hands below your shoulders. Having a proper stance and posture will help you make solid, consistent contact, and give you complete control over your distances. 

3. Position your club properly

Not knowing how to position the club at setup is a common mistake that I see from amateurs. Most amateurs I see think the leading edge should be even with the ground, but if you’re doing it right your club will actually rest on the bounce, thereby raising the leading edge slightly off the turf. 

Another issue I see players run into is knowing when their clubface is square. The increased loft of a wedge actually gives it the appearance of being open, but many players don’t know that so they usually close the face thinking they’re squaring it up. Unfortunately, this actually increases their chances of catching the leading edge. Instead, try finding a marking or indicator on your shaft or grip that’s in the center to know when your face is square, open or closed. 

A great way to check if your clubface is positioned properly is to take a few practice swings. If the club hits the ground and digs, there’s a good chance that it’s not positioned correctly at setup. When you reset, check that it’s resting on the bounce and square at setup. 

4. Ball position slightly forward

Ball position is crucial for every shot in golf, especially pitching. As a general rule of thumb, your ball position on a pitch shot should be slightly forward of center to catch shots cleanly.

Instruction

However, depending on the lie, sometimes your ball position may change. For instance, a nice lie may require a slightly forward ball position to increase the loft and bounce. If you’re ever unsure, a good way to check where your ball position should be is to take a few practice swings and see where your club naturally clips the ground.

One thing to keep in mind when setting up to a pitch shot is that you never want your ball position to drift behind center. Playing the ball too far back creates too much forward shaft lean, which decreases the loft and bounce. It also causes the leading edge to catch and dig, resulting in the dreaded chunk.

5. Use your backswing to control distance

The most effective way to control your distance on pitch shots is to adjust the length of your backswing. That’s because it helps you naturally adjust the speed at which the club moves. And a great trick for distance control is the clock method, where you think of your swing like a clock and assign your yardages to different ‘times.’ 

6. Match your setup to your swing

It can be helpful to match your set up size to your desired swing size. For some players, making a small swing from a full-swing setup is difficult. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, try choking down on the grip or narrowing your stance. Both of these adjustments can help you control how much power you deliver into the shot. 

7. Think ‘brush the grass’

If you struggle to make solid contact on pitch shots, try taking a few practice swings first and think about brushing the grass with the bottom of your club. If you’re doing it right, you’ll hear a satisfying ‘thump’ when you hit the turf. Not only will this help you utilize the bounce and get the ball in the air, but it will also help you avoid those pesky chunks and thins without overthinking the shot too much. 

8. Use the scrape drill

One of my favorite drills for pitching is the scrape drill because it helps players that lift up and corrects contact issues. To try it, get into your setup and without making a backswing, drag your club across the grass. You should feel your club pressing, or scraping, the turf on the path to your finish. 

Instruction

As you do this a few times, you’ll notice how low you need to be to the ground in order for your club to sweep the ground and make solid, center face contact with the ball. Remember, the club can only do the work for you and get the ball in the air if you hit it in the sweet spot. 

9. Don’t forget to pivot

Although pitches are shorter, feel-based shots, they still require a small rotation or pivot when you hit them. A great way to check that you’re turning through properly is to see if your trail heel lifts up when you’re in your follow through. If you’re doing it right, your heel will rise in reaction to your body rotating. 

10. Calibrate your distances

If you want to hit your wedges with great precision, you have to calibrate your distances. A great way to do this is to figure out what club and swing length you need to carry the ball various distances. I tell my students to work in increments of 10 and write down their combination of backswing length and club selection to get the ball to carry and land 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, 40 yards and so on. 

Write it down somewhere you can refer back to it when you’re playing. And next time you’re on the course you won’t be guessing, you’ll know exactly what club to use and how long of a swing to take.

If you’ve found this information helpful, you can access more of my pitching tips here or follow me on instagram for more great golf instruction. 

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My son is a big golfer as well — and to make sure he doesn’t fall into the same bad habits I do, I make sure he gets regular instruction. I take him to the new studio of Eric Dietrich and GOLF Top 100 Teacher Stephen Sweeney for help with his putting, and sometimes I even take a lesson myself.

As we’ve continued taking lessons at the studio, I’ve been compiling some tips for others to get the most out of their own lessons. Check them out below.

1. Focus on your technique

When we first started taking lessons, my son mentioned my stroke was looking a bit off. I’ve been putting ok, but after getting help from some fellow pros, I could see he was right. I was doing some things I’d never suggest my students do, but I did not even realize it. The lesson reminded me that I truly need to work on my technique.

2. Take advantage of technology

Technology has made diagnosing flaws in the golf swing easier than ever before. Most coaches you visit will have some sort of technology there to aid in this diagnosis, so take advantage of it. It takes the guesswork out of swing diagnosis and will make your progress much faster.

3. Don’t get embarrassed

It’s natural to get self-conscious during a lesson (I know I do from time to time), but don’t be embarrassed when you struggle. Teaching pros are there to help you, not judge you. They want to see you succeed as much as you do — trust me.

4. Embrace training aids

Training aids are great tools to help you correct certain flaws. After my most recent putting lesson, I went home and bought the same putting mirror we used in the studio. If you get solid use out of a training aid during your lesson, it might be worth investing in one of your own as well.

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5. Don’t be afraid of change

Good instructors will make changes to your swing that might feel uncomfortable, but don’t let that intimidate you. Making meaningful changes should feel uncomfortable. Trust that your teacher is making the changes for a reason and embrace them.

6. Accept your mistakes

When I teach students, I expect them to hit some bad shots during the lesson — and that’s totally OK! Mistakes are a part of the learning process and are expected.

7. Lock in mentally

It’s important as a student to be engaged during your lesson. Give your instructor your full attention and lock in mentally for the best results.

8. Take notes

Don’t be afraid to take notes during your lesson. Much like taking notes during a lecture in school, taking notes during your swing lesson is a great refresher to look back on later on.

9. Go practice

No swing coach will be able to fully fix your swing over the course of a lesson. To get the most out of it, you need to take the things you learned in the lesson and go practice them on your own.

10. Schedule more lessons

Players who get the most out of golf instruction are the ones who stick with it on a consistent basis. Keep going back for more lessons and you’re sure to see more improvement than just going when you’re really struggling.

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1. Practice resilience

It’s always noticeable when someone has given up on themselves during a round. It usually starts as a shift in demeanor, negative self-talk or poor posture. Over time these small changes can snowball into mistakes that lead to big numbers, and it can feel like your game is spiraling. 

But you can regain some control by making an active effort to stay in your round. This can be something as simple as staying committed to your process, completing your entire pre-shot routine and avoiding unnecessary risks. 

You might even try shifting your focus off the overall score entirely. See if you can two-putt the next hole, or hit the next fairway and green. This will help you stay present and in the moment. 

2. Pay attention to your misses

Have you ever wondered why Tour pros watch their mishits so intently? It’s because they’re studying the ball flight so they can identify the cause of the off-center strike. When they know what caused the miss, they know what adjustments to make so they can get their game back to normal.

This is something you can do in your own game. I suggest working with a coach to understand what causes your most common misses. Figure out if it’s your setup, sequencing, clubface position, or something else. Then work with your instructor to develop a ‘band-aid’ or temporary fix for this miss. That way, the next time you’re playing and that pesky miss sneaks back into your game, you’ll know what you’re doing and how to fix it.

3. Select clubs you know you can hit

If things aren’t going well, one sure-fire way to turn things around is to hit the clubs you know you’ll strike solidly. This could mean forgoing your 3-wood for a more forgiving club like a 7-wood, or hitting a shorter club that’s designed to get the ball in the air. Selecting a club that’s easier to hit will give you some positive momentum and build up your confidence. 

4. Set smaller goals

When I’m having issues on the course, I like to focus on a goal that’s easily attainable like hitting the center of the clubface. I find that small wins change the momentum of the round quickly, and encourage my students to utilize this tactic to get their game back on track. 

Short Game

5. Club up on your approach

Having contact issues? It’s always smart to take extra club on your approach into the green. This gives you a better shot of leaving these key shots close enough to make an up-and-down, two-putt or at worst make a bogey. 

However, there are a few cases where leaving shots long might get you into more trouble, so, before picking your club, ask yourself three questions. Where is the pin? How much green do I have to work with? Are there any hazards around the green?

6. Focus on the controllables 

It’s natural to get frustrated when your round isn’t going how you hoped, but instead of letting that anger take over, try to focus on the things you can control. This will help you avoid outbursts that bring you and your group down. Plus, it’s a constructive outlet for your frustration, so you’ll likely pull yourself out of your funk faster. 

7. Groove a better feel with practice swings

Practice swings are a great tool to use on the course if you’re trying to groove a better feel. Sometimes I use them to rehearse specific moves in my swing, while other times I try to keep it simple and focus on brushing the grass cleanly. Regardless of their purpose, I always find that a few additional practice swings help me regain a bit of trust in my game. 

8. Remind yourself, it’s just golf

When things are looking extra bleak, I find that it helps to remind myself that golf is a difficult game and no one gets out unscathed. 

Even the best golfers in the world experience bad days on the course, so it’s likely your playing partners can relate to what you’re going through. Just remember that they’ve been there too and you should be able to keep your head up for the rest of the round. 

9. Be supportive of your playing partners

If you want to catch a future invite with your playing partners, don’t forget to compliment their games. Oftentimes, I’ll see golfers get so consumed with their own games, especially when things go south, that they forget to participate with the group. 

Your score won’t even matter once you leave the parking lot, so try to be supportive of your playing partners as they navigate the course alongside you.

10. What can you do to improve?

As is with any sport, golf is a game that’s earned and not given. One days when your game is really struggling, try to make a note of your mis-hits or areas of weakness in your game. Instead of viewing your round as a bad day on the course, shift your perspective. Consider it an opportunity to audit your game and formulate a more productive practice plan for the next time you hit the range.

Try these next time you’re struggling on the course. They might just be the thing you need to save your round.

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But for a mid-handicapper like me, it can be a struggle to both identify and correct any common swing flaws.

Instruction

After spending the past few days in Florida on a golf trip, one thing I noticed about my swing was something simple: The better my tempo, the better my shot results are, since this allows my sequencing to be where it needs to be to avoid all sorts of issues.

I have the tendency of getting my chest out in front, which dips my head and can lead the club to bottoming out. It’s why my miss is usually a fat one (or a chunk).

So what’s an easy way to clean this up? GOLF Teacher to Watch Devan Bonebrake says it’s a combination of tempo and release, and shares a tip in the video below to help build better consistency. Check it out!

Correct your release to improve your ball-striking

“This is something I see with a lot of my students,” Bonebrake begins the video. “Coming into impact, their upper body takes over, they get very forward, and the club never quite catches up, so the chest is just as much, if not more, around than the clubhead [after impact].”

When a player does this, it can cause a number of issues that lead to bad ball-striking — from a lack of clubface control to weight-transferring issues.

But Bonebrake gives a quick and easy solution to stop doing this.

“I want you to feel like the trail foot stays down, the club speeds up, and the chest stays facing the ball a lot longer — almost like the clubhead has traveled a much further distance than the chest has,” he instructs.

After getting a feel for the right way to rotate through, Bonebrake says to just casually swing the club back and forth, feeling it release and ensuring you’re rotating and not dipping the chest.

“So you can just practice some swings where you go back [in the backswing], and through, then back and through again before setting up to the ball,” he adds. “Having my chest slow down a little bit into impact is going to make it a lot easier to let that club catch up and swing through, creating more of a full feel release and a transfer of energy.”

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The post A simple drill to get *really* good at chipping appeared first on Golf.

The post A simple drill to get *really* good at chipping appeared first on Golf.

Sometimes, however, you can overdo it and you end up digging into the turf with the leading edge. This problem, and considering the modern grinds on today’s wedges, means you actually need less shaft lean on short-game shots so you can better activate the bounce of the club and avoid the digs.

So, instead of chipping under a bench, practice chipping over your bag. And make it a challenge: Use your 9-iron and not one of your wedges.

Play the ball a few feet behind the bag as shown above and swing. Let the club release a bit through impact, and try to “paint” the ground with the bottom of your club. 

Over time, your end goal is to find a happy medium between these two techniques.

Jeff Warne is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and is the director of golf at The Bridge in Bridgehampton, N.Y

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The post This drill will teach you to hit your irons better than ever before appeared first on Golf.

Instruction

Try this: Make a swing, carving out a divot near your trail foot. Yes, your trail foot. Make another swing, digging out another divot just in front of the first. Keep doing this for six more swings, producing a divot slightly in front of the last in a semicircle pattern, mimicking proper swing path, like you see pictured above.

Naturally, you’ll learn how to orient your downswing sequence and body movement to get each divot in the right spot. Sure, it’s overdoing things a bit, but this drill gives you all the right feels to produce high-compression impact without hanging back. Now, pass the divot seed.

Brech Spradley is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and the owner and director of instruction at Barton Creek Golf Academy in Austin.

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While better technique and improved ball-striking will you help play your best, better processes will give you better odds at scoring lower. So take a look below at 10 ways to instantly lower your score by limiting risk.

10 ways to improve your course management skills

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1. Get your tee shot in play early in the round

A lot of golfers have first-tee nerves, and nothing beats them better than getting your first tee shot in play.

Instead of hoping you crush your drive, why not try to find the widest landing area, aim for that, and hope you execute the strategy? I suggest playing conservatively from off the tee early on, which can help your success and momentum.

2. Hit fairway shots with a club you love

When facing a lengthy second shot, many amateur golfers assume they should use their longest club from the fairway. Don’t fall into that trap. Instead, take the club you love (a 7-wood or even a hybrid) and swing with confidence. Comfort is almost always preferable.

3. As you change clubs, take a practice swing

We’re constantly changing club lengths on the course due to different distances and targets.

And since we’re switching clubs so frequently on the course, I suggest taking time for a practice swing. Focus on learning the low point of the club, which can help you avoid fat or thin shots.

4. Know your yardages

Way too many amateur golfers don’t know their carry distances with each club. How can you confidently hit a shot 125 yards when you’re not sure which club is your 125-yard option?

Ideally, you should know how far the ball travels in total (including roll), but simply knowing your carry yardages is the first step to improving your course management skills.

For instance, when you know you’ve got a club that can carry a bunker or a hazard, you can set up to your shot without trying to swing too hard, and focus on making ball-first contact.

5. Use a GPS app

Have you ever played a new course and hit the ball into a hazard you didn’t know was there? I’m pretty sure every golfer has before. But using a GPS app takes all the guesswork out of strategizing for a shot, and almost acts like a personalized caddie on your phone.

I suggest using either Golflogix or the USGA GHIN app, since both are simple to use and can suggest club choices for distances on each shot.

6. Play the percentages into the greens

This is something that every amateur golfer needs to hear: Not all pin placements are created the same. My advice? As you approach a green, consider your odds.

If 50 percent of the area around the green is sand, consider playing to the part of the green that’s 75 percent grass and only 25 percent sand. Look for the areas that will keep the ball on the putting surface, even if it leaves you with a longer putt.

Also, don’t be discouraged if your ball doesn’t make or hold the putting surface. By landing in the short grass around the green, you should still have a good shot to chip, pitch, flop, or even Texas Wedge your next shot — which is better than trying to hit from a deep bunker or thick grass.

7. Avoid short game shots that require a big swing

The smaller the swing, the smaller the chance of error. This can be particularly true on short-game shots. Sure, taking a big swing to hit a beautiful flop shot can be fun, but if you miss, it can be deadly to your scorecard.

Always consider using a less-lofted club with a smaller stroke motion to limit the size of the error.

8. Avoid the risk of hazards

No golfer wants to play from hazards. One way to better your course management skills is to avoid these risks altogether.

Play the odds by aiming to larger targets, which may not always maximize distance on each shot, but will help you play smart and safe golf to avoid big numbers.

9. Try walking out your putts to gauge distance

Dialing in your distance control in putting is huge. Consider walking out your putts to feel what the ball will do on the green.

Be aware of pace of play, of course. But by walking your putts, you can have a better sense of how to strategize around the green.

10. Hit approach shots with high-percentage wedges

By improving your short game, you’ll almost instantly see lower scores.

Controlling distance through your club selection can quickly drop scores and handicaps by leaving your ball closer to the hole.

I suggest getting comfortable at taking less than full swings with your wedges, which give you a sense for both distance and spin.

Looking for more golf content? Give me a follow on Instagram to get tips and playing advice.

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The post 10 ways to master course management to help lower your scores appeared first on Golf.

The post If you’re a chronic slicer, here’s how an alignment stick can *finally* fix you appeared first on Golf.

The post If you’re a chronic slicer, here’s how an alignment stick can *finally* fix you appeared first on Golf.

While there are a few different reasons for a slice — from having a bad grip to coming into impact on a poor swing path — at the end of the day, players slice the ball because their clubface is open.

Driving

Instead of going to the range and beating ball after ball, it’s time to get more intentional about improving your ball-striking.

To help, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Dom DiJulia suggests using an alignment stick drill that can quickly (and efficiently) improve your slice. So check out DiJulia’s explanation below — and finally recover from chronic slicing once and for all.

Why you keep slicing the golf ball

“If you’re slicing on a regular basis and don’t know why, like most golfers, there’s a good chance that you’re swinging over-the-top — which means the club is coming across the ball,” DiJulia says.

When a [right-handed] player comes over-the-top, the clubface opens up and creates a good amount of left-to-right spin, which is why your ball always seems to tail off towards that side of the hole.

So how can you fix this issue in order to cure your chronic slicing? DiJulia suggests using an alignment stick.

“Swinging from inside-to-out rather than outside-to-in (over-the-top) requires proper sequencing,” he adds. “This means you need to first start your motion from the ground up using your feet, knees and hips, avoiding the temptation of moving your arms and shoulder first.”

The following drill teaches you how.

Try using an alignment stick to fix your slice

Start by having a friend or your golf teacher lay an alignment stick straight across your elbows, so that it’s parallel to the ground. Swing to the top, stop, and have them hold the rod in place.

Next, make your everyday downswing.

Instruction

If you correctly start your downswing with your lower body and swing the arms from the inside, the rod should drop parallel to the ground — or with the back-end striking the turf first. But if the front strikes the ground first, you know you’ve swung over-the-top. If the latter happens, restart the drill.

To help get the feel for the right club path, try bumping your left hip forward and over your lead ankle [the left one for a righty player] as you take your backswing. Stop there and make sure the rod is still sitting parallel to the ground and across your elbows.

After you bump your hip forward, naturally unwind your right elbow and arm so that the rod falls parallel to the ground (or back-end first). If you straighten your right arm too quickly, the stick will fall with the front-end first — which means you’re still coming over-the-top.

Practice this drill until you feel comfortable and are capable of having the rod fall parallel, which means your chronic slicing will become a thing of the past.

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The post If you’re a chronic slicer, here’s how an alignment stick can *finally* fix you appeared first on Golf.