 The matching up of your body parts throughout the golf swing is paramount to hitting consistently solid shots. This entails your arms, hands, club, and upper and lower body being in synch from start to finish.
The starting point is your address position. When you address the golf ball, your arms form a “V” and are positioned in front of your chest. This positioning is critical because your arms should maintain the same relationship throughout the swing. This “V” can be replicated throughout the golf swing. In fact, the better you do at replicating the “V” the more success you’ll have with your ballstriking.
The backswing should consist of the shoulders turning, with the hands, arms and club swinging in and up over your right shoulder. The lower body stays relatively quiet at the start of the swing, but gradually helps shift the weight into the right foot, knee and glute as the swing approaches the top of the backswing. The relationship should remain the same between your arms and chest throughout the backswing. Achieving this look at the top of the backswing keeps the club and the body connected with one another.
 If a mistake is made, the shoulders tend to not turn enough or stop short of turning all the way to the top of the backswing. When they stop turning, the arms will be forced to swing too much across the chest to make up for the lack of turn in the shoulders. This will give you a very jammed-up look at the top of the backswing, and in turn not allow a clear path to the ball in the downswing.
In the downswing, the shoulders stay turned as the club, hands and arms swing down. The relationship between the arms and body, again, should remain the same with the arms and club staying even with the chest. The upper body serves as support while the lower body starts moving laterally forward to the left side and the hips start to clear to the left.
At impact and then into the follow-through the relationship continues to remain the same between the arms, chest and lower body. The synching up of your arms, club, upper and lower body throughout the swing allows the entire swing motion to work as efficiently as possible. In turn, more power is created and accuracy is achieved. The feeling of synching up your body parts during the swing is a very good feeling to take to the course, as it helps keep your tempo under control.
To achieve better accuracy and more distance from your golf swing, take some time to synch up your body parts. It will prove to be an easier motion to accomplish. Best of all – you’ll enjoy the results.
Tim Cusick is the director of golf instruction at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. The Northern Texas PGA named Cusick the Teacher of the Year for 2009. Visit his Web site, www.timcusickgolf.com, or his blog, www.timcusickgolf.blogspot.com.
|
