| Students taking golf lessons often trigger ideas for | | | | With the spine angle point away from the target, his |
| articles. Jim, a new student with a good swing and a | | | | weight shifts toward his right foot. From his starting |
| low golf handicap, wanted to eliminate a bad case of | | | | position, his downswing now comes from inside the |
| "the pulls." A right-handed player, everything he | | | | target line and arcs back inside the line past impact, |
| seemed to hit lately went left, whether on the tee | | | | with the club face square to the target at impact. |
| or in the fairway. It was costing him strokes and | | | | Sometimes, this set up also adds distance to your |
| hurting his golf handicap. He had gone from a 4 to a | | | | shot because you are hitting the ball at a better |
| 7 in just a couple of months. | | | | launch angle. |
| Slices and pulls, as I've written in my golf tips, result | | | | Jim address is now perfect. He sets uo behind the |
| from basically the same fundamental swing flaw. In | | | | ball, with his spine tilting away from the target. This |
| each, the clubhead approaches the ball from and | | | | address is what a golfer means when he says "sets |
| out-to-in swing path-one of the most common faults | | | | up nicely behind the ball." It's where players must be |
| in golf. Whether you slice or pull depends on the | | | | to hit the ball squarely and eliminate pulled shots. |
| position of the clubface at impact. If it's open at | | | | Additional Causes |
| impact, you pull. If it's closed at impact, you pull. | | | | Occasionally, your grip is the reason you pull. Make |
| Jim's Problem | | | | sure you grip the club properly at address. Move both |
| Different flaws cause golfers to pull the ball. In Jim's | | | | hands to the right side of the club (left side, for |
| case, it was his spine angle. Jim had such an | | | | left-handers) until you can see three knuckles on the |
| aggressive swing that he would often lean toward | | | | back of your left (right for left-handers) hand. Make |
| target when he addressed the ball. His shoulders | | | | sure the V's between both thumbs and forefingers |
| were nearly level and his body tilted at an angle | | | | are parallel. |
| where his spine was parallel with his right leg. | | | | Improper body alignment also causes you to pull. |
| This stance put too much weight on Jim's left foot, | | | | Close the overall alignment of your body a little by |
| which promoted a swing path that moved from | | | | aiming your feet, hips, and shoulders to the right of |
| outside the target line during the down swing to | | | | the target. Then move the ball back in your stance. |
| inside the target line past impact. As a result, he | | | | In some cases, you need to straighten your right |
| would frequently would pull shots left of the target. | | | | arm (left arm for left-handers) early in the swing. |
| The key to fixing Jim's problem then was to adjust | | | | One drill to help eliminate pulls is to practice hitting |
| his spine angle. | | | | shots from a sidehill lie. Position the ball several inches |
| Uphill Battle | | | | above the level of your feet. Now, swing away. This |
| Naturally, Jim's spine angle problem at address had to | | | | drill promotes a more rounded swing plane and a |
| be corrected. One way to do this was to imagine his | | | | more powerful in-to-out swing path, eliminating pulled |
| ball was on an up slope, and then address the ball | | | | shots. |
| with this lie in mind. That would place the club shaft | | | | A variety of flaws cause golfers to pull shots. It |
| at an angle. Jim could then match his shoulders to the | | | | could be your spine angle, as in Jim's case, your grip |
| shaft's angle. By getting his left shoulder higher than | | | | could be off, or you're not straightening your right |
| his right, Jim was in a perfect position to hit the ball. | | | | arm early enough, if your right-handed. To eliminate |
| Another way to teach a student to adopt the right | | | | pulls learn to swing the club on a more in-to-out |
| spine angle in this case is to step on the player's | | | | swing path and square off the clubface at impact. |
| clubface. That tilts the up. Now all the player has to | | | | Practice hitting balls on an upslope to help eliminate |
| do is match his shoulders to the shaft angle. Either | | | | "the pulls" and you should see your golf scores and |
| approach, works well. | | | | golf handicap drop. |