Hand Action

Learning to play golf is a three part learning process.

The first part is teaching your hands to control the clubface so that you hit the part of the ball you wish to with the clubface pointing in the direction you want to go.

The second part is learning the correct body movements, which provide the power.

The third part is successfully combining the first two.

The best method I know of to teach the correct hand action is what I call the baseball drill. I have my pupils stand erect with their feet shoulder width apart and hold the club out horizontally in front of them at shoulder height.

This is described as for right-handed players. If they then swing back - around keeping the shaft on a horizontal plane until their body is fully rotated and their weight is totally on their right foot certain things will have happened. Their forearms will have rotated (to keep the shaft horizontal) and the wrists will have cocked which will have folded the upper part of their right arm against their chest. It is probably easier if the left arm is allowed to bend, the back of the left hand should be horizontal.

Now they move in the opposite direction still maintaining the shaft in a horizontal plane. To do this, the forearms rotate in the opposite direction, the body rotates at the same time and the right hand and right forearm cross over the left through the impact position in front of the body. As they finish the swing, still with the shaft horizontal, the upper part of the left arm will be folded against the chest and the back of the right hand will be horizontal. The right arm should be allowed to bend as well. The weight will be totally on the left foot.

This baseball drill teaches the correct hand action and the correct relationship between the arms and the body. I get my pupils to continue doing the exercise at increasing speeds until they can generate a lot of club head speed. Then I get them to gradually lean over changing the plane of the swing until they are in a normal address position and brushing the ground as they swing while still keeping the same relationship between their arms and their body.

This generates the maximum club head speed possible, enabling them to hit it further than ever before. This drill used in conjunction with the continuous swinging drill outlined in a previous tip will teach you just about all you need to know.