Instruction: Drills for Perfection
Exclusive by Alan Johnston: Golf Australia Contributing Professional

The drills featured in the August 2006 will help you to perfect your swing. You will become aware of your body’s rotation, that of your shoulders, hips and legs, which then move the arms, hands and club during the swing. Remember, your arms and wrists must be as relaxed as possible and completely free in their movement. Your arms should feel as if they are pieces of rope that connect the club to the body and your wrists should feel like they are oily hinges.

BODY MOVEMENT DRILL
This exercise shows you how your body turns during the swing and that you have two axes in the swing with your lower body – the right leg on the backswing and the left leg on the forward swing. It will also give you the feeling of how your upper body turns around a steady spine and your head must be free to rotate as you turn. The top of your spine should not move laterally during the swing and then only after impact.

Start the drill by adopting an address position with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your two thumbs on your sternum or hold a club shaft across your chest (pic 1). Tilt your upper body forward at the hips and then flex slightly at the knees. Now turn your upper body to the right until your two thumbs (and the buttons on your shirt) are over your right leg (pic 2). Without any lateral movement of your lower body, you will fi nd most of your body weight is overyour right leg. Your shoulders must be turned to their maximum, while your hips should turn the least amount possible (this will differ from one person to another).

From this position, slide your left hand down to your right hip pocket of your trousers and turn your hipsback to the left by pulling the pocket towards the target around your left leg (pics 3 & 4). You should notice your two hands start to rotate together as the hips pull your shoulders around towards the target at the same time. Your body rotating over and around your left leg will automatically transfer your body weight back into your left side as you turn. At the end of the movement, your right shoulder, hip and knee should be in line with your left foot, which will have nearly all of your body weight centred over it.

If you have rotational problems with your body, due to a lack of fl exibility, this exercise will help you. All you have to do is hold your body position for 20 seconds, when you turn to the right and then again when you turn to the left – repeating the drill 10 times.

The key to this exercise is that your right leg moves the least amount possible during the backswing and that you pull your right hip past your head over and around a fi rm left leg, while maintaining your waist on a constant height from the ground on the forward swing.

This is all that your body does during the swing and you can’t tell me that this is difficult to learn!