SHIMMY YOUR WAY TO A GOOD TURN

Exclusive by gary edwin
GOLF AUSTRALIA'S teaching coach

For any golfer who has trouble getting turn and weight transference working together, making a good golf swing can seem near impossible.

Good turn and weight transference at the same time is coil and this is what powers the golf swing.

Here is an exercise Peter Lonard uses to fine-tune his coil, which is a major element in creating power in his swing.

Called the Shimmy Drill, it is an exercise that gives you the feeling of how the sides of your body should work, or turn, during the golf swing. Ideally, you should do this exercise in front of a mirror so you can see how your body reacts to the various moves.

Stand as if you are at address with good body angles. You should have a slight fl ex in your knees, a straight lower back and you should tilt forward from your waist so your upper body weight is over the balls of your feet. Drop your arms in front of you, making sure your right shoulder (for right-handers) is lower than your left.

Once you have achieved this position, bend your elbows to 90° and clinch your fists. Your upper arms should hug either side of your torso.

Now “Shimmy”.

Push your left arm forward, without losing too much of the bend in the elbow, and pull your right arm back (pics 1 & 2). Note how my body has turned and the majority of my upper body weight is over the inside of my right leg.

This body position is identical to the position you should try and achieve on your backswing. This turn helps maintain your good body angles and will make it much easier for you to deliver the club back to the ball on a good swing plane. And, interestingly, I have not made a weight shift but, by simply turning, my upper body weight is drawn back in my stance.

Now push your right arm forward and pull your left arm back (pics 3 & 4). This move should give you the feeling of how your body should turn in the downswing and follow through. Upper body weight has moved forward as the torso has turned and the right shoulder has remained slightly lower than the left.

The “Shimmy” is a terrific drill for ingraining the feel of turn and weight movement. I suggest you try it, and setting up with correct body angles, for two to five minutes a day for a week before your next round and see if it makes a difference. I’m sure it will.

See the December 2006 issue of Golf Australia magazine for the rest of this article.