On a recent golf outing, I got my game handed to me in a cute box of “Mmm, lunch is so much better when someone else is buying.” In my defense, I haven’t played for nearly 2 months but that’s not really an excuse. The truth is I haven’t been to a driving range since a gallon of gas was below $2. I’m over-exaggerating of course but it might as well as been my fault for trying to practice on the golf course in the midst of a game involving wagers and getting no strokes. Waah! Nevertheless, I did (re)learn a valuable lesson in my loss. Square the face and the ball will follow!

Most high handicappers hit the ball like military cadence: Left! Right! Left! Right! Leeeeft! And just like someone giving their stalled vehicle the once over and not being a certified mechanic, it’s not a good idea to try and fix something without knowing something about it. In this case it’s simple. It’s the position of the hands at the bottom of the swing arc that causes our line to the clubface to close or open resulting in enough wayward shots to put you over 100 for the day.

I pulled and pushed shots all over the course so much it had the local homeowners worried. It isn’t easy to adjust during play as an amateur because there are other factors like swing speed, tempo, and course management running through the mind. It is vital to square the face of the club so that it is inline with the target through the impact zone. I was not executing this. If I simply slowed down my speed/tempo to get the back of my left hand facing the target at impact, I would have saved myself a lot of scrambling which in effect, took away easier shots at par. I wasn’t conditioned to do this. My mind was aware but my body went rogue cutting at the ball like a Yakiniku chef. So how do I program my body to square the clubface?

Use an Impact Bag!

If you can’t get your mitts on an Impact Bag, use an old tire. The basic fundamental here is to learn just how your left hand controls the face of the club. Grip the club with your left hand, take the club back, and tap at the bag or tire (for right-handed golfers). Note the position of the clubface as it hits the bag or tire. Is it open or closed? Next, look at your left hand and see if your grip is strong, neutral, or weak. These two factors are relative to the behavior of your ball flight. If your left hand is in too much of strong grip, chances are your clubface will be open causing the ball to head right. Continue practicing on the bag or tire until you grasp the concept of  the drill and then try a controlled swing from your usual address position.

DO NOT SWING FOR THE FENCES ON YOUR IMPACT BAG OR TIRE! You could cause your wrist and/or hands serious damage. Learn control through this drill and use the same patience when executing your shots on the course.

We’ve all seen a PGA tour pro tee off on television. We’ve witnessed that beautiful right to left draw into the fairway or green. Who hasn’t tried to duplicate that on the golf course only to watch helplessly as it meanders into someone’s living room via the picture window? I know I have, and yes, a picture window. It happens. I was ill prepared thinking that I could imitate a golf swing just by watching the pros. The swing has to be understood, practiced, understood, and executed. There are some basic mechanics to hitting a powerful draw that can have you looking like a pro.

The amateur golfer often overlooks the importance of the swing plane. By understanding the swing plane, you can make the ball behave and hit textbook power draws and fades. For the draw, your club should move from inside the target line on your takeaway. The swing plane should naturally flatten out your back swing. This will take some time to develop but you must do it repetitively so that there are no thoughts while you are doing it. A clear mind always helps an effortless golf swing.

When drilling on the draw shot at the driving range, take the shot by the numbers. Use a practice tee instead of a range ball. Pull the club away until the shaft is almost parallel to the ground, stop, check your club head position. It should be behind you, your wrist should be pointing behind you as well. That is a good sign that you have brought the club inside the swing line.

Slowly bring the club down from your set position at the top and notice the natural outside line it follows.

Go through the tee and continue slowly until the finish position. Your hands should finish higher than a normal shot. This will help your muscles remember the kind of shot you are practicing so that there is no tension when you speed up your swing.

If you are a visual person, lay a club down at the driving range in line with your target. Simply bring the club across and inside that line. Then on the down swing bring it back to that line and finish high.

Practice the concept over and over and watch the behavior of the ball in flight. Make adjustments according to your swing style until you get the desired result. Do not force it! Allow it to come naturally. Don’t swing for the fences, maintain a slow pace while practicing and the swing becomes smooth. A lot of amateurs forget that golf is not so much a physical game, it’s a mental game.