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Leg Action

Achieving correct leg movement in the swing is critical to provide balance and resistance for the upper body. Your leg action will dictate the amount of hip and shoulder turn you have, so If you keep your knees still you will have great difficulty in turning at all. However, if you have too much movement, your hips and shoulders will over rotate and you will lose correct balance. Over use of the legs is very common in beginners and high handicappers.

A good leg action is firm but not frozen. In the backswing, the left knee will move inward and outward. Trouble will occur when the left knee moves excessively in either direction. This results in body slide and a severe reverse pivot.

Check through some points to get your lower body balance:

1. Picture 1-4: Feel shoulder width/ weight even/ knees level
2. Picture 5 & 6: Right knee has remained completely still. Left knee starting to move out
3. Picture 7 & 8: Nearly the top of the backswing, right knee has still not moved, left knee has started to come out a little more but also in toward the ball
4. Imagine a balloon being trapped between the knees during the backswing. The balloon will be gently squeezed at the top of the swing but will not burst. Also note how the knees keep a very level look.
5. Picture 9: Into the downswing, a gap is still maintained but the left leg is now taking more weight
6. Picture 10, 11 & 12: Once the weight has shifted for impact, the left hip can turn through to the finish. Again, note the level of the knees has hardly changed for the whole of the swing.

Pitching Basics

For every level of golfers, pitching the ball well saves you strokes, but for the average amateur players who cannot reach every green in regulation, successful pitching is key in reducing 100 shooters to 90 or 90 shooters to an 80.

Check your pitching swing mechanics:

1. Set up with your feet slightly closer together than your normal stance and keep your feet aiming left to give a slightly open stance.
2. Have your weight distribution slightly to your left at the start.
3. Your ball position should be centre to slightly back in the stance depending on which trajectory you like, higher or lower. The further the ball goes back in the stance the lower the trajectory. The more forward the higher.
4. Keep your hands towards the left leg and this will set an angle from your right arm to the shaft of the club. Maintain this angle all the way through the pitching swing. Keeping this angle will help ensure you swing the club with a feeling from the shoulders and body turn, not a scooping wrist action.
5. Another good image is to feel the centre of your chest and hands move together and remain linked throughout the swing. This will help you to maintain a consistently square position for the clubface through impact, making it easier to judge the height of your shot and spin rate of the ball.

Left Arm Extension For Power

Today top pro's are hitting the ball longer than ever (e.g. my average drive now is about 30yards longer than my average drive 10 years ago). Of course, new equipment plays a major role but more importantly, attention to fitness (strength and flexibility) plays a part too.

Rotational force is an important fundamental to power. Being Strong and flexible enough to turn properly is a hugh problem for amateurs trying to improve their swings. Turning properly whilst still remaining balanced from the lower body takes good flexibility and practice. Start by working with this left arm drill:

1. Hold your left arm with your right hand. Keeping your left arm in a firm but comfortably extended position (comfortably extended means a little bend is ok, certainly do not lock the arm)
2. Now work on turning your left shoulder whilst applying some pressure with your right hand. This will help you to feel your left shoulder being turned behind the ball.
3. You should feel a resistance building in the left side of your back and through your left arm. Be sure to maintain the solid leg action that has just been covered, otherwise very little resistance will be felt
4. Work on this drill and gradually feel your backswing extension improving for greater power.
5. As you get use to the drill. Try doing it griping a club with your left hand and this will help develop the muscles needed to hold a steady backswing position.

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