Instruction
Why moving off the ball is causing you to lose distance
One of the more debatable topics in golf instruction is whether moving off the ball in your backswing is beneficial and will produce power and consistency. Now, with golf heading into the direction of fitness (which is great for strength, accessing physical limitations and mental health), amateur swings are getting even longer with swings moving in every direction possible. Terms such as “power,” “loading” and “guaranteed distance” are being promoted left and right to students. Even swings from long drive champions are being used to teach students how to get that extra 10 yards.
With all this information taught and published, both instructors and students have forgotten the most important element to hitting the ball with consistency and distance: Striking the ball in the center of the club face consistently.
This topic is now even more relevant with upcoming stars such as Maverick McNealy and Bryson DeChambeau making headlines, both having very efficient golf swings with no lateral movement. This is contrary to older teaching methods, which stressed moving off the ball with a lateral shift of the body. So how do we increase our chances to consistently hit the center of the face with speed? Having spent countless hours researching this, I can assure you whenever we limit movement and turn our body in the right direction, we increase the probability to not only hit the center of the face, but to produce speed.
Before we dive into the instructional side of this — on how we get ourselves to not move off the ball and get rid of all those extra moving parts — let’s examine the reasons why moving off the ball can hurt your chances to a consistent shot.
Balance
Balance is a very important aspect to having a solid golf swing. Poor balance will affect a player’s ability to transfer weight and turn in the proper direction. Balance is comprised of three control centers: the eyes, the inner ear and our proprioceptive system. How do these three control centers relate to our golf swing? Let’s examine the eyes. Whenever we readjust our eye line, or have our head move off the ball, we have to readjust to our original position, which affects our balance. Just think about a three-foot putt. Our head must stay still to make solid contact and start the ball in the direction we want it to go. Moving your head to the right during your stroke will make it much more difficult to start the ball on the intended line. Then there is our proprioceptive system. Simply put, our proprioceptive system is our ability to figure out where our body is at a current time without seeing it. With less movement of the body, the less we need to rely on finding our body positions throughout the swing.
Golf is not a moving target sport: Too many times I hear instructors compare swinging a golf club to hitting a baseball pitch. Yes, a baseball hitter loads back on his trail foot. But does a MLB hitting coach compare the baseball swing to a golf swing? Golf is a sport, and unlike most sports, the ball is not moving when we start our swing; the ball is static. Although there are positions similar to any hitting motion, how we get there should be taught differently. In “The Quiet Eye” by Joan Vickers, she classifies sports into three categories:
- Single, Fixed Target: Shooting a basketball into a hoop
- Moving-Target Tasks: Throwing a football to a wide receiver
- Abstract-Target Tasks: Putting a golf ball into the hole where you cannot see the target
Each one of these types of sports require a different skill set, and how we use our eye sight to process information to perform the task.
Great golfers and athletes do more with less
Ever wonder why it looks like Tour players aren’t swinging very hard? I can assure you that they are. You don’t get 115 mph driver speed by swinging lightly. Usually, amateurs hit it farther and have more success when they slow down their swing because they can have more success hitting the center of the face. Tour players are able to swing as hard they want and still hit the center of the face due to either great timing or efficient swings with their body coiling in the right direction. This makes it easier for them to make repeatable solid contact, which gives the perception of a smooth swing that produces speed. Think of a swimmer swimming in a race: Swimming in a direct line results in a much faster pace than one with lateral movement.
Now let’s put aside all the kinematic talk and implement this into our golf swing. The majority of amateurs I teach have a lot of lateral movement into their trail foot. This is usually done with their hips in an effort to get what they feel as their weight into their trail foot. The glutes are the engine of our swing, and critical to making a proper coil. We can still move pressure in our feet laterally without excess lateral body movement.
Here are several things I look for, and drills to get rid of that lateral movement and make your swing more efficient.
The Setup
A proper setup is critical to being able to make an efficient backswing with no excess or lateral movement. I like to see a tilt to the upper body, so our head is back behind the ball, and our right shoulder is lower than the left, for a right-handed golfer. This will limit the amount of movement we need to make in our backswing. To practice this, check your setup in a mirror face-on and take note of the position of your head in relation to the ball and the angles of your shoulders. Take advantage of the camera on your phone and have someone photograph your setup next time you are on the range.
Right glute toward the target
Feel as if your right glute moves directly toward the target on your backswing. The direction you turn your hips and body is more important than the amount. We can still move our pressure into the inside of our right foot while feeling our right glute rotate backward, toward the target. Almost feel as if your right side moves instantly back and your left side moves out, putting your left side in the way. To practice this, put an alignment stick across your waist and note how the shaft moves, specifically the right side of the shaft. If executed correctly, the right side of the shaft will move directly back.
Alignment stick next to hip drill
This is a great drill to keep your hips “in the box” and not sway laterally, which changes your spine angle. Place an alignment stick at hip height, angled in so that it almost touches the side of your hip. Give it a few inches of space outside your hip. When you take your backswing, your right hip should not touch the alignment stick. If it does, you have shifted laterally and made an improper turn. A proper turn with your hips will create slightly more space next to the alignment stick.
Practice at home in front of a mirror, face on. Start by checking your setup, and swing back making sure there is no lateral movement with your hips and head. You can practice your backswing while keeping your head up looking in the mirror. This will give your swing a much more efficient move at the ball.
Remember, golf is hard, we don’t need to make it harder on ourselves with extra movement in our backswing.
The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.
“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.
If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.
Understand What Cold Does to Your Game
Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.
Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.
Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.
Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing
Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.
Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.
Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.
Take More Club Than You Think You Need
This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.
The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.
Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.
Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens
Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.
Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.
Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.
Embrace the Mental Challenge
Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”
That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.
Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.
Warm Up Longer and Smarter
This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.
Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.
The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.
What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.
So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.
Stop Overthinking Every Shot
Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.
This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.
How to actually do this:
On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.
Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.
If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.
This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.
Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)
Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.
Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:
Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.
Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.
Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.
Save Your Best for When It Counts
Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.
How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.
Here’s what actually works:
Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.
Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.
Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.
The Bottom Line
Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.
You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.
Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.
Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.
Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee
Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.
Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.
Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.
The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.
Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens
This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.
How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.
Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.
Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.
When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.
Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient
Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.
He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.
Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.
Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.
Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
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Corey Anthony
Dec 22, 2017 at 7:28 pm
I am sorry but I must question a few things here…how can you tell golfers that having their head still in the backswing is going to help anyone play better golf when literally the list of the best players to ever play the game all had NATURAL head movement at a minimum. Jack even preset his head. Of course you don’t want to shift your weight outside of your trail foot. That would cause a loss of balance, stability,power, and the ability to return their center of gravity back to their front leg and into a proper finish. But telling people to consciously limit movement is a sure fire killer. Stack and tilt tried this and it’s a great way to hit low, powerless shots for those who aren’t excellent athletes..
Golfers need to be able to get the ball into the air and acquire the ability to generate power. Telling people to keep their heads still is a great way to limit that and hurt those with limited flexibility. Not all people who golf can take TPI or anything of the like to become strong and flexible enough to literally not injure themselves swinging hard while trying to keep your head still.
First your analogy to baseball is so off base. If you were to try to hit a baseball off of a tee ball as far as possible you wouldn’t keep your head still would you? I think not.
The fact that the golf ball is static makes no difference at all it is just simple physics, and using other activities that involve propelling anything forward with power and accuracy require the same thing as well static or not.
A hockey puck that’s static requires natural head motion.
A baseball on a tee requires natural head motion
A soccer ball at a free kick requires natural body and head motion
So does closing a heavy sliding door and the list is endless. We don’t suspended this when we get to golf.
(In one breath you say baseball isn’t a good example to use for golf yet swimming in relation to golf is? A direct path isn’t the key to distance, speed,contact, and weight and how it transfers are the keys period)
Secondly your previous article I was linked through is also confusing I’m sure to anyone attemping to follow the instruction of moving the club and shaft first in order to not have golfers get the club wrapped behind themselves and stuck? This literally makes zero sense and is a great way to teach people to rapidly open the face of the golf club. While I a fellow instructor understand what you are getting at the average golfers will be fanning the club open and hitting more slices than ever. Using Dustin Johnson as a visual example is not wise because you neglected the fact that he bows his wrist severely to keep his club face square after so so much club and arm movement early.
Why not use tiger jack Hogan Snead Nelson or Jones to show that a one piece takeaway is ideal and not generated by thinking about only moving the club and arms. Absolute insanity. Most golfers in the world are pure ARM swingers and that’s a fact. Golfers need much more rotation from other parts of the body to remedy this not more effort to swing the arms.
And lastly I seriously advise anyone to look very closely at the cupped position that is claimed to be ideal by this instruction series….miller absolutely did not cup his wrist they were flat or close to it when attempting a straight shot. This can be found simply and quickly be googling and image of miller’s swing and as a matter of fact the best ever iron player Mr. HOGAN cupped his wrist at times to fight against the ball hooking to his left or drawing. So if you like most golfers have an issue with slicing DO NOT CUP YOUR WRISTS because this helps the ball fade.
To honestly advise golfers to cup their wrist…limit head motion consciously..and to initiate the swing with all hands and arms is one of the best ways I’ve ever seen to get golfers hitting more and more slices with less and less power on their shots.
Please do your own research of the world’s best and compare for yourself when it comes to this info. But my real advise to anyone who happens to read my response is to not get so technical, don’t try to emulate anyone, and use as much of the natural motions from other activities like balance, rotation, and rythem that you use or have used at other points in your life.
Cheers!
Great writing but I disagree.
For a comprehensive explanation about more into why this is the case please email corey@sunsetridgeme.com
Steven
Jun 22, 2016 at 1:54 pm
Great article Kelvin. I think a large problem with amateur golfers is most of us (me included) are trying to execute tour swings/positions that are complicated. Moving off the ball requires precision to move back to the right spot with our lower body while also controlling the head to stay slightly behind ball, but we also need the hands ahead of the ball at impact. Tour players have the timing and ability to do it because they practice it exponentially more than we do. I think your advice is a simplier swing that will produce consistent results for most of us. Now if I could only follow your advice on every swing.
Kelvin Kelley
Jun 22, 2016 at 8:27 pm
Steven,
Glad you enjoyed it, great insight as well.
surewin73
Jun 20, 2016 at 11:17 am
I’ll stick with my Jimmy Ballard swing.
Steve
Jun 18, 2016 at 2:01 pm
Great article. Very informative and helpful. Thanks.
michael johnson
Jun 18, 2016 at 10:50 am
great article. this is something that i have been struggling with for a long time. now that i learned how to get rid of the hipsway, i shot 62 at oakmont a couple of weeks ago. it was very easy.
DJ
Jun 22, 2016 at 11:20 pm
front 9 or back 9?
MP-4
Jun 17, 2016 at 6:44 pm
One of the best instruction articles to date on GolfWRX.
mikee
Jun 17, 2016 at 12:46 pm
Recently cut my driver down to 45 inches from 46…….hitting more consistently in the middle of the face….longer drives
Mike W
Jun 17, 2016 at 12:55 am
In the last drill the alignment stick is a few inches away from the hips. So, does that mean it’s ok for the hips to sway a little (ie. less than 3 inches)?
Kelvin Kelley
Jun 17, 2016 at 3:13 am
Ideally you would get the shaft as close as possible
Pete
Jun 17, 2016 at 12:53 am
Again, and again the dynamics and rythm is overrun by positions. You may learn the positions and lateral move elimination are fairly easy to learn, but club head speed is a result of proper rythm and sequencing more, than restricting something, that would create more power, if done properly.
Comparing baseball batting and swinging is very good analogue to, what is needed to create your maximum rotational speed and what to do at impact. Stepping in drill is also very good for the same reasons.
Anyway the problem is not mostly in the clubhead speed, but the quality of contact, that varies, when you don’t have strong enough legs to your desired swinging speed. Dynamic balance and proper support for front hip at impact is the most important single variable to hit hard.
If the initially lateral movement can be changed consistently to rotational speed there is no trouble flushing it.
Pete
Jun 17, 2016 at 2:31 am
Right glute toward the target -picture is not the best selection to implement, what to do, instead of the basically right things explained in the text your eye catches the more horisontal alignment stick on the “Correct”-side of the picture. Instead having your hips turning horisontally, the front hip may drop towards the ball, when turning back giving relief to your lumbar spine.
If you turn your hips too much horisontally, spine will take all the strain of holding early extension off swinging the hands around your torso. The picture would be more informative, if you had your right thigh already opened towards the target and loaded to be ready for the front leg to fire for front hip support to produce solid pivot for your rotation and down swing.
KK
Jun 16, 2016 at 10:32 pm
Mechanics are great but spin control is very poorly understood. Vast majority of golfers I see have too high-spin drivers. And poor mechanics.
Other Paul
Jun 16, 2016 at 9:26 pm
Now we just need kelvin Miyahira and golfwrx will be complete.
Jorge
Jun 16, 2016 at 5:44 pm
Hi Kelvin, thanks for your article. We hear a lot about correct sequencing in the backswing especially around trying not to rotate your hips/glutes too early in the swing as this will cause over-rotation and get the arms and body out of sync. The long hitters such as Jason Day state that they try to minimise hip rotation as much as possible in order to create torque, which ultimately creates speed/power.
In your opinion, at what point should we start activitating the hip rotation in our backswing (as part of the takeaway or halfway back)? Also, are you an advocate of keeping the right knee flexed or letting it straighten a bit in the backswing because when you focus on hip rotation, the right knee reacts by straightening?
Thanks!
Kelvin Kelley
Jun 16, 2016 at 5:57 pm
Jorge,
Great question. The ideal sequence would be moving the clubhead/shaft first (since this is the furthest point away from us) and letting our arms pull us into a turn or coil position. Still start start the swing moving the shaft, and then let your arms almost feel they pull your right glute around as you get closer to the top of your swing. This will give you the resistant and proper coil and more importantly, maintain your spine angle. Will also prevent getting too long. Feel it in your glutes and groin, not in the knees… I don’t mind if the right knee doesn’t stay the same flex, but obviously not straightened.
Hope this helps
larrybud
Jun 16, 2016 at 3:12 pm
” If executed correctly, the right side of the shaft will move directly back.”
How can the right side of the shaft “move directly back” when the hips are set at an angle when looking at them down the line? The right shaft should move back and UP.
Kelvin Kelley
Jun 16, 2016 at 3:26 pm
Thanks for the comment/question,
The alignment stick would move up eventually you are correct… The initial direction should “feel” directly back and will in fact start directly back when looking down initially, and this is a very subtle move. More importantly, feel and reality are separate.
Adam
Jun 16, 2016 at 3:01 pm
Great to see Kelvin Kelley on golfwrx, he’s one of the top instructors around”
Joe Brenna
Jun 16, 2016 at 2:17 pm
Wow, this technique really helped me out a lot. Thanks man..
KJ
Jun 16, 2016 at 11:04 am
Nice job Melvin!