Connection the swing
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“Connection” is an important concept to understand in order to help create a well-timed, athletic golf swing.
Connection is defined as the coordinated movement of your arms and body together during the swing. The arms must stay in front of the body during the swing and do not get inside the plane of the swing or behind you in the process.
Timing in a golf swing means that the arms and legs work in unison. If the arms get moving too fast on the backswing (usually a result of too much grip pressure at the start of the swing) you will probably become disconnected and out of timing.
I believe connection is the essential fundamental that really helped me coach and work on the golf swing. Here are a few drills to help you stay connected during your swing.
1. Club at the hips: Use any club and place the club around your hip line. The palms of your hands should be facing out. Take you posture/set up position and ensure your weight is evenly distributed from left to right foot and from your toes to your heals. The object of this exercise is to feel a balanced hips turn during the golf swing.
For right hand golfers, Staying relaxed move your hips a quarter turn to the right and turn fully onto the left until you right toe is pointed into the ground and your hips are facing the target. Please move the opposite way for a left hand golfer.
When you’re finished, your weight should be on the front foot and you should be in balance. Do a few hundred of these drills and you will get your feeling of completing your hips turn.
2. Ball between your arms: Take a small ball or rolled-up towel and put it between your forearms. Take a normal grip on any club and swing it back and forth similar to the last drill, not letting the club swing behind your back. The feeling will be that your arms will not separate and you must stay connected to move the club.
n Swing the club drill: Stand with your back against a wall, about a foot away and make a backswing. Catch the club upside down and hold the club by the shaft and not the hosel of the club head. The club will feel a lot lighted and you may also notice that there maybe less tension in your body. Try to swing the club to the top without hitting the wall. If you can do this, you are in connection.
The wall can be the netting at a range or the fence in the backyard. I wouldn’t practice this indoors unless you happen to be adept at sheet rock repair.
Connection is a “feel concept” that is difficult to convey in print, so you’ll need to practice these drills at the range or in front of a mirror so you can actually feel connection and timing. I work on connection in all of my coaching sessions because it has been a key to success in making golfers better.
Once you get connected, you will be well on your way to better golf shots.
John Dooley PGA
