Why You Have To Be So Careful In the Downswing!

Do you often feel like your club gets stuck behind you during your downswing? This common issue can leave you with inconsistent shots, including the dreaded push to the right, a slice, or even an overcompensated hook. But don’t worry, you're not alone in this! Many golfers, especially amateurs, experience this challenge. In this post, we’ll dive into how getting stuck impacts your swing and show you a drill that can help fix it. By mastering this, you’ll be able to compress the ball better, leading to more consistent strikes.

The Problem with Getting Stuck

When you get stuck in your swing, you're essentially running out of space at impact. If you freeze-frame the downswing at the moment when the club shaft is level with the ground, you'll likely see that your arms are way behind your body, with your hands positioned too far behind your back leg. This leaves you with no room to swing freely, which leads to compensations like early extension, poor contact, and weak shots.

Golfers who get stuck often notice that they don’t take divots and struggle with achieving proper compression, especially when hitting with a driver. The result is either a weak push to the right or a slice, which most golfers are all too familiar with. But don’t worry—there’s a way to fix it.

The Importance of Correcting Your Position

To get out of this stuck position and compress the ball effectively, you need to focus on one thing: hands in front of the chest. This is a common trait among high-level ball strikers. From the moment they start their swing, their hands are in front of their chest, and as they make contact with the ball, their hands remain in front of the chest. Players who struggle with their ball striking often have a tendency to let their hands fall behind their body, leading to the dreaded scooping motion.

One of the key ways to break free from getting stuck is to ensure your arms don’t get trapped behind your body. If your arms move across your body too much during the backswing, you’ll lose the width and structure that leads to good ball striking. That’s where the split-hand drill comes in.

Understanding the Split-Hand Drill

The split-hand drill is a fantastic exercise to help you keep your hands in front of your body and prevent them from getting too far behind. It was popularized by renowned golf coach Pete Cowen, and even top players like Rory McIlroy have used this technique to battle the issue of getting stuck.

Here’s how it works:

Setup: Grab your club and place your left hand (your glove hand) at the top of the grip, and your right hand (your trail hand) at the bottom of the grip. There should be a noticeable gap between the two hands.

Top of the Backswing: Rotate your body to the top of the backswing, and pay attention to where your hands are. As you turn, you should feel your arms lifting upwards as your body rotates. This helps prevent your arms from getting too far behind you.

The Downswing: As you start the downswing, focus on pulling your arms back in front of your body while keeping your hands in front of your chest. The clubhead should stay higher, allowing you to compress the ball effectively.

Drills to Help You Get Unstuck

Here are a couple of drills that can help you maintain proper arm position throughout your swing and prevent you from getting stuck:

Split-Hand Drill: This drill encourages you to keep your hands in front of your chest while rotating your body. It’s a simple yet effective way to make sure your arms don’t fall behind during the swing.

Feeling the Right Arm Straighten: Once you’ve practiced the split-hand drill, focus on straightening your right arm (trail arm) on the downswing. This helps to increase width and maintain structure as you come into impact. By straightening your arm, you prevent early extension and get more compression on the ball.

Why This Drill Works

The beauty of the split-hand drill is that it forces you to rotate your body properly while keeping your arms in the right position. By working on this drill, you’re ensuring that your hands stay in front of your body, which is essential for hitting crisp, solid shots.

It’s also important to note that this doesn’t require you to focus on just one part of your body (like your hips), but instead encourages a full-body rotation. A lot of golfers focus too much on rotating their hips or shifting weight, but they forget that their arms need to be in sync with their body to avoid getting stuck.

Putting It Into Action

Let’s look at how this works in real-time. Here’s an example:

Getting Stuck: When a player gets stuck, they might swing to the top, but their back arm increases in flex and moves behind them. This creates that stuck feeling, where the hands fall behind the body.

Avoiding the Stuck Position: After practicing the split-hand drill, the golfer can swing to the top, focusing on straightening the back arm during the downswing. This motion not only keeps the hands in front of the chest but also helps in compressing the ball with less effort.

Conclusion

If you’re struggling with getting stuck in your swing, it's essential to work on drills that help maintain proper arm and body position throughout your swing. The split-hand drill is a great tool to ensure your arms don’t fall behind your body and that your hands stay in front of your chest at all times. By practicing this drill, you can start hitting the ball with more compression and consistency, leading to better ball striking and more accurate shots on the course.

Remember, it’s not just about hitting the ball—it’s about learning to stay in the right positions throughout your swing. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll see your shots improve dramatically. Happy golfing!