Easy Drill To Fix An Inside Takeaway

In this lesson, I’m going to help those of you who tend to roll that golf club on the inside, causing the hands to move out, the club head to move in and the club face to open. This is one of the killer takeaway moves that is hurting your golf game and I’m going to show you how to fix it.

 The problem

This is a very common error, made by recreational golfers, in the takeaway stage of the swing. As the club head moves off the ball, the handle moves out and the club head moves in behind the body. This is caused by a rolling motion of the lead forearm, which leads to a variety of ball-striking issues.

 The solution

Ideally, what we would like to see, is as the golf club moves back, the club head and the hands remain in line with each other, and the club face is square to the arc of the swing i.e. not open and not pointing inwards.

 Here’s a simple drill to help you achieve this:

1. Get a tee and place it in the end of the grip, so it’s protruding slightly from the top. This serves as a reference point for your club position through the takeaway.
2. Set up in the address position, with the tip of the tee about a finger length from your belt buckle.
3. Slowly commence your takeaway.
4. Notice that If you roll the club, so the club head moves behind your body, you will see that the tee is pointing out towards right field, and it would be away from the body somewhat.
5. If, however, you keep your hands in (which is what we want), as you take the clubhead away, you will see that the tee points in, towards your body, and actually remains close to your trail leg.
6. Swing to the top and hold. It’s likely to feel like a very different back-swing position from what you are used to, but this is how your backswing should now feel.
7. Practice this in front of a mirror, making a lot of slow rehearsals, feeling the tee coming as close to the trail leg as possible.

If you’re someone who does tend to make the mistake of rolling your hands out, you can exaggerate the opposite. In other words, as you bring the club back, try to get the tee to brush your trail leg as the club handle goes past. This will help you get the feel for the middle ground.

 Summary:
With a tee placed in the end of your grip, perform the takeaway, ensuring the tee points towards your body throughout, and stays close to your trail leg. This keeps your lead forearm from rolling the club inside, the hands stay close in and the clubface does not open. This drill will enable you to eliminate the excessive forearm roll, and achieve some consistency and repeatability as a result of practicing it.

 Watch the full video here: