A Case study in a holistic approach to game improvement 2

Now that we have begun to address our three intrepid golfers’ physical limitations with the exercises as described in July’s newsletter, we turn our attention this month to prescribing fault-correcting drills to help each of our students to correct their technical flaws…

Case Study 1

Recalling Anri’s technical challenge of over rotation of the hips during her backswing, which causes her trail leg to straighten, thereby creating a major power-leak, Steph prescribed the following drills for her:

	DRILL 1: Hit balls with the right foot turned in, as shown in the pic below. When the foot is in this position, it restricts the hip turn during the backswing.
	DRILL 2: Make ¾ swings with feet together - if Anri loses balance, it is a sure sign that her hips are over rotating.

Case Study 2

Gary’s swing fault, swaying off the ball during the backswing can be effectively addressed with the following drills Steph suggests:

	DRILL 1: “The Shadow drill” - Steph advises Gary to stand so that he can see his shadow in front of him. Gary must then watch his shadow as he makes his backswing to check that his right leg shadow does not move from its original setup position.
	DRILL 2: Secondly, Gary is advised to make practice backswings, focusing on the feeling of keeping the weight on the inside of his right foot. If the weight shifts towards the outside, it means his hips are sliding instead of rotating.

Case Study 3

TJ’s “flying elbow” in the backswing, which has seen him struggling to consistently keep his club on plane, can be addressed with the following prescribed drills from Steph:

	DRILL 1: TJ makes a swing with a towel tucked underneath his right armpit and tries to keep the towel there during the backswing. This ensures that his elbow stays connected as he turns and loads into his take-away.
	DRILL 2: TJ is further advised to practice swinging with a figure 8 training aid as shown below. This training aid keeps the elbows more connected in the swing which prevents the right elbow from flying away in the backswing.

Presented by Ian Corbett, your fitness & conditioning specialist & Steph Spies, your AAA-class PGA and Gary Player teaching professional