Question: From Chris Giddings:
Dear Ozzie,
Please can you give myself and many other frustrated golfers a simple way to
eliminate, or at least, minimize ‘casting’ the club. This action has given me
nothing but wayward shots and a nagging case of golfers elbow on my right arm?
Incidently, your video tip about pre-setting your hips towards the target when
aligning is a god send. No other teacher has mentioned that!
Ozzie Answers: Dear Chris,
‘Casting’ is a feel of delivering power – albeit way too early in the downswing. Question: where should your club be traveling the fastest during your swing? Most players answer: on the downswing or at impact. Neither is correct! To produce powerfully accurate shots, your clubhead must be accelerating at impact and therefore reach maximum speed BEYOND THE BALL. Try this: turn your 3 wood upside down – holding it at the clubhead end. Start swinging, listening for where you hear your “whoosh.” Keep at it until you can deliver your whoosh beyond your front foot, i.e. from ball to target.
Let’s understand what physically happens to create your whoosh. Your whoosh occurs at that moment when both of your arms and your club shaft form a straight line. That is: your arms and clubshaft thrust to straight. When you ‘cast’ this thrust to straight occurs very early in your downswing. Rather, your trailing elbow should still be loaded (slightly bent) at impact so it can trust to straight from ball to target – BEYOND the Ball! You will find that as you learn the feel of ACCELERATION through the region of impact – your ball will go straighter and farther. Your trailing elbow is the key to this feel. Work in super slow motion so that you can see and feel when your arms/shaft thrust to straight! Check out my video clip: Whoosh to Your Target. Let me know how it goes!
All the best,
Ozzie
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
