A note from Karen: In my opinion, daily practice is the key to success towards any goal.  Making 10 practice swings a day or putting for 5 minutes everyday will get you playing better than practicing for two or three hours once a week. First of all, it is always hard to find big chunks of time to beat balls on the driving range. Secondly, the long practice sessions usually lead to fatigued swings and ingrained bad habits.

 

There is something to be said about the momentum of taking small daily steps towards a goal that is cumulatively better than taking big steps with less frequency.

 

Practice something about your game everyday.  

 

Backswing

Your shoulders wind perpendicular to your spine angle, and they turn so they are at a 90-degree angle to your target line. Of course, you may lack flexibility to make a complete 90-degree turn, so just think of turning your shoulders twice as far as your hips turn. Try to turn your left shoulder (if you are right-handed) over your right knee.

Downswing

After you have loaded your body weight into your right foot, you immediately shift your lower body back to the left as your upper body momentarily stays put. Specifically, your left hip bumps toward the target, which makes your right shoulder drop down. Once this move has taken place, you can complete the sequence by turning your right side through to the finish.

Common mistakes

On the backswing, you are just trying to wind your body to get your arms in position at the top of the swing. It is not necessary to lift, heave, lunge or over-turn on the back swing. In fact, most higher-handicappers overdo the things they are supposed to do on the backswing. Be careful not to over-turn on the back swing and raise your body up out of the original angle. If you raise up out of your posture then you will have to do something drastic on the downswing to compensate, usually resulting in fat or thin shots. Practice the body motion drill often to make it a part of your swing. The more effectively and efficiently you can shift your weight, the more consistent ball striker you will become.

On-Course Exercise

Before play or practice perform this body motion drill that will not only help you shift your weight, but is a great way to warm up as well.

Standing without a club, assume a good set up. As you do these exercises, remember that we are practicing to hit a golf ball. Always stay in your spine angle and keep your vision down where the ball would be.

You can crisscross your arms over your chest, put your hands in your pockets, or place a club behind your shoulders.

From here, think of winding your upper body over the resistance of your lower body. If your knees are pinched in slightly at address, it’s easy to feel the weight stay on the inside of your right foot. You want the weight of your lower body to shift so it ends up positioned over your right hip, leg and foot.

Off-Course Exercise

Learn to shift your weight correctly. Check out Cardiogolf.

The best way to work on your body motion is to do it indoors where you can look at yourself in the mirror.  You can do the same body motion indoors as you do outdoors.  Practicing this on a regular basis will help your swing become more efficient and fluid. The Body Motion section Cardiogolf  DVD will guide you through the correct motion and give you a quick way to warm up before you play or practice. Click here to order you copy of Cardiogolf.

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