Hey, Performance Golfers, Matt Walter here at the Vanderbilt Legends Club.
Today, I'm going to show you how to exit left, and it's not going to be rope-hooked with
the cane off the stage.
I'm talking about how you're going to get your golf club around your body to develop
a great impact position.
So, here's what you need to know.
The face-on view when we're hitting is sometimes deceiving in the sense of how we create shaft
lean.
Typically, where I see players shank it and they really get way off base is that they
think that the shaft lean comes from a linear push with their hands to develop that look.
So, they look at it on video, and they go, "Oh, my hands should be forward.
I've turned my body," but the problem is, their hands are too far away from their body,
and if they train in pushing their hands up towards the target line, you're more than
likely going to shank it because what you're learning how to do is create a linear move
to create shaft lean and that presents the hosel.
So, let me make my case there, judge.
So, what you'll do is, I want you to set up to the alignment stick, and I want you to
look at this real quick.
So, you're going to go just inside the alignment stick, and if I get the club back down to
shaft-parallel, so let's say I made a full swing and I've come back down to here and
I'll let my hands continue towards the target, you can see how the club face actually works
out to the right.
It's also open, so I could twist my hands, but it doesn't stop the fact that my club
is working its way out to the golf ball, presenting itself into the hosel.
Well, if you've ever hit a shank, you know how this goes.
Now, watch this.
Scoot down a little bit.
If I get to that same spot and I feel like my left hand moves closer to my left pocket,
the club doesn't work out, and it squares itself up a lot easier than, if I try and
push my hands forward, the club face is open and it's working its way out to the right.
So, what we have to remember is the exit left.
Now, the first question out of this gate is, "Hey, pro, doesn't that mean I'm going to
be coming over the top?"
Wrong.
If you remember, the golf club's traveling on a plane, or, you know, many planes, but
for the most part, it's traveling around that circle.
It goes back, out to the ball, and then it should go back again.
The problem is, too many people try and go back, and then they go out to the ball, and
then they try and keep going up towards the target.
If you watch any of the modern-era golfers who are on the top of the FedEx points or
the tour, you will see that they don't exit up the line with their hands.
What you'll see is, their hands go in.
Now, here's where it gets slightly difficult for the average Joe.
So, we may not have enough hip rotation to carry all of that shaft lean around our body.
So, if we had to imagine my hips are here, I have to create space with my hips in order
to have room for my hands to exit.
If my hips can't turn and they stop right here, well, there's not much room for an exit
plan, so I have to release the club face a little bit.
So, what we can do is a couple different things.
We can set up to produce more rotation at the right time.
So, a couple ways we can do that is, I can set my left foot back some, so I have like
a Sergio Garc�a-esque open stance.
That will let me pull my left hip back.
I also have the ability to flare my left foot open.
If I flare my left foot open, it delays when my leg straightens out and allows for more
turn.
So, if you have a hard time turning, set your left foot back, point it to the target.
Again, this is just a drill, and if you need to do it at real speed, you can do it at real
speed, and then try and feel your hands disappear close to your hip as you swing through.
So, you're going to set up, hands close to the hip, and feel that drag around your body.
Now, let's say you can turn, you don't need the little setup hacks, another way to get
the feel, you can take your alignment stick, place it under the grip.
You may have seen a rib-breaker before, but I call it the rib-breaker.
And what you want to do is get the ability to go around your body, hitting these shots,
without whapping yourself with the back end.
So, I don't recommend full swings.
I recommend half, baby-like swings.
And again, you feel those hands work around your body.
Again, the rib-breaker brings out the worst in people sometimes because they're trying
to avoid hitting themselves.
So, what do they do?
They push their hands down the line.
Now, what have they learned?
They've learned how to get their hands in front of the ball before the club head gets
there.
The problem is, they've learned how to do it the wrong way, but they're learning.
So, now, they've hit a couple shanks and blocks because they've done this.
We take them and tell them to get their hands close to their body as they turn their chest,
as they turn their hips, and all of a sudden, they still have that same shaft lean, but
the contact gets better.
So, again, the key important variable here is, is that when you start coming down, you're
trying to hide those hands from the camera while the club head is staying out, and you
hit these nice, soft, little pitch shots.
So, then, once you're comfortable with it, you can then start to get into a more full-like
golf swing and really feel, from here, about shaft-parallel on the downswing, your hands
start to go around your body and produce a lot more consistent, stable, shaft-leaning
impact.
So, I hope this drill and this explanation of how to create shaft lean enlightens you
on how you can now produce a tour-like impact when it matters the most at the ball.
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Send me your comments, your questions, your concerns.
Be glad to answer them.
I'll be the one hopping on there, answering any questions you may have, so that's your
chance to interact with me.
Until then, I'll catch you later, golfers.