BY GEOFF GREIG

As a teacher one of the biggest problems I see in students of all ability levels is learning how to CONSISTENTLY swing the cluhead on a slightly in to out swingpath in the impact area (from one foot before impact to one foot after impact).

Here are just a few of the problems you will notice in your golf game if your swing path is outside in as opposed to inside out. The most common is the ball flying fairly straight with the short irons but, high and not very far. As you progress into the longer clubs the ball flight turns into a fade and with the woods usually a slice. This means not only are you swinging on a less desirable path you are also keeping the face of the club open, or pointed to the right at impact. When the clubface strikes the ball it is usually off the toe of the club as opposed to the middle of the face. In severe cases you will also be prone to fat shots and the dreaded shanks.

When we combine an outside in swingpath with a square or closed clubface the results are pulls and pullhooks. Notice how few of the outside in swings result in straight shots. Except for the short irons, straight shots are a rarity with an outside in swingpath. If the results are so bad why do we continue to swing this way?

From my experience poor swingpath is usually a result of three things: Lack of knowledge or understanding of the ball flight laws (what the clubhead must and must not do to achieve your desired ball flight), Excessive grip pressure at the initiation of the downswing and poor timing of the movements in the downswing. There are also some things we do in the backswing that pose problems for the correct swingpath but, they are not as critical as the downswing problems.

How do we cure the outside in demon? Good drills and LOTS of focused repetitions on the correct movements. If you really want to cure a problem you must do at least 50 correct repetitions per day for 21 consecutive days. Whenever you are swinging with a ball in front of you focus on swinging the toe of the clubhead to the RIGHT of the target line until one foot after impact (one inch to the right is a good goal). Place tees on the correct path one foot behind and one foot in front of the ball. The idea is not to HIT the golf ball it is to SWING the clubhead on the correct path and let the ball get in the way. The more you try to hit the ball and the harder you try to hit the ball the worse your results will be. Remember the target is not the ball, it is the path to the real target. It is crucial when doing these exercises to turn your body to the target at least as fast as your arms are swinging the club. If your arms are swinging faster than you are turning your path will continue to be outside in despite your best efforts.

Swing the clubhead through the ball to the target with even grip pressure using your whole body and you will start to have a lot more fun golfing.

Until Next Time