INSIDE MOVES

By Tom Bennett

Photography by RJ Hinkle for Quad Photo

The off-season is a great time to practice and improve your golf game. Many tour players take advantage of the winter months to improve their games and prepare for the next season. Take advantage of your time indoors by practicing drills that will result in game improvement. Here is the first of a two-part series.

Practice Your Setup
Laying three clubs on the ground is a great way to practice your alignment. Place two clubs parallel to each other on the ground in front of you — one for the target line and the second for your toe line. Stand at address and practice aligning your clubface at a right angle to the target line, with your feet, knees, hips, shoulders, and eyes parallel to the toe line.

A third club can be placed between your feet at a right angle to the toe line to assist you in finding a consistent ball position. For your irons, this shaft will be below the target-side cheek of your face. For your woods, this shaft will be under the logo or pocket on a golf shirt. For the driver, it will be under the lead armpit.

The Mirror Drill
A mirror is another great tool to help you practice your setup. You can check your ball position, hand position, spine angle, and the width of your stance in the reflection.

To check your balance and posture in a mirror, tape a vertical line on the mirror. Take your address position with the mirror at your side. As you address the mirror, stand with the vertical line running through the center of your arm. In a balanced address position, the vertical line will fall from the front of your knees to the balls of your feet.

Practice the Pivot
The pivot of the golf swing is the engine that drives the swing. It is the motion of your torso and body turning back and through while the coiling in your posture provides balance and power. Many players lose power and consistency from an improper pivot motion during the swing.

Here are two indoor pivot drills to help keep your winter productive.

The Wall Drill
Assume the address position without a club and with your seat against a wall. Cross your arms in front of your chest with your hands on your shoulders. Turn your shoulders level on the backswing, about 90 degrees, so that your weight goes to the heel of your back foot. As this occurs, your seat should remain against the wall.

In the transition, your weight begins to transfer to your front foot as your shoulders turn toward the target. Keep your lead hip and seat against the wall. This allows you to maintain your posture during the swing, which is critical for consistency.

The Jump Rope Drill
Many players tilt their body instead of turning it. The jump rope drill teaches you the proper turning action. Wrap a jump rope around a leg of a chair so that the center of the rope is even with the leg as you hold both of the ends in your hands. Make your address position holding the ends as if you were holding a club in each hand.

Make your backswing motion, pulling the rear side first. This pulling action brings your rear side back instead of up, helping to create the proper level of turning action. It also pulls your lead side down to help maintain your spine angle.

On the downswing, pull the lead side back. This helps clear your shoulders and hips and brings your rear side down, out, and forward to the ball.

Coming In Next Issue
In the January/February issue of Private Clubs, Tom Bennett concludes this two-part series on keeping your golf game hot during the winter months. Indoor drills will focus on your takeaway, swing plane, and position at the top of your swing.