Good balance and posture with the driver

It had been a while since I last had a lesson with Scott Oxley from J Whitaker Golf at Moor Allerton in Leeds.

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We worked together quite a bit last year and I saw plenty of positive improvements with my game.

For numerous reasons, having a baby being a significant one, I’ve let my practise slip.

And maybe learning new things has pushed a few old things out – a bit like that time I took a home wine-making course and forgot how to drive. (H. Simpson, 1994)

Anyway, driver has long been my Achilles Heel but I thought I’d overcome my problems as towards the end of last year my driving (of the golf ball) had been pretty sound.

Playing a few rounds in Florida last month, I received a lot of advice from various playing partners until I reached the point where I had so many swing thoughts, I no longer knew what to think when stood over the ball.

So it was time to go and see Scott to go back to basics and get back on the right path.

Balance has become a big issue for me. My feet have started moving all over the place and I’ve been struggling to maintain a proper finish.
My footwork would be more at home on Strictly rather than the golf course” I know it is important to have a solid base and drive your power from the ground upwards.

When I was at the range last week a colleague commented that my footwork would be more at home on Strictly rather than the golf course.

So when Scott analysed my swing (again) he noticed that my weight was moving forwards towards the ball and I was almost up on my toes by the time the club reached impact position.

This results in a swing path which is steep and massively to the left.

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He didn”™t see too much wrong with the backswing but in the transition into the downswing my weight had fallen forwards rather than moving towards the target.

Scott showed me a video of Charles Howell III and drew lines next to his head and backside – both of which remained in the same position throughout the swing.

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So what are the key fundamentals for me to work on?

– Feel like my weight is being pushed back on to my heels. Put my toes on a shaft to help with this.

– Put a bag touching my backside so I can maintain my posture through the swing.

– Make the first movement with the lower half of the body towards the target and let my arms swing towards a 1pm/2pm position keeping on the inside.

I put some of these new things into practise and gradually started to see some results.

There”™s some really good things for me to practise here which I can even do without a club in my hand.

Weight back on my heels, first movement towards the target rolling on to the instep of my right foot and let the arms follow naturally without coming ”˜over the top”™ or ”˜across the line”™.

I”™m now looking forward to hitting driver on the range again. I know what I need to work on and what I need to ignore.

That”™s the beauty of working with a good PGA pro like Scott – it gives me the confidence that I”™m working on the right things.

Hopefully next time we do one of these video lessons we won”™t have to revisit these topics ”¦

To view the video CLICK HERE