One of the common swing faults is casting the club.  When that happens a golfer loses all of the leverage they they have developed, and the throw away their power.

The left arm begins to separate from the chest and then the club gets on a steep and out to in path causing the golf ball to slice.  What is a golfer to do?

Many training aids encourage a stronger connection between the arms and the upper core.  What does that mean exactly?

Build a stronger connection between arms and chest

A stronger connection simply means that the arms don’t move separately from the chest.  The chest and arms work together as one unit.  Sure, the clubs momentum may cause it to move after the shoulders have stopped turning, but if you can minimize that movement, you can begin the downswing with the arms and chest working together, rather then letting the arms race down to the ball.

A perfect example of the feeling you want to get is Steve Stricker.  When you watch his swing, it looks a bit tight.  It’s not super fluid, he doesn’t hinge the wrists very much.  The most important thing he does is to bring everything down together.  This allows him very solid contact, which sends the ball a long way.  He is not the longest hitter on tour but he is long enough to be the number 3 golfer in the world and you can’t argue with his results.

So how do you keep the arms and chest together.  Take some practice swings and swing slowly.  Keep the thought in mind that the arms and chest are working as one unit and focus on keeping them together.  At first it will probably seem stiff.  You’ll feel as if your movement has become a bit limited which it has, and that’s a good thing.

Feel them working as one unit

As you begin to feel this sensation and really integrate it, you’ll start to hit the ball more solidly.  You’ll see a straighter ball flight, and your accuracy and distance will increase.  It’s a strange thing to feel at first because your body will be telling you that you can’t hit the ball as far swinging like this.  But you need to trust that keeping the upper body together will improve your swing and your ball striking.  It is even more important that you keep your focus on this as the club gets longer.

The longer the club is, the more the club head will want to keep moving after the shoulders have stopped turning.  You need to be aware of this so that you catch it early.  Stop the club head moving as soon as your shoulders have stopped rotating.  Then on the downswing move everything together making sure that your arms don’t outrace your chest.

Benefits to keeping the upper body together

It will be tricky at first, but the benefits are tremendous.  You’ll be able to retain the angle in your wrists on the downswing, you’ll be less likely to flip the club, and in general you’ll hit more solid and straighter.  Give this a try and let me know how it works for you.



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