A Great Drill For Proper Shoulder Alignment In The Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles
A Great Drill For Proper Shoulder Alignment In The Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles

I can’t tell you how many times during a normal golf lesson or day of giving golf lessons I would check someone's shoulder alignment, but it’s pretty much every single ball. Whenever somebody sets up to the golf ball, they are picking out a target. They are aiming in the right direction. And I would often take a view, either through a video camera or even just personally standing right behind the golfer. Yes, at a safe distance away from the golfer, so I am not going to get hit. But I’d stand down the line and I’ll just check the shoulder alignment, particularly as they change and as they move to different golf clubs.

So we often see that shoulder alignment will differ between a wedge and a driver due to ball position making a difference in the way somebody stands. So on a very regular basis as I’m teaching and someone’s setting up to the golf ball, I’m going to be standing behind them, looking down their shoulder alignment. And if there's ever an issue with their shoulder alignment, it's a very difficult thing for me to describe. Because I say to somebody, oh you are standing open with the shoulders. And they can’t really see that for themselves, and sometimes they can't even feel it. So here's a way that I would check their shoulder alignment, and certainly a way that I would encourage you to employ a mate or you know if you are having golf lessons, ask the pro to check. But even if you're not having golf lessons and you just want a mate to check, this is the way I would get you to do it. You take two training sticks, two alignment sticks or even just two long golf clubs, two long irons. And as the person sets up to the ball, the first club or stick goes down on their toe line. Then you get them to take their normal stance and address position again. And then I as a professional would walk in from the back here or one of your playing partners walks in from the back very carefully places the club over your shoulders. Just make sure you communicate with each other to make sure you are not going to get hit with this person taking a backswing. So I would walk in and I would hold the stick here. Then I would ask the golfer to back away from the stick. And they could then come and have a look. And they would probably walk around the back here, and would have a stick in the air and a stick on the ground. Obviously, what we’d like to see is those two sticks being parallel to each other and ideally pointing nicely at your target. What we wouldn’t want to see is this stick pointing in a different direction to the feet, either in an open position this way or in a closed position this way. So as the golfer sets up to the ball you approach them from the back here. You ask them to hold the golf club over their shoulders. And then they would walk away and you check that it's on line. And then maybe take it in turns so you do it to them first, check their shoulder alignment. And then vice versa they can come in and help you out. And if you are taking golf lessons, just ask the professional to check your shoulder alignment particularly as you move through the different clubs. And I think using that sort of partner drill there where you help each other out is a great way of checking shoulder alignment. Because like I suggested it's a difficult thing to check on your own, but it's a very important thing to check in your own setup. 2016-07-08

I can’t tell you how many times during a normal golf lesson or day of giving golf lessons I would check someone's shoulder alignment, but it’s pretty much every single ball. Whenever somebody sets up to the golf ball, they are picking out a target. They are aiming in the right direction. And I would often take a view, either through a video camera or even just personally standing right behind the golfer. Yes, at a safe distance away from the golfer, so I am not going to get hit. But I’d stand down the line and I’ll just check the shoulder alignment, particularly as they change and as they move to different golf clubs.

So we often see that shoulder alignment will differ between a wedge and a driver due to ball position making a difference in the way somebody stands. So on a very regular basis as I’m teaching and someone’s setting up to the golf ball, I’m going to be standing behind them, looking down their shoulder alignment. And if there's ever an issue with their shoulder alignment, it's a very difficult thing for me to describe. Because I say to somebody, oh you are standing open with the shoulders. And they can’t really see that for themselves, and sometimes they can't even feel it.

So here's a way that I would check their shoulder alignment, and certainly a way that I would encourage you to employ a mate or you know if you are having golf lessons, ask the pro to check. But even if you're not having golf lessons and you just want a mate to check, this is the way I would get you to do it. You take two training sticks, two alignment sticks or even just two long golf clubs, two long irons. And as the person sets up to the ball, the first club or stick goes down on their toe line. Then you get them to take their normal stance and address position again.

And then I as a professional would walk in from the back here or one of your playing partners walks in from the back very carefully places the club over your shoulders. Just make sure you communicate with each other to make sure you are not going to get hit with this person taking a backswing. So I would walk in and I would hold the stick here. Then I would ask the golfer to back away from the stick. And they could then come and have a look. And they would probably walk around the back here, and would have a stick in the air and a stick on the ground.

Obviously, what we’d like to see is those two sticks being parallel to each other and ideally pointing nicely at your target. What we wouldn’t want to see is this stick pointing in a different direction to the feet, either in an open position this way or in a closed position this way. So as the golfer sets up to the ball you approach them from the back here. You ask them to hold the golf club over their shoulders. And then they would walk away and you check that it's on line. And then maybe take it in turns so you do it to them first, check their shoulder alignment.

And then vice versa they can come in and help you out. And if you are taking golf lessons, just ask the professional to check your shoulder alignment particularly as you move through the different clubs. And I think using that sort of partner drill there where you help each other out is a great way of checking shoulder alignment. Because like I suggested it's a difficult thing to check on your own, but it's a very important thing to check in your own setup.