When it comes to the positioning techniques of your shoulders at address, there are a couple of things to consider. One is the ‘standard’ position that you are going to use for your normal shots. You want to establish how your shoulders are going to be aligned – square, open, or closed – for the standard shots that are going to make up the vast majority of your swings. The other thing to consider, however, is the specialty shots that you will need to hit from time to time. When trying to produce a unique ball flight to match the situation at hand, you’ll want to adjust your technique. By changing how your shoulders are positioned, you may be able to come up with a ball flight that is perfect for your needs on the course.
As you might imagine, however, this is easier said than done. You shouldn’t expect to just change your shoulders on the fly during an upcoming round and achieve great results. Like everything else in golf, this is going to take practice. Only when you are properly prepared can you come away with the kinds of results that you need to lower your scores. By hitting creative shots during practice through the use of altered shoulder positioning, you can add different options to your ‘toolbox’ for use in upcoming rounds.
For examples of what can be achieved with these kinds of adjustments, check out the list below.
Closed for a draw, open for a fade. You may be familiar with these kinds of adjustments already. If you want to hit a draw or a fade on command while on the course, you may be able to do so just by opening or closing your shoulders. For example, if you would like to hit a fade on an approach shot in order to access the right-side hole location, take your normal stance and then open your shoulders slightly before starting the swing. This adjustment should take the club farther to the outside, promoting the outside-in swing path that you need. Of course, you don’t want to make these adjustments too dramatic, or you will risk hitting wild hooks and slices. Using this technique effectively is something of an advanced skill in golf, so make sure you put in plenty of practice time before expecting this to pay off on the course.
Low shot with closed shoulders. When you want to hit a low shot that stays down out of the wind, set up with your shoulders closed and the ball back in your stance. Using closed shoulders is going to help you maintain a closed club face throughout the swing. When that is combined with a ball position that is slightly behind the center of your stance, you can produce beautiful low shots. Again, this is a skill that takes some time to master, so don’t be surprised if the results are a little ugly at first. It is worth learning how to play this type of shot, however, as it can be an incredibly useful option to have at your disposal.
High shot with open shoulders. Okay – so you might have seen this one coming. It only makes sense that playing from a stance with open shoulders will help you to hit the ball higher, considering playing with closed shoulders will help you produce a low flight. When trying to hit the ball high, open your shoulders and swing the club back on a path that matches the position your shoulders were in. This is going to lead to a slightly open club face, meaning the club will have more effective loft at impact than it would have had otherwise. After some practice, you should be able to hit some high shots which carry nicely up toward the target before falling softly onto the ground.
It is hard to play consistently good golf when you only have one or two shots in your arsenal. You need variety to play this game, as you never know what you are going to find out on the course. With a number of different shots that you can turn to, it will be much easier to come up with the right solutions for the situations that come up. Give yourself a chance to learn some alternative shots by adjusting your shoulder positioning and it is likely that your game will move forward in a big way.
