The issue of “casting the club from the top” plagues untold numbers of golfers, who begin the downswing by quickly moving the hands downward toward the ball and uncocking the wrists too soon.
The more effective action is to pull the arms and hands down while keeping the wrists hinged to create the powerful action known as “downswing lag.” Here’s a very simple drill that will ingrain the pulling sensation and generate ball-first contact with the irons:
- Using a short or mid-iron and no ball, grip the club with your left hand and place the right arm at your side or behind your back.
- Make a series of half swings using only the left arm; focus on pulling the club from the top without letting the wrists unhinge.
- Try to keep your left hand ahead of the clubhead as you brush the ground in the impact zone, following through to a full finish.
- Once you’ve got the hang of it, hit a few shots with a slowly accelerating swing.
This is a great warmup drill and can be used on the course, too.
