By far the most important part of the golf swing. When you drive through the ball, and use the correct follow through motion, you ensure that the ball is going to start down the intended target line. I have battled with all sorts of follow through issues in my career, but I have found a way to overcome the swing flaw every single time. During this section, I will cover what a faulty follow through can do to the golf ball, and how to prevent it. I will also be covering some drills that can correct the incorrect follow through. I do realize that there are dozens of articles out there that have the “cure-all” to any golf issue, but I will provide what worked for me throughout my entire career. I had to learn from scratch just like most of you, and if you follow my simple tips and drills, you will see great success throughout your entire game.

So, how does a faulty follow through effect your golf ball? Well, it can do a number of things: a bad pull hook, a fat chunky shot, and even a push slice that lacks the desired distance. The good news, is that I have a few drills for you to correct any follow through issues you are having currently with your swing. The first thing that I want you to do is hit a few iron shots, preferably a 7-iron. This is the most average club swing in the bag, and can help you determine more than you know. When you hit the shots, pay attention to what the golf ball is doing. If you are going left, then you are not completing the follow through. To correct this, simply focus on rotating your entire body through the golf shot. The best way to work on this is to stick a tee a few inches in front of your golf ball. When you are making your swing, try and hit that tee with your club. I realize that you can’t hit it, but this will help ensure you are completing the golf swing and following through, rather than stopping the swing early and hitting that dreadful block shot. On the flip side, if you are hitting a sweeping hook, then you are probably bringing the hands over the top during the follow through, resulting in that nasty hook. A good drill for correcting this, is to focus on swinging inside to out. Take a few practice swings with the club going back to the inside, and following through outside of the target line. This motion will obviously feel a bit odd at first, but as you become more comfortable, you will see the ball beginning much straighter down the intended target line.

Now that we have covered how to correct the flaws with your arms, what is next? Well, it is time to focus on your weight shift. If you have had the chance to read my previous article on weight shift, this also plays a big role in your follow through. If you are not shifting the weight correctly, you can cause a world of issues with your follow through, with the most common being the fall back after contact. I know you have battled this at some point in your career, and it still happens from time to time. If you are not properly shifting your weight from the back to the front, you will lean back during the follow through, and a poorly hit slice is bound to occur. The good news, is that I have a quick fix for you. Have you ever read any articles from Gary Player, or had the chance to watch him battle through his swing flaw during his career? He had to battle off the fall back motion in his swing, and he came up with an amazingly easy fix. It is called the “walk-through to par” and it works like a charm. What he would do is just as advertised, he would literally walk through his golf swing as he followed through. This would ensure that he was completing the golf swing, and properly shifting his weight from the back to the front. To practice this drill, simply go to the range, and walk through as you follow through. This will allow you to properly shift your weight to the front during the follow through, and eliminate that nasty block that we all dread.

In all, the follow through is the most important portion of the golf swing. This will determine where the ball will go after contact, and a proper follow through can change your entire game. I do recommend investing plenty of time into these drills, especially the inside-out drill. It does take some time to get comfortable with each tweak, so do yourself a favor and truly invest the time and effort into perfecting each drill I have provided.