Natalie Adams – PGA Teaching Pro

So make sure you get your golf swing-off to the correct technique and to make sure that your left arm and your left shoulder are moving in the correct way. The phase from the ball to half way through the backswing this takeaway phase is very, very important and you can really set the rest of your golf swing in very good stead by focusing in on this area.

Now I've already spoken about how you can get into a very good posture position, how by getting into a good relaxed setup with a nice tall chin can create the way for the left shoulder and for the arm to move.

Now let's have a look a little bit more detail into what you want the left shoulder and the arm to be doing during the takeaway. Now generally speaking, if you've managed to get the tilt or you've managed to get the chin nice and tall at this address position, your turn with the left shoulder and the arm should be quite simple. But there is a matter of rotating the left arm as well.

And as you start to move around during the backswing, the left shoulder will also start to turn. So while in this address position with the chin nice and tall, getting yourself in the setup position, as you move the club away get the feeling that you are pushing the left arm very, very straight back. And you are allowing the left shoulder to move underneath the chin.

Now you'll notice here that from my address position where the outside of my left hand here, the back of my left hand is facing down towards the target and as I move back I'm not moving my hand. I'm not rotating my hand, but as the arm stretches back my arm is rotating as I take the club away.

Now this is very, very important. If I keep that left arm locked down into the same position it is going to start closing the clubface and it is also going to be dipping my left shoulder to join the backswing. So allowing that takeaway to be nice and smooth, to be nice and flowing, allowing that left shoulder to come underneath the chin because of that positive setup that then allowing the left arm to rotate around is very, very important. Because as you come through the ball for that's exactly what the left arm wants to do as well, it wants to rotate, the shoulder wants to turn as well as you hit the shot.

So just as a quick little drill that you can use getting set up, nice and tall, chin nice and high, practice that takeaway where you move the shoulder underneath the chin and you allow that left arm to rotate. Just a little bit of a practice swing, then try to move that into the technique and just try and get the sensation of those two movements working together.