Page 63 - The Golf Guide, Fall 2016

Pro’s Corner

An Aggressive Approach

David Johns, PGA Professional
Heritage Oaks Golf Course, Harrisonburg, Virginia
As golfers, we always look for consistency with
our golf swings and games. We search for that
“magic formula” to hit it solid every time,
despite the fact that it is virtually impossible to
hit it solid EVERY time. So many variables come
into play with respect to our golf swings, and we
should not become frustrated when we don’t hit it
solid each and every time.
Situations do come up though with our golf
swings such as hitting behind the ball on a regular
basis or hitting it “thin” too often. Throughout
my years of instructing the game of golf, I have
had several golfers come to me saying they are
hitting behind the golf ball and want to hit it more
solid. The comment that often accompanies this
situation is “I think I’m dropping my shoulder,
and that’s why I keep hitting behind it.”
What I have found in my years of teaching is that while a player’s shoulder might
be “dropping” when the player hits behind the ball, it is not the cause, but the
result of something else going on in the swing. Often times when we struggle with
our golf swings, we become tentative. When this happens, we tend to not swing as
aggressively, particularly with our shoulder turn. As a result, our hands and arms
tend to “outrace” our shoulder turn, resulting in a swing where the club hits the
ground before the golf ball. With this type of a swing, the swing plane tends to
become much more of a downward, steep swing. As a result, our back shoulder
(right shoulder for right-handed golfers, left shoulder for left) tends to get pulled
down more and the golfer has the feeling of the shoulder “dropping.” This is a
result of the shoulders slowing down or being taken over by the hands and arms.
So the question remains, what do we do when we are hitting behind the golf ball?
When we are tentative, things tend to break down in the golf swing and result in
poor contact. If you are physically able, try speeding up your shoulder turn and
swing more aggressively through the ball. You will find that in doing so, each of the
components of the golf swing will tend to stay together more, and you will strike
the golf ball more solidly. This improved contact will help to instill confidence, and
that confidence will create a feeling of being able to swing aggressively and hitting
more solid shots, which is, after all, what we are all striving for in this game.
Enjoy the game!

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