How to Maintain Extension for Better Ball Striking

One of golf’s many keys for solid ball striking is to maintain extension in BOTH arms for Impact and through to the finish.

This extension helps to keep the radius (the distance from the left shoulder to the clubhead) constant and brings the full force of this “lever” into the golf ball.

This “lever” is classified as the left arm AND the clubshaft.

If you allow the clubhead to pass the hands coming into Impact you are only using the bottom portion of this considerable lever. This results in a severe loss of power and accuracy! You can hit every shot imaginable if you allow the clubhead to pass the hands. Fat, thin, high, low, left and right!

Think of it this way…

Let’s say you’re swinging a Driver and that the distance from your left shoulder to the clubhead is 70 inches. If you allow the clubhead to pass the hands at/or prior to Impact then you are only using the driver portion of this lever. Since most drivers today are 45-46 inches that is the length you are striking the ball with.

Obviously a 45 inch length will not produce as much power as a 70 inch length, so you will have a power LOSS!

So how do you work on maintaining this extension? Glad you asked!

Let’s start by making a backstroke where your left arm only gets parallel to the ground. Now as you swing forward allow your body – hips and chest – to rotate past the target while you keep your head in ONE PLACE! When the clubshaft reaches level to the ground on target side then it should also be parallel to your heels.

It may take you a few times to get this feel but once you get it then just keep making a bigger backstroke, but still finish with both arms extended and the shaft on the heel line.

Another great way to feel the amount of downward motion, and extension, is to hit punch/knock-down shots. It’s very difficult to hit one of these types of shots if you are hitting UP on the ball with NO extension!

I would also suggest that you start with a wedge of some type and once you have MASTERED the shot with a wedge then start moving up into bigger clubs.

Once you can learn how to hit these shots you will have NO FEAR when it comes to ball striking!

Keep it in the short grass and compress the fire out of that little white ball!


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