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Golf professional Chris Weston delivers the first of six coaching drills - focussing on the start and finish position of every swing.
Chris is Head PGA Professional at Sittingbourne & Milton Regis Golf Club and owner of the CW Golf Studio, has been a PGA Professional for 23 years. During the course of this six-week programme, he will share with you some of his most popular drills and routines that he has found, through his coaching experiences, to benefit all golfers irrespective of their golf handicap or age.
These drills can all be done from the comfort of your own home with the aim that once lockdown is over and we can safely return to the golf course, you will have a better understanding of how your swing works and create better opportunities to shoot lower scores.
I have coached golfers of all ages and abilities and if there is one thing I understand it is that no two golfers swing the club exactly the same way.
Much like our handwriting, if we were asked to write a particular sentence we would write the same words in the same order but our handwriting would look different and the same can be said for the golf swing.
All competent golfers share similar traits and characteristics but the journey that the club takes to get into those positions varies depending on, amongst other things, the individuals physiology, flexibility and natural rhythm.
Our first focus is on the start and finish position of every swing.
I began my golfing journey at the age of 13 and, from the outset, the professional I learnt from drilled into me the importance of a good start and finish position. He set me the challenge of making golf look good and this mantra has stayed with me throughout my career, to the extent where I would now class myself as a ‘Statics’ coach.
By this I mean whenever I start working with any individual I initially focus heavily on the two static positions in the golf swing - the start and the finish.
If you were to watch the 10 best male and female golfers in the world, they would all have very similar start and finish positions even if the swings themselves may differ dramatically.
This shows us that you don’t have to have the ‘perfect’ swing to be a great golfer but you do need to have a swing that is sound, repeatable and one that you understand.
My belief is that if your start and finish position are rock solid then the swing that comes in between, even if not technically perfect will be natural and a great starting point for any work that we do together.
The aim is to keep your swing as natural as possible and only make subtle tweaks and adjustments.
Next time you are out in the garden or indoors (just watch out for any light fittings!) and swinging a club pay particular attention to this.
Hold your finish for at least three seconds, ensure that as much weight as possible is on your lead leg (leg closest to the target), your trail leg (furthest from target) has pivoted up onto your toes and your body has turned towards the target.
See if you can keep your balance and repeat this movement. Always imagine that somebody is filming your swing and make it look good.
Enjoy your practice!