The Golf Digest School

Golf Digest, Jan, 2004 by Dale Paluszcyk

Stephen Blumberg, a 25-handicapper from Purchase, N.Y., had a swing that was a classic example of how a bad start can lead to a worse finish. Here's how we improved his swing motion.

1. THE PROBLEM

Floppy follow-through

Stephen had a common swing flaw: He failed to turn his body behind the ball during the backswing. Because of this, his arms were forced to collapse on the way down so the club could hit the ball. There was no extension to his follow-through, and his wristy, scooping motion through impact often would produce low, slicing shots. He knew something was wrong because the way he abruptly threw the club over his right shoulder didn't look anything like the graceful follow-throughs he saw from tour pros on television.

2. THE FIX

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Stephen was relieved to hear that correcting his address position and backswing would, in turn, correct his motion through the ball. First, I asked him to set his left shoulder at address so it was higher than his right. This spine tilt helped set him behind the ball. Then I asked him to turn his left shoulder during the backswing so it was pointing at the ball. Being "loaded" behind the ball, with his weight favoring the right foot at the top of the backswing, allowed him to extend his arms properly on the downswing and strike the ball with the club's natural loft. There was no longer any wristy, scooping motion. His arms returned to the ball in the same position they were in at address.

3. THE RESULT

Start at the finish

When I showed Stephen his new finish position on the video monitor, he recognized immediately how much better it looked. He was making the proper forearm rotation and releasing the club. The arc that the club traveled on from start to finish was much longer and didn't end abruptly. Instead of trying to hit at the ball, he was swinging the club fluidly. He even discovered that his natural swing path produced a nice draw. In Stephen's case, he needed to learn the golf swing backward, from finish to start. Hey, whatever works.

Golf Digest Schools instructor Dale Paluszcyk teaches at the Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club in Lenox, Mass.