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There are 12 common swing characteristics or faults that are seen on a regular basis by PGA Professionals. I hope that the following Tips and Drills section will raise awareness and allow you to challenge beliefs.
Chicken Winging
Chicken winging is best described as the left elbow (on the right handed player) bowing or separating on impact. This causes a loss in clubhead speed and therefore reduced distance on all shots. If viewing a player from behind that is "Down the Line" the first thing you should see appearing over the left shoulder is the clubhead then the shaft and ultimately the the left elbow. If you first see the elbow then the golfer is "Chicken Winging" a horrible expression! The problem can technical or physical. Lets us deal with technique first: The start of the downswing is out of sequence as the golfer is swinging the club on a "Out to In" path and therefore has to bend the left elbow to prevent a pulled shot. Physically the problem may happening be for a different reason. The lead arm has to rotate around the shoulder. There are obvious limitations.
- Corrections and Drills: Swing the club with left and right arm separately from the trail side waist and allow the shoulder, forearm and wrist to rotate. Observe how you see the face of the club through the lowest part of the swing change and you are now viewing the back of the clubhead. The result will be increase clubhead speed and ultimately greater distance.
Posture
Posture is a crucial part of the set-up. It may not always possible to achieve the perfect posture for every individual because of several factors. However, assuming that your posture is poor because of lack of knowledge or attention to detail then lets proceed. Firstly I would suggest that you choose a Tour Professional of similar height and build to yourself and use this as the "Model Set-Up". Do not choose Ernie if you are 5ft 6ins tall! The best tool for training as in many sports is a mirror. Unfortunately many driving ranges do not have this item although they seem to have everything else,including the latest gimmick on the market to stick under your arm or attach to your feet! Unfortunately you can't use this when playing up the 18th inthe Open or your club medal!
For reference "Down the Line" is the picture you see if you turn your head to the right (right handed player). From this position you can view your posture in the mirror and armed with a picture of your chosen Tour professional at your side you can compare the matches and miss-matches. The posture should be "Neutral" - that is, your back from the belt to the shoulders should be a straight line.
C-Posture is used to describe a "hunched back". This will cause you to lift or rise upwards on the backswing. It will appear to your playing partner that your head is moving. You will get some great advice like "Keep you're Head Down" Do not listen to these words of wisdom form a fellow 18 handicapper! More problems will develop.
S-Posture is used to describe a hollowed out back. If you ask a colleague to lay a club on you back from the belt to the shoulders and daylight appears between your back and the shaft then you are in S posture. This is a common athletic position assumed in many sports but not recommended for golf! It puts great stain on your spine as you start to rotate and possible injury if you practice regularly.
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