Inverted Club Drill

Golf: Inverted Club Teaches Correct Swing Acceleration

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com

Effectively swinging the golf club, like most things, is a matter of timing. The longest drives occur when the clubhead is traveling at its maximum speed as it makes contact with the ball.

Many beginners make the mistake of jerking the club downward at the ball. Called “hitting from the top,” this error causes the clubhead to reach its maximum speed on the downswing instead of at the point of contact. Clubhead speed is also reduced because “lunging” at the ball produces excess tension in the hands and arms.

Better Strategy
A better strategy is to accelerate the club “through” the ball, not “to” the ball. In this way, clubhead speed is at maximum as it makes contact. You can get a feeling for the correct timing with the following drill.

Inverted Club Drill
Hold your club upside down and take some swings. Listen to the “swoosh” noise the club makes. The noise will be loudest when it is moving its fastest, and ideally, this should occur when the club passes the front foot—the point of contact when using a wood.

Take a number of swings, alternating your acceleration pattern until the loudest part of the swoosh coincides with the front foot.

Then try some regular golf shots with the club right-side up. Attempt to re-create the feeling of accelerating through the ball as you swing.

References:
1. John Norsworthy, Mark Mansfield, Good Golf is Easy: Eternal golfing truths for weekend golfers, CreateSpace, 2011.
2. Dr. Gary Wiren with Peter Morrice, “The five facts of impact.” Golf Magazine, December 1998.

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