A Call To Arms

Every golfer will experience periods of inconsistent ballstriking, low confidence and a general sensation of swinging out of sync. For these times, I offer a quick fix: Quiet your lower body, and concentrate on swinging the golf club with only your hands and arms.

Timing issues that can wreck a golfer's confidence tend to crop up when he or she makes too many gyrations with his or her body, like turning and twisting the upper torso or overworking the legs. When golfers try to use their whole body to move the golf club, often they have no chance of making consistent contact or creating ample clubhead speed.

One of my favorite drills provides an immediate remedy for an overactive body. Make a few practice swings at quarter-speed and half-speed, slowly working up to full speed, keeping body movement to a minimum. Internalize the sensations created by the simple motion of the arms swinging the club back to the top and dropping into place on the downswing. As Charlie Sorrell, a former PGA teacher of the year, likes to say, The hands are for holding, the wrists are for hinging, and the arms are for swinging.

In the process of relearning the importance of the hand-and-arm swing, you'll be building up clubhead speed. Try this drill, and you'll find yourself back in rhythm, and regaining lost distance and confidence in no time.

Senior Instruction Editor Art Sellinger represents the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas, Texas. He's the creator of the popular Power Guarantee training program and home video, available at www.artoflongdriving.com.