swing out

Question
i need a drill so i can swing out at the ball....i can do it when theres no ball in front of me..as soon as theres a ball im winging across..also...im trying to get my lead wrist more flat at the top of my swing..so the clubface will be more square at the top..please help

Answer
Hello Thomas:  You have plenty of company having your practice swing unlike the swing at the ball.  Most golfers' swings are products of their setups which means your swing is probably influenced by your position over the ball and/or your aim.  Before you can successfully work on changing your swing, you must make sure you are set up to make the swing you want.  Here is a check list:
1.  Make sure the line extending across your toes is parallel to the target line.  This line will be pointing left of your target (if you're right-handed).
2.  You want to stand far enough from the ball to allow your arms to hang loosely from your shoulders.  If you crowd the ball, you have to pull in to hit it solid which means you're pulling left as well.
3.  You want to bend from the hips so that the front of your shoulders are over the tips of your toes.
4.  You want to flex your knees just enough to unlock them.  The more you bend at the knees, the more you end up sitting on your heels making balance very difficult.

To summarize, you want to assume the same position the touring pros do.  Once there, you can then work on creating an inside/out club path which shouldn't be too difficult because your set up will favor that motion.

The NATURAL position of the wrist at the top of the swing is also influenced by its set up position.  You don't want to have to manipulate the club to achieve the flat wrist, you want it to happen naturally.  You want the back of your lead hand to be square with the club face.  The most you should see when looking at the lead hand is the uppermost knuckle of the index finger.  The more knuckles you see at address, the more cupped your wrist will be at the top of the swing.  You'll also want the palm of the rear hand square with the club face.

I've given you a lot to think about and perhaps a lot to change.  Even minimal changes take time and practice to implement.  Keep in mind that when the touring pros make even the smallest change they hit thousands of golf balls to make the change a part of their swing.  So give yourself an ample amount of time to make these changes and I think you'll be very pleased with the results.

Fairways and Greens,

John
www.golfnutts.com