Thursday, July 15, 2010

You're making solid contact but the ball is going left of the target.

Remember that because at address we stand to the side of the ball our clubhead path does not travel on a straight line. It arcs to the inside during the backswing then returns from the inside to the target line during the downswing, and arcs back to the inside on the follow through. Pulled shots occur when the ball is positioned too far forward or to the left in the player's stance. With the ball too far forward the clubhead impacts the ball after the club has already begun moving back to the inside along the follow through path of the arc.
Playing the ball too far forward also positions the player's shoulders too far to the left at address. In an attempt to get the club to the inside on the backswing the player will overturn his shoulders to the right causing him to overturn them on the downswing further exacerbating the outside-in clubhead path at impact.
To correct this play the ball farther back or to the right in your stance. This will align your shoulders correctly eliminating the need for them to overturn during the backswing and the "out and over" shoulder heave in the forward swing. This also allows you to contact the ball sooner in the downswing before the clubhead has had a chance to return back to the inside. I recommend hitting shots with various ball positions and related shoulder alignments until you determine the one that enables your shots to start on target.

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