Try the Tip Vol. 4: Spine Angle and Weight Distribution
Oh spine angle, how you continue to plague me. This is the one priority area that my 18 Birdies app consistently tells me I need to work on. It is the aspect of my swing that is keeping me from scoring that perfect 10!
Today’s drill comes from 18 Birdies and is designed to help with those spine angle issues. This is actually the second in a set of three drills designed to work on this. The first is a do anywhere drill with no club, just focusing on the spine rotation and keeping the pressure on the inside of your trail foot. This is a great drill to get the feel of the motion, but I found that keeping that feel and motion becomes harder when you are swing the club. That is where this second drill comes in. It forces you to stay focused on the motion and feeling from the first drill, but execute while swinging your club. The power of repetition at its finest. There is an additional do anywhere drill included in this practice plan, but today we are staying focused on the range drill.
Focus Area: Maintaining your spine angle throughout your swing, particularly in the backswing
Where: I did this at the range, but you could also do this with a practice net in your backyard if you have one.
What You Need: Pitching Wedge, 7 Iron, Driver
The Drill: Starting with your PW, get into your stance and focus on the pressure that you feel in the inside of your trail foot. Slowly bring your club up through your backswing and pause at the top, focusing on that pressure. Repeat this motion twice. On your third swing, step into the ball and complete a full swing. Repeat this with the pitching wedge until you have three successful swings (keeping that pressure in your trail foot in mind). Once you have three successful swings, repeat the process with your 7 Iron before moving on to your Driver.
Takeaway: This was my favorite of the drills in this drill plan. While the drills without the club are definitely helpful in getting the feel and making me focus on one aspect of the swing, getting the club in my hand and maintaining what I learned from the other drills while I actually swing can be a challenge. This drill makes you slow down and really focus before allowing you to swing. While my spine angle issues are still present in a large portion of my swings, I can definitely see improvement. I also found it helpful to record myself as I did all of the drills so that I could see any differences in my practice swings versus my full execution.
Want to give these drills plans a try? Check out 18 Birdies and use the AI Swing Analysis to see what drill plan can help you improve your swing. You can also check out the other awesome features like the course guide, score tracker, and discounts on rounds. Leave me a comment to let me know if you try the drill or the app!
Until next time,
Fore!
Katherine
This story originally appeared on The Birds and the Tees
