Can You Handle The Truth?

At the conclusion of last week's article,I promised you a drill. The drill is virtually foolproof. You can't screw it up. Believe me, this fool has tried.

I will introduce the drill by telling you that it will not only teach you exactly how a proper golf swing should feel; it will serve as a continual litmus test for any thought, feel, or idea you might come across. If it doesn't happen when you practice this drill, it has absolutely no business in the golf swing.

The effectiveness of this drill is due to the fact that it exaggerates the effect that the right and left sides of the body have on the swing. If anything untoward happens, it will feel awful.

I'd also recommend that you take your on course practice swings this way for a while. This will highlight the differences between the ideal swing and the one you actually use. It is also an exceptionally good way to practice when you aren't able to hit balls. There is no better way for a new player, or a grizzled veteran, to begin the process of understanding the elusive mysteries of the golf swing.

So, without further ado, the Split Grip Drill.

With a mid-iron in hand, assume your setup position. Carefully lift the club roughly six inches off the ground. Move your hands three to four inches apart on the grip of the club. Now swing the club hard. That's it.

Does this feel like your regular swing? I thought not. Volumes of information can be gathered from this simple exercise. Start be assessing the largest differences in feel. Once you are certain what they are, you can start the slow, and sometimes tedious and frustrating, process of incorporating these feels into your swing.

The goal is to swing the club smoothly. Do whatever you must to make it happen. If your arms are rigid, or if you have created angles with them when you set up to the ball, these traits will have to be abandoned in order to succeed. For right-handed players, the right arm usually feels more dominant when swing the club with the Split Grip Drill. The left arm also feels weaker and shorter, especially through the fictional impact zone. It might not feel this way to you, but I'll guarantee there will be substantial differences.

One clue: The more relaxed your grip and arms can be, the more you'll learn from this drill.

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