Add power to your game with this position at the top of your backswing
Adding flex to your lead wrist at the top can line up the shaft with your shoulder plane.
Stephen Denton
I played in six LPGA majors as a club pro, but there were areas of my game that I knew I needed to improve. That prompted me to ask my friend GOLF Top 100 Teacher Dana Dahlquist to take a look at my swing so I could better understand why I couldn’t hit the ball as far as my peers — and why I kept missing shots to the left.
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The main change we made was at the top (pictured). We added slightly more flex in my lead wrist (see the bow?), which set the club on a shallower plane and matched up perfectly with my shoulders. It also helped me better load my trail hip on my backswing, adding power I was missing. Dana got me where, as I started my downswing, I could maintain these tilts and angles.
As if by magic, the club stayed behind my hands slightly longer, which allowed me to swing more from in-to-out and with a better sequence. No more weak fades or getting steep. My swing feels great. My left miss is gone. I’m hitting compressed shots with a nice high draw, which helped my 7-iron distance go from 151 to 165 yards!
Dr. Alison Curdt is the director of instruction at Wood Ranch GC in Simi Valley, Calif. Dana Dahlquist is the director of instruction at El Dorado Park GC in Long Beach, Calif.
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