Swinging a golf club is a complex (and unnatural) motion. You’re attempting to keep your body, arms and hands in perfect sync to put the clubhead square on the back of a ball that measures less than 2 inches in diameter. Add in all the mental blocks that pop up standing over the ball and it’s no wonder this game is so difficult.
But sometimes, you can make the golf swing less complex simply by using natural motions. If you think too hard about any task, it becomes more complex, and the golf swing is no different.
Enter, the axe drill. This drill comes from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Shaun Webb (courtesy of famed instructor Pete Cowen), and it shows how swinging your golf club like you would swing an axe can improve your release in the downswing.
“I think people get off track with how they think about the swing,” Webb says. “And obviously that affects how they swing the club.”
To get a better feel for a proper swing without thinking too much, Webb suggests imagining you were swinging an axe instead of a golf club.
Take the clubhead and turn the toe so that it’s facing the back of the ball. Then, swing the club back and through like you would if you were using an axe to chop down a tree.
“If I was gonna hit [the ball], I would just cock my wrists back, make a pivot and swing back down again,” Webb says. “I’d let that ‘axe’ head hit the [ball], and it would look like a pretty darn good-looking swing.”
By using the same motion in the golf swing that you would use chopping wood with an axe, you’re making a good solid swing, but without having to think too hard about the movements.
“Not only does that help you figure out the release,” Webb says. “It also helps you figure out the swing plane, which is more around you … So work on that, that’ll help you with your concepts, and it’ll clean up your golf swing.”
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