SAN FRANCISCO — The practice range at professional golf tournaments is a fascinating place. Players are busy dialing in their swings and their gear, and you’ll see more well-struck shots in an hour than you will at your local club in an entire year. If you know what to look for, you also can learn a lot about the swing.
Early in the week — especially at majors — instructors line the range as they help their pupils prepare their swings for the week ahead. But even if players don’t have their coaches with them, they’re still likely practicing certain moves.
On Wednesday at The Olympic Club, I noticed the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open runner-up Amy Olson working on an interesting drill. She had a rope strap wrapped tightly around her torso as she was making full swings.
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“It really helps me stay connected,” Olson explained. “I have really long arms that like to do their own thing. So if I can keep the upper arms connected to my body, it allows the core to control the swing as opposed to my arms.”
Olson said keeping her arms and body connected are keys in her swing, because when that sequencing is off, her hips fire too quickly and the club is left open at impact.
“So much of the golf swing is about sequencing and making sure everything comes through together as opposed to one part beating the other,” she said.
Another drill Olson uses to keep everything connected is a right-arm only swing. (You might have seen Rory McIlroy rehearsing this move earlier this year.)
Swinging with only her right arm forces Olson’s arms and body to stay connected as well. As she explained, if you swing with just the trail arm, it is not strong enough to square the clubface at impact, so you will miss to the right.
“I hit it right arm only to really feel it come back into position so I can turn everything through together,” she said.
If you struggle with syncing up your arms and body during your swing, try these two drills that Olson relies on to improve your ball striking.
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