Wouldn’t you like your sand wedge pitch shots to launch high and land softly like fresh falling snow? But too often, you “blade” the ball because your club never gets all the way down to the ground! You’ve been tricked into thinking you’re supposed to send the clubhead forward, towards the target, when it really needs to get down to the ground. ALL the way down! Let’s change that forward delivery into a downward delivery.
Meet your new best friend…GRAVITY! Stop pulling on the club. Let gravity do the work for you. What would that feel like…to let the clubhead free fall to earth? Plop. No violence! The club needs to be allowed to get to the ground and you’re forcing the issue. Literally!
To feel the pull of gravity, as the song says…Let It Go, Let it Go, Can’t hold it (up) anymore! Take the club in your dominant hand (right hand for righties), make a waist high backswing and hold the club parallel to the ground. Keep it there a few seconds, feeling the clubhead getting heavy. While maintaining your grip, let your arm and the clubhead drop towards the ground! Feel the sensation of the club falling naturally. Repeat with both hands holding! Make sure you acknowledge the feeling of your arms moving downward along with the clubhead. Allowing the clubhead to be affected by gravity is the force you can depend on to get the clubhead all the way to the ground. Your arms should never have been the source of power for these soft shots! So, what IS the real Source of Power? It’s TURNING! Proof is in this test: Take an imaginary ball in your hand and throw it overhand in s-l-o-w motion. Notice the order of your motion.
- Your chest turned away from the target
- You took a step forward, planting your weight on your front foot
- Your chest starts turning toward the target. THEN, after ALL that had occurred…
- Your arm moved to release the ball because turning happened first
IT IS THE SAME order of events for your sand wedge shots.
- Your chest turns away from the target
- Pressure is transferred as your weight posts onto your front foot
- Your chest starts turning toward the target first, and THEN
- Your arms fall downward initiating a gravity induced dropping of the clubhead.
Sand Wedge Drill: Put a ball on a small tee. Forget about the ball…your task is to hit the tee out of the ground. Focus on your Turn and swing at slow speeds, feeling the clubhead falling like snow…all the way down. Sing Let It Go, Let it Go… as a reminder to feel gravity’s pull which will let you experience your new mellow tempo. The past is in the past!
