43 years ago, I had my first professional golf instruction. Over a series of six lessons, my teacher imparted many sound fundamentals with one exception. Aarrgg! Instead of using my body to coil and uncoil and create swing speed, he taught me to time the strike with my hands. I remember him taking my hands on the club and rolling them over again and again through the hitting zone. I learned to hit the ball very straight but without power. Later, when I tried to gain distance, I began the flip action that is the bane of my game on poor ball striking days. Bad swings typically produce thin shots or pulls. The early release is a game killer.
Did you see Matt Wolff on TV Sunday during the best ball charity match? I admit, this is the first time I’ve watched him play. The trigger he uses to start his swing looks odd but struck me as somewhat familiar. Then I figured it out. He was rehearsing the drill my current instructor has been working with me on to eliminate the wrist flip! Here’s a article and video of Wolff explaining his trigger:
Four years ago, I decided to overhaul my golf game starting with the full swing. I needed to become a more consistent ball striker. My instructor started by having me hit hundreds of balls with a 7-iron starting from the Matt Wolff trigger position. I’d have the ball slightly back of center, my weight shaded forward about 70-30, and my hips and shoulders open at a 45 degree angle. I was essentially mirroring the impact position at address. Wolff sets this position in his forward press and returns to square in about a second, but the concept is the same. As part of the drill, I actually started the swing from there. The key is to try and hit a 9-o’clock to 3-o’clock knock down and just turn your chest on the downswing right back to the address/impact position. When done properly, you take your wrist flip out, finish with both arms fully extended, your chest is facing left of target, and you enjoy a low solid strike with a divot.
Undoing 40 years of hand flipping isn’t easy. My thin pull still shows up on occasion. But my learning and improvement has been noticeable. Now, when I practice, I’ll typically lay down two alignment sticks about six inches apart to form a channel at the target. At the end of the session, I have a nice straight divot line within the sticks. When I struggle, I return to the drill. Sometimes I’ll hit ½ a bucket with just the drill. The swing change is easier with the shorter clubs, and the biggest area of improvement I’ve seen is with my wedges to 7-iron. Mid and long irons are a work in progress, but a good side benefit has been some extra distance with the driver. When you learn to hit the ball with your body instead of your hands, all types of good things will happen.
Have you ever tried the Matt Wolff drill? Give it a go and play well!
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