Left Shoulder Square

Other tips on this blog have talked about the right shoulder, and how keeping it in a certain position can help create a better path into the ball. This week it’s the left shoulder. Some people like to feel the swing in different ways, so it’s good to have a few different—although fairly similar—thoughts to choose from.

Needless to say, proper shoulder position is crucial. Especially for over-the-top players. Perhaps their main fault in swinging over the top is opening their shoulders and getting them moving laterally too soon on the downswing. Because of this, the club approaches the ball from the outside, and the clubface is left wide open at impact.

Shoulders remain square, hips turn open at impact (not the other way around)
In terms of the left shoulder, feel that it "stays put" for a brief instance as you start your move down. This will allow for your arms to drop into the proper inside slot. The last thing you want to do is open your shoulders quickly. Your shoulders will start to open naturally as you approach the ball, but the more square you can keep them, the less chance you will have of swinging over the top.

The shoulders should never make any violent moves in the swing. They should remain fairly passive. If anything, let your arms make the violent moves. You need to keep your left shoulder as square to your ball-target line as long as possible on the downswing. If you can do this, as well as fire your hips properly, you will feel a lot a resistance on the downswing. This is how the shoulders produce power. This resistance generates power for the moment of truth: impact. If your left shoulder spins out, no resistance is built up, and no power is gained.

A good drill to help you keep this left shoulder in place is to extend your left arm out and put your palm on the top of the grip of your club. From there, make some swinging motions with the right side of your body (Your right arm and shoulder.) By keeping your left-palm on the club, this will keep your shoulder in place.