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Driving

Fast Fixes For Every Fault: Pop-Up

By Jim Flick Photos by Stephen Szurlej
February 24, 2013
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If you're popping up your drives, with the club going under the ball through impact, you're probably swinging down too steeply. The club might also be coming from outside the target line. The cause of this problem is usually an overactive right hand, arm and shoulder on the downswing.

A good solution is to practice hitting drivers on the range while releasing your right hand from the club just before impact (right). This drill trains the left arm to become the master arm, so it controls the speed and angle at which the clubhead swings into the ball. Plus, with only your left hand on the club as it swings into impact, the club's path will become shallower and travel more from the inside, which will improve the quality of contact. Also, your left hand will lead the clubshaft through impact, delofting the face and allowing it to turn down. So intersperse five right-hand releases with five normal swings, and you'll get rid of the pop-up.

JIM FLICK, ranked in the top 10 on Golf Digest's list of America's 50 Greatest Teachers, is based at the TaylorMade Learning Center in Carlsbad, Calif.