Tim Cooke, one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers, shows how to fix your faults with creative practice swings.
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Students are always telling me they make great practice swings but their real swings are totally different. The reason they can't transfer the practice swing is that they're not attaching a feeling or thought to what they're doing. The rehearsal is for understanding how your body and club should move for the swing you're about to make. For example, players who hook the ball often finish with the club vertically down their backs; that comes from swinging severely in to out through impact. To avoid this, rehearse a finish like Ben Hogan's on his famous 1-iron at the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion. Picture yourself as Hogan (pictured), the club running ear to ear and your hands away from your head. Then step up and make the swing. Let's look at some more rehearsals that can head off common faults.