Hitting It With Power

If you're looking for distance, commit this tip to memory: Your weight should move in the direction the club is swinging. When the club goes back, your weight shifts back; when the club swings through, your weight shifts through. A common fault with amateurs is the reverse pivot, where the weight stays on the front foot during the backswing and often falls to the back foot on the downswing. That's about the weakest move you can make.

Here's how to practice the proper weight shift going back. Set up with your driver, but take a narrow stance, about 12 inches wide. Then make a slow-motion swing, stepping out with your right foot as you start the club away (above). This side step will get your weight shifting to the right. With your weight in your right instep, you're in position to drive your body toward the target as you swing down. That's how you hit the ball with power.

BUTCH'S BASICS

Should your head stay perfectly still on the backswing? Actually, it should move a little to the right. This is not a conscious thing. If the shoulders turn behind the ball, as they should, the head swivels and shifts slightly to the right (right). A lot of golfers try to keep their head frozen in place, and that can be a killer. It causes tension, blocks the front shoulder from turning back, and promotes a reverse pivot (see main tip). So let your head move naturally as you swing to the top.

HARMON, a Golf Digest Teaching Professional, runs the Butch Harmon School of Golf, at Rio Secco Golf Club, Henderson, Nev.

Harmon's Favorite Causes: Harmon's Heroes / Troops First Foundation

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