Mastering Forward Shaft Lean: An Excellent Drill
“Forward Shaft Lean at Impact Is Crucial To Solid Ball Striking”
One of the biggest differences you’ll see when comparing amateur vs. professional golfers’ position at impact is the amount of “Forward Shaft Lean”.
Ideally, we want to have the handle of the club be “in front” of the ball if you’re looking face-on at your swing…that is, the handle is closer to your target than the clubhead at impact.
Here’s an example:
One of the things we do in the Square to Square swing is “Pre-Set Impact” by pushing the handle of the club forward just before we initiate the backswing.
Some of my students have asked me to provide instruction on how to get used to the sensation of the handle being forward at impact, and perhaps a way to know that they’ve properly preset the impact position.
In this video, I walk through a very quick/simple drill for improving your forward shaft lean.
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14 Comments
Hey Sam – Good video. It will be good good to do this set up drill occasionally to see if my normal set up and forward lean feels the same. Thanks!
Rob B.
Wouldn´t that mean that my clubface would be open 45″ at impact when I set it square at adress and would this not mean that you are adding loft instead of delofting it?
THX
Good question Markus. The idea is to get a good feeling for the impact position. This could meant that you start to incorporate a stronger more impact like address position. If you go back to your old grip and get to the new impact you will have better compression but the face will likely face more to the right.
Sam…I have a rather lengthy question but this seems to be the only way to contract you. Your statement “no wrist hinge” needs some clarification. The wrist has 3 degrees of freedom: a slapping motion (flexion and extension), a rotational motion (pronation and supination) and a hammering motion ( radial and ulnar deviation). When you say “no wrist hinge” are you referring to all three or just the first two (no slapping or rotational motions)? My contention is that the last motion is necessitated by the force of swinging the club on a full swing. And I believe that S&T states this as well. So this “hinging” of the club directly up toward your face and down is just what is happening on a full back swing. And I believe that this is fine as long as you keep the back of the left hand flat to the wrist. Would you agree or am I off base here.
Thanks
Jeff
Great analysis Jeff,
I’d say the same thing exactly. I just try to keep things as simple as possible most of the time. There are now so many terms that describe the same thing. Mainly, the elimination or the vertical hinge and awareness of the intention to keep the face square to the arc around the impact zone will improve many players’ shot patterns.
Hi Sam,
Is the square to square swing the same as Jim Hardy/Josh Zander one plane swing or there is differences in the golf swing?
Great question.
It is similar however there are some set-up keys in S2S that set it apart.
Also, with an awareness of the club face angles you’ll see some lower and boring launches with more consistent solid contact.
Hope this helps!
Sam
Hey nice post. I hope it’s alright that I
shared it on my FB, if not, no issues just tell me and I’ll delete
it. Regardless keep up the good work.
Sam I bought your E Book and have been having a lot of success with the square to square swing. My question is in regards to the shaft at address not so much leaning it towards the target but rather where your hands are at address. I have been doing the square to square with my hands pushed farther away from my body almost as if there is a straight line running down my left arm and the golf shaft. I also have watched all your videos but unfortunately I have never seen you address the ball with irons from behind. I think I’m doing it wrong as it looks like in the front view that your hands are in a more traditional position closer to the body. Please cover this if you have the time.
I do tend to set up in a more traditional manor but I also think you can set up with the shaft more in line with your arms (more upright) if it feels better. Here is a clip of me setting up with a wedge – https://youtu.be/-9Pv08_xem0
Hi Sam,
Just wanted to thank you! Shot an 84 on a par 70 this past weekend using your S2S method. Second time I’ve broke 90 this season with your help! I only play a few times a year, but the S2S makes my swing so repeatable I can have fun on the course even without practicing a ton.
Do you have a tip jar? =)
Best Regards
-Mike
Thanks Mike!!! Nice round! No tip needed. Just keep shooting those scores!
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