The Golf Digest School – Lesson Tee – Brief Article
Gino Composto
Todd Sapere, a 2-handicapper from West Hartford, Conn., is a very good player who often leaned too far left at address and pulled shots left of the green. His spine angle needed some adjustment.
1. THE PROBLEM
Leaning left
Todd had such an aggressive swing that when he addressed the ball he often would lean toward the target. His shoulders were nearly level, and his body tilted on an angle where his spine was parallel with his right leg. This put too much weight forward on his left foot and prompted a swing path that moved from outside the target line during the downswing to inside the target line past impact. As a result, he frequently would pull shots left of the target.
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2. THE FIX
Uphill battle
To straighten the flight path of his shots, Todd’s weight distribution and spine angle at address had to be corrected. I told Todd to address the ball as if it were on an upslope. To help Todd visualize this point, I tilted the shaft of a club by stepping on the clubface. He now could match his shoulders to the angle of the shaft, and, by getting his left shoulder higher than his right, Todd now sets up behind the ball with his spine tilting away from the target. When you hear people say a golfer “sets up nicely behind the ball,” this is what they mean.
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3. THE RESULT
Spine is fine
Now that his spine is tilted away from the target and his weight has shifted toward his right foot, Todd is able to correct his tendency to pull shots. From this starting position, his downswing now comes from inside the target line and arcs back inside that line past impact, with the clubface square to the target at impact. Another nice byproduct: With this powerful setup, Todd has gained some distance.
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Gino Composto teaches in the Golf Digest Schools at the Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
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