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Full Golf Swing Instruction - The Shoulder Drill

Place your left hand on the end of a long iron or wood so that the club is held vertically at arm's length away from the body. Use your right hand to initiate a one arm backswing and underhand follow-through. Next, you can throw a golf ball down the target line to improve direction and follow-through.

Try swinging a club with your right hand while pretending to hold a club vertical with your left hand. Keep the right hand and arm close to the body throughout the swing and be certain your head stays down. Feel how this drill makes you keep your right shoulder under and through the imagined shot.

1. To keep your right shoulder down the target line. If you have been told you "cast" or "throw the club at the ball", you are probably an upper body swinger. The means you move your right shoulder out and across the target line as you start your downswing. This drill gives you the proper feel of how your right shoulder should move during the swing.
2. To keep your right shoulder under and through the shot. This drill will show you what it means to stay under and through a shot. It will help you keep your right arm in close to you body at impact. Your right arm motion, close to your body, will carry your right shoulder under your chin and down the target line. Your right shoulder will come around and through the shot as you complete your swing. It also helps you "stay down" (keep your head down) and reduce the tendency to "spin out of the shot" (turn too much). The head and eyes are fixed on a target (clubhead) and the hips turn naturally throughout the motion.

Do's and Don'ts
You can use this drill as a pre-shot warm up while you are waiting to tee off. It can even be used on the course when you feel you are not staying down through the shot. You may see pro golfers do a version of the drill before some shots.