One of The most important thing in golf is controlling the golf ball. Control is accomplished by solid club face to ball contact, while the club face is square to the target line, and traveling on the target line swing path.
One of the best drills for accomplishing these two goals is the L to L drill. The picture to the left is of Tiger Woods hitting a full shot. Notice the L formed by his arms and the shaft in the downswing. If you are unfamiliar with the drill, google “golf L to L drill”. There are many links that will demonstrate how to do it properly. I would check out a few links as there are differences in what some feel is important. Here are two of my favorites: L to L one. L to L two.
The drill will help you develop a good weight shift, proper hand action through the ball, and a feeling that you are controlling the golf ball. I recommend using your 7 iron. While performing the drill concentrate on extension on both sides of the ball, letting the right knee, and hip lead the arms through the shot, keeping your head behind the ball until after contact, staying balanced, and holding the finish with your weight on your forward side and your back foot up on the toes. If you swing a little past the L on the forward swing, that is OK. Do not try to muscle the ball. Concentrate on a smooth motion and solid contact. All experts agree that the number one key for more distance is solid contact. That is what you are trying to groove with this drill. Swing, don’t hit. This is also a great drill to practice Hogan’s Power Move.
You can keep track of your progress by seeing how many shots it takes to hit ten perfect shots. A perfect shot will be defined as one where there is good crisp contact, and the ball is traveling on the intended target line. You should usually be able to complete a session in 10 to 15 minutes. If after 15 minutes, you still have not reached 10 “perfects”, just record how many perfects you had that session.
When you are ready to hit a full shot just extend your swing, and use the same action you grooved through the hitting area. You will also become very proficient from a hundred yards in (the scoring zone) once you get the feel for how far the ball will travel with the L to L swing using different clubs. You will hit these short shots with confidence knowing that you will make crisp contact and the ball will be sailing straight to the target.
Now there is only one problem, finding time to perform the drill. Anyone can find 10 or 15 minutes, but we put off practicing because getting to the range takes time. The perfect practice aid that will allow you to perform this drill, using a real golf ball, in the limited area of your own backyard is the Ropeit. Just click here to see a youtube video of the Ropeit in action so you can check it out. After viewing the video you can get your own Ropeit at www.theropeit.com. It comes with an unconditional money back guarantee, so all you have to lose is strokes off your handicap.
Perform this drill three or four times a week, in total less than an hour of practice, and I guarantee that your ball striking will improve immensely. Please post a comment and let us know how the drill has worked for you.
