Follow Your Club Arc
Let Your Eyes Drift Behind The Ball
by John Soares, owner, Playsolidgolf.com
If you have ever been told that your head moves too much as you swing, then this article is for you. You may have heard: "Keep your head still" or "Keep your eye on the ball" or "Keep your head behind the ball" or something similar. Here's a simple tip that not only will keep your head behind the ball, but will give you consistently good golf shots as well.
Before I start, you can use this tip for any club, including your putter. You can also use this golf tip for any type of shot, from off the tee to short chip or pitch shots. Here it is:
Bring the club back slowly in an arc. Let your eyes drift back with the club until they are just beyond your right foot. Then bring the club up as you usually would on your backswing. Continue focussing your eyes on that spot just beyond your little toe on your right foot(or left foot if you are left-handed).
Now take your usual downswing without moving your eyes from that spot. If you swing down slowly enough, you should see your club passing the spot your eyes are concentrating on. Once that happens, you will hit the ball. Your head will eventually twist up sideways as your right shoulder(left shoulder if you are a leftie) forces your head to turn up. And then you will follow through and be in a perfect position to watch your ball land.
Here's the theory: if you take the club back with your shoulders only(as you should!), your swing will describe a 90 degree arc. Now if you let your eyes go back in that same arc and stay there for the rest of the swing, your downswing should follow that same arc you took on your backswing. Why? Because your eyes are concentrating on seeing your club pass by on its way to the ball. As long as you keep your eyes focussed on that spot, you will attempt(without you having to think about it) to make the club come down in such a way that you will see it pass by.
If you see the club pass by, it will hit the ball properly and your body will form the "C" that you hear so much about. Just before your follow-through and just after the club contacts the ball, your head will still be looking down and behind the ball. You don't need to watch the ball! It stands to reason that if take the club back in a particular arc and bring the club down in that same arc, it should contact the ground where you soled it at address, which is right behind the ball.
One caveat here: At address, I always have my eyes focussed just behind the ball. THEN as I bring the club back in an arc around my right foot, my eyes start to drift to that spot just beyond my right little toe. I don't focus on that spot right away, since it's very likely that I will take my club back in a slightly different arc each time.
Try this tip especially if you hit a lot of thin shots or even top the ball a lot. Invariably, this happens because your head is moving beyond the ball and you are trying to kill it. If this tip does not work for you, then I'd recommend you try the Simple Swing. It is an illustrated ebook written by a teaching professional. I bought his first edition back in 2002 and just recently bought his newest edition. It will cost you $47, but it is well worth it.
