Andrew Rice Golf

Posts Tagged ‘shoulder turn’

The Set Up for the Shoulder Pivot Drill

The Start of a Flat or Level Shoulder Pivot

One thing I have been seeing in my lessons recently has been a tendency for golfers to rotate their shoulders on a flat plane (like a merry-go-round!).  This is, I believe, in an effort to extract as much turn as possible from the backswing.  By doing this you create a situation where the arms are too wide (stretched), the upper body is ‘pulled’ off the ball by the turning of the shoulders (the lead shoulder runs into the side of the jaw) and due to the flat pivot action the right forearm is visible below the left when the left arm reaches parallel (for right-handers) – all elements that none of the top golfers employ in their swings.

Here is an excellent drill that will provide you with the appropriate feel for a correct shoulder pivot:

This drill is designed to help convey the feel of getting your body into the correct position at the top of your swing.  Assume your address as if you are preparing to hit a 7 iron. (It is best executed with a ball in position.) Place an iron across the tops of your shoulders and cross your arms to support. Be sure to have the grip end off your lead shoulder and the clubhead flat against the opposite shoulder. During the pivot action of your swing, try to get the butt of the club to point at — or slightly above — the ball. Feel how the lead shoulder moves down as

The "Top" of the Shoulder Pivot Drill

the shoulders wind into the backswing. This drill will also illustrate how the lower body needs to free up in order for the shoulders to pivot on a steeper plane. Sure, this drill is slightly overdone, yet it is rare for someone to get the shoulders to pivot on a plane that is too steep.  As you do this drill try to feel how the shoulders are now tilting more like a ferris wheel than the flat, merry-go-round plane from before.

An important factor in getting the body into position for a great impact is the manner in which the shoulders pivot.  Far too many golfers are trying to turn too much and get their lead shoulder behind the ball.

When the left arm is parallel to the ground (for a right hander), the right forearm is always slightly above it (when viewing from an image captured at waist height). I found this to be true for all of golf’s best.  In some cases the right arm is against the side (Hogan, Snead) and in others it is away from the side (Nicklaus, Norman), yet due to the method in which the shoulders were pivoted, the right was always above the left.

 It is vital for the shoulders to pivot on a relatively steep plane. 

Notice Nick Price’s right forearm and how it is comfortably above the left. This is all accomplished by pivoting the shoulders on a fairly steep plane. The higher the right shoulder, the higher the right forearm and so on…

In a correct pivot, the left shoulder’s first move is down and then slightly across. This is in direct contrast to what most golfers attempt to do with their shoulders, which is:

a. turn them as much as they can and

b. get the left shoulder behind the ball.

 Very seldom do any of the top golfers get their lead shoulder very far behind the ball (notice Price’s lead shoulder!) when pivoting into the backswing (with an iron); an interesting observation when considering the fact that there should be little to no lateral movement with the head and upper body. 

 A point of interest: the best ball strikers tend to move off the ball very, very little (Faldo, Price, Hogan), and the golfers who relied more on heart and amazing short-game ability (Player, Ballesteros) tend to move off the ball slightly.

The fact that there is little to no lateral movement with the upper body seems to encourage the shoulders to work on that steeper plane.

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