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Stuck on the left side? Reverse Pivot?
Stuart Smith

Creating a flow of motion that 'sequences' the various moving parts of the swing is vital in developing both the quality and the consistency of your ball striking.

One of the problems that I see frequently - and often among good players - is this tendency to get stuck on the left side.

Now, it may not look that serious with a mid- to short iron, but as you move down into the longer clubs the danger is that this reluctance to move across on to the right side becomes a reverse-pivot, and that costs you both distance and accuracy, the swing both narrow and out of sync.

How to fix it...

Step 1

Here's a drill that will replace any tendency to lock the club up with a wide and smooth first
move away. It involves introducing a little resistance at the start of the swing that encourages the hands, arms, stomach and shoulders to work together in moving the clubhead away from the ball. And the key to all this is that when you sequence this correctly, you enjoy a wide swing arc, one that helps you wind your backswing.

All you have to do is lay a second club on the ground, directly behind the ball, leaving a gap of about two inches. Other than that, go ahead and take your regular set¬up, the club sitting squarely to your target. Keep your hands and arms relaxed, ready to make that sweeping first move away from the ball.

Step 2

From the set-up position, I want you to focus on brushing that second club clean out of the way in the process of making a full and wide backswing. Working against the resistance of that club on the ground, you will find that not only do you initiate your backswing with the shoulders and stomach (you want to sense that your hands and arms simply respond to their momentum), but that you instinctively shift your weight across on to your right side.

In short, this exercise promotes good width in the early part of your swing, which is carried all the way to the top. Go ahead and hit shots from here; push the club away, wind fully, and then unwind.

Another way to think about this is that you are creating a hub and rim-of-the-wheel scenario. The rim (i.e. the clubhead on the end of the spoke, or shaft) has to move faster than the hub (i.e. your body) because it is further away. With practise, improving the start of your swing in this way benefits the entire sequence - with the result that you will hit more solid, straight shots.