How to hit driver straight EVERY TIME - CRAZY DETAIL

Summary

In this golf instructional video, Danny Rod addresses a common issue among amateur golfers that affects the quality and consistency of their drives: the misinterpretation of the role of the arms during the backswing. He emphasizes that the arms should primarily move the club upwards, while the body is responsible for the rotation. To achieve a straight and long hit, Rod suggests maintaining space between the lead arm and the body throughout the swing. He provides a step-by-step process, starting with a simple exercise to understand the correct arm movement, followed by a split-hand drill to ensure the body, not the arms, is doing the work. Rod also discusses the importance of the downswing, highlighting how to avoid common mistakes like over-rotation or getting stuck in a hook position. He concludes with advice on practicing the swing in stages, focusing on loading and unloading the shoulders to achieve a smooth, powerful, and accurate drive. The video is aimed at golfers looking to improve their technique and consistency in their driving shots.

Takeaways

• 🏌️‍♂️ **Arms Role**: The arms should primarily move the club upwards, while the body moves it around.
• 🕺 **Body Turn**: Top players keep space between their lead arm and body, allowing a better downswing and straighter shots.
• 📏 **Backswing Position**: Maintaining the space in the backswing is crucial for a consistent and powerful downswing.
• 🤚 **Lead Arm**: Amateur golfers often pin their lead arm to the body, causing the club to move too far around and leading to slices or hooks.
• 🔄 **Arm Movement**: The trail arm should work like an axe, with the elbow moving slightly inwards to help achieve a proper backswing.
• 🚫 **Avoid Over-Rotation**: At the top of the swing, avoid letting the arms run off or the body to rotate too much, which can lead to loss of power and accuracy.
• 🧘‍♂️ **Posture and Setup**: Start with a split hand on the driver and ensure arms hang straight down to promote body rotation over arm rotation.
• 🤲 **Hand Position**: At the halfway point of the backswing, hands should be in the middle of the chest, avoiding overextension.
• 🏋️‍♀️ **Muscle Loading**: Load the shoulder muscles during the backswing and allow them to unload during the downswing for increased power and control.
• 🔁 **Transition**: The downswing should involve the loaded muscles unloading and the lead shoulder working down and behind for a powerful and accurate strike.
• 📈 **Practice Method**: Practice the backswing and downswing in stages, focusing on loading and unloading the muscles, and then gradually adding speed.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to teach viewers how to hit a golf ball straight and long by avoiding common misinterpretations and improving their backswing and downswing technique.

Why is the lead arm's position important in the backswing?

The lead arm's position is important because it helps maintain space between the arm and the body, allowing for a more controlled and straighter downswing, which is crucial for an accurate and powerful shot.

What is the role of the arms during the golf swing according to the video?

The role of the arms during the golf swing is primarily to move the club upwards, while the body is responsible for moving the club around.

What common mistake do amateur golfers make with their lead arm during the backswing?

A common mistake is that amateur golfers try to make the turn with their arms, causing the lead arm to get pinned to the body, which results in the club moving too far around and often leads to slices or hooks.

How can one practice the correct backswing motion?

One can practice the correct backswing motion by starting with simple exercises that focus on the rotation of the lead forearm and trail forearm, working the shoulders, and maintaining the space between the lead arm and the body throughout the swing.

What is the purpose of the split hand on the driver exercise?

The split hand on the driver exercise helps to ensure that the arms are working upwards and that the body, not the arms, is responsible for the turn, which is essential for maintaining the correct backswing position.

How should one feel when they reach the top of the backswing?

At the top of the backswing, one should feel that the shoulders are loaded and that there is space between the lead arm and the body, which will make the downswing easier and more controlled.

What is the 'scissor effect' mentioned in the video?

The 'scissor effect' refers to the sensation created when the lead arm and trail shoulder move in opposite directions during the downswing, which helps to maintain the space and allows for a more powerful and accurate swing.

Why is it important to not rush the downswing?

Rushing the downswing can lead to compensations and loss of control, resulting in inaccurate shots. It's important to focus on loading and unloading the muscles in a controlled manner to maintain the correct swing path and club face angle at impact.

How should one practice the transition from the backswing to the downswing?

One should practice the transition by first getting the backswing right, then focusing on the feeling of loading the shoulders at the top, and finally unloading them during the downswing. This should be done in stages to build muscle memory and ensure a smooth, controlled motion.

What is the key takeaway from the video for improving golf shots?

The key takeaway is to focus on the proper technique of the backswing and downswing, emphasizing the role of the arms and body, maintaining space, and loading and unloading the muscles in a controlled manner to achieve straight and long golf shots.

Outlines

00:00

🏌️‍♂️ Achieving a Straight and Long Drive: Avoiding Common Swing Mistakes

Danny Rod introduces the video by emphasizing the importance of hitting the golf ball straight and long. He points out a common mistake he observes among learners, which is an improper backswing that leads to inconsistent shots. He proposes a process to help viewers perfect their backswing and achieve a square club at impact. The summary explains the significance of maintaining space in the lead arm and shoulder during the backswing, which allows for a straighter and more powerful downswing. An exercise is suggested to practice the correct arm and shoulder movement, focusing on the role of the arms in moving the club upwards while the body moves it around.

05:04

🚫 Avoiding the Hook and Slice: Proper Backswing and Transition

The second paragraph delves into avoiding hooks and slices by correcting the backswing. It discusses how amateur golfers often pin their lead arm to the body, causing the club to move too far around and leading to inconsistent shots. The summary outlines the importance of not letting the arms take over the turn and instead using the body to maintain the correct swing path. It also introduces a drill using a split-handed grip on the driver to help maintain the body turn and avoid the common mistake of the arms dominating the swing. The focus is on creating a natural and smooth backswing that transitions into a powerful downswing without getting stuck in incorrect positions.

10:05

💪 Loading and Unloading the Shoulders for Optimal Swing Mechanics

The third paragraph focuses on the concept of loading and unloading the shoulders during the golf swing. It explains that the power in the swing comes from the proper sequencing of these movements, rather than simply rotating the hips or shoulders. The summary describes the process of loading the muscles in the shoulders at the top of the backswing and then unloading them during the downswing to generate speed and maintain control. An exercise is recommended to practice the feeling of loading and unloading the shoulders, which helps in creating a smooth and repeatable swing pattern. The emphasis is on practicing this pattern in stages and gradually building up to full swings to ingrain the correct muscle memory.

15:08

📚 Final Thoughts and Additional Resources for Golf Swing Improvement

In the final paragraph, Danny Rod wraps up the video by encouraging viewers to practice the techniques discussed and to have fun while doing so. He also promotes his full course on his website for those seeking a more in-depth learning experience. The summary highlights the key points covered in the video, including the importance of a proper backswing, maintaining space in the lead arm, and the loading and unloading of the shoulders. It also invites new viewers to subscribe to the channel for more golfing tips and advice.

Keywords

💡Backswing

The backswing is the initial part of the golf swing where the club is moved away from the ball. In the video, it is emphasized that maintaining the correct arm and shoulder position during the backswing is crucial for a straight and long shot. The script mentions that top players keep a space between the lead arm and shoulder, which allows for a better downswing and impact.

💡Lead Arm

The lead arm is the arm of the golfer that is farthest from the hole at address. The video discusses the importance of not pinning the lead arm to the body during the swing, which can lead to off-center hits. It is highlighted that keeping the lead arm slightly away from the body allows for a more controlled and accurate swing.

💡Downswing

The downswing is the phase of the golf swing where the club moves down towards the ball after the backswing. The video script stresses the importance of transitioning smoothly from the backswing to the downswing to increase distance and improve the quality of the strike. It is where the golfer begins to 'unload' the stored energy in the shoulders.

💡Clubface

The clubface refers to the side of the clubhead that makes contact with the golf ball. A 'square' clubface at impact is desired for a straight shot. The video emphasizes achieving a square clubface at the moment of impact by correctly managing the arms and body during the swing.

💡Shoulder Rotation

Shoulder rotation is a fundamental aspect of the golf swing, where the golfer's shoulders rotate to generate power and control the direction of the shot. The script describes how the best players use their shoulders to rotate the club upwards while the arms primarily move the club, which is key for achieving a powerful and accurate swing.

💡Slice

A slice is a type of golf shot where the ball curves to the right (for a right-handed golfer) due to an open clubface at impact. The video script explains that avoiding a slice involves not allowing the lead arm to pin to the body and ensuring the club doesn't come up and over during the downswing, which would cause the clubface to open.

💡Hook

A hook is a golf shot where the ball curves to the left (for a right-handed golfer) as a result of an excessively closed clubface at impact. The video discusses how to avoid hooks by ensuring the arms do not dominate the downswing, which can cause the golfer to get stuck underneath the ball and flip the clubface closed.

💡Space

In the context of the golf swing, 'space' refers to the gap between the lead arm and the body. The video stresses the importance of maintaining this space throughout the swing to allow for a straight shot. Losing this space can result in the clubface being off position and the shot curving.

💡Split Hand

A split hand grip is demonstrated in the video where the golfer's hands are separated on the club handle before the downswing. This technique is used to ensure that the body, rather than the arms, is doing the turning during the backswing and downswing, leading to better control of the club.

💡Loading the Shoulders

Loading the shoulders refers to the process of winding up the muscles in the shoulders during the backswing to store energy. The video explains that this energy is then released during the downswing for a powerful shot. It's a critical step to ensure the club comes down in the correct path.

💡Unloading

Unloading in the context of the golf swing is the act of releasing the stored energy in the shoulders and letting the club head accelerate through the ball. The video script describes unloading as a natural progression after loading the shoulders, which, when done correctly, results in a powerful and controlled shot.

Highlights

Danny Rod emphasizes the importance of avoiding a common misinterpretation in golf swing technique to hit the ball straight and long.

He introduces a process to perfect the backswing and deliver the club square at impact, suggesting it's simpler than many might think.

The video offers a free downloadable practice guide for viewers to improve their golf game.

The goal swing takes less than half a second to complete, with the downswing being crucial for consistent ball contact.

Top players keep space between their lead arm and shoulder throughout the backswing, which is key for a straight shot.

Amateur golfers often pin their lead arm to the body, causing the club to move too far around and leading to slices or hooks.

The arms should only move the club upwards, while the body moves it around, to maintain the correct swing position.

A simple exercise is suggested to feel the rotation of the lead forearm and the trail forearm, working the shoulders up.

Maintaining space in the backswing is crucial to avoid getting stuck in a hook position and to allow a smooth downswing.

The split hand on the driver exercise is recommended to ensure the body turns with the arms in the correct manner.

The arms should work upwards and the body should wind up, keeping the space during the backswing to facilitate a powerful downswing.

The sensation of a short swing is desired, especially for those used to a longer, more extended swing with the driver.

The transition on the downswing is vital and should involve the unloading of the muscles in the shoulders.

A common mistake is trying to rotate the hips or shoulders too early in the downswing, which can lead to slices or hooks.

The lead shoulder should work down and behind during the downswing, creating a scissor effect that helps maintain space and accuracy.

The split hand exercise can be used to practice loading and unloading the shoulders, improving the golfer's swing pattern.

The video concludes with advice on practicing the swing pattern in stages, starting with the backswing, then adding the downswing.

Danny Rod offers a full course on his website for those seeking a more detailed and comprehensive approach to improving their golf swing.

Transcripts

hey everybody danny rod here thanks for

joining us in this video i want to show

you how to hit this thing straight and

long but to do that you're going to need

to avoid one major misinterpretation

that i see consistently on the lesson t

what i'm going to show you today i'm

going to give you a real cool process

that is going to help you to really

perfect your backswing but more

importantly is going to give you a great

feeling of how to deliver this club

beautifully square at impact and it's

not what you might think super simple

process just a few minutes a day will

make a massive difference to your

quality of your driving shots now before

i get to the video if you're new to the

channel when your first lessons of mine

please consider subscribing at least

videos just like this one every single

week to try and help you improve your

game plus you never have to remember a

thing i'll always put a free

downloadable practice guide in the

description box below so i'm sure you're

aware that the goal swing takes less

than a second a half to complete and all

that only half a second that less than

half a second is actually on your

downswing so if you're out of position

at the top of your swing you've almost

got absolutely no chance of correcting

it consistently on the downswing which

is probably why sometimes you hit the

ball amazingly good and then other times

it's all over the place right so what

we'll do today is we're going to get you

into a great position at the top of the

swing to make life easy for you then

i'll show you exactly how you kind of

transition that in the downswing just to

improve your distance and your quality

of your strike so let's start with the

backswing

most top players that nearly all the top

players backed up with science have one

thing in common

when they take the club away they

realize that the arms have only one role

which is to move the club upwards

the body moves it around okay what i

mean by that is this the best players if

you look at their lead arm and their

shoulder here it's very difficult to see

this on camera by the way but they keep

this space

all the way back

into the top of their backswing position

here there's a slight run-off at the end

but very very little

this is super super important because

what it allows them to do as they come

down is it allows all this space to come

down into and hit that ball beautifully

straight but what i'm seeing with

amateur golfers very early on is is they

lead arm here they are trying to make

the turn with their arms and in doing so

this lead arm gets pinned to their body

this sends the club too far around now

from this place well you need to hit the

ball suddenly the arms end up having to

come up and over

this gives you the slices

all the hookers go well i need to come

down through the shot then we get stuck

underneath head club heads out to the

right they end up flipping and creating

the hooks

so what we don't want to have look is

this lead arm and the takeaway

getting pinned to the body we need to

make sure that somehow we create keep

this space

all the way back and all the way through

and for me the first thing to do is

realize that the arms have one roll

which is ready to move the club up the

body moves it around so start with a

simple exercise first before we move on

to the downswing

take the club out in front of you here

and what we'll do actually i want to

look at my my my trail arm here

the arm doesn't go completely up it

actually works

like this you can see how it's working

on a little axe so my elbow is moving

slightly inwards and it's working up

this is my shoulder now rotating

this way okay

this way my lead arm goes slightly

across but not this

slightly across at this angle so when i

take the club in here now look watch

look at this so this club now is

rotating slightly this way

and up okay but it is not

doing this super super important this is

the roll look

of

the arms they work up because all i do

now is move my trail shoulder behind me

and you're gonna see look a perfect

backswing position you could just

practice that simple drill just simply

feel the rotation of the lead forearm

here

the trail forearm here work the

shoulders

up that motion pivot there now you know

where the top of the backseat position

is okay so once you've got that feeling

you've got a sense of where it needs to

be you thought michael that's feels so

different okay just be careful when you

get to the top that you don't do

this i see a lot of people doing this

keep the abs away it'll feel very very

short by the way let's show you now how

to start that from down at the golf ball

okay so the first thing i want you to do

is take your driver okay and take a

split hand on the driver like this okay

this is before we go to the downturn so

get yourself set here arms straight down

straight down the side just like this

what i love about this is you're going

to get those arms working upwards but

what i like about this is you're going

to make sure that you you get the body

turn

with your body not

with the arms like this so look at this

when i'm here i'm going to imagine those

arms working up yeah in this kind of

fashion this kind of curved flash on the

right arms doing this my trail arms

doing this but i'm working it here so

it's really winding it up but in doing

so what do you notice here

this trail shoulder look has gone

behind and i've kept as i'm doing this

i'm keeping the space super important

all the space now i can work into i am

not dragging it behind here i'm stuck

i'm in hook

position

some people hook it from there others

will go

recognize their out position work to try

and get some space now they're in all

kinds of chicken wings or flick

positions right absolute nightmare so

get yourself set take your posture arms

hanging straight down here and really

feel that those arms are going to be

working

upwards here so when we get to halfway

if you have a look on camera my hands

should be directly in the middle of my

chest here i'm also working i often

visualize here this club pointing

roughly at the golf ball don't have to

worry about that so much but

work it back

and never go right around here don't let

them run off just literally wind it back

to the top here feel what it's like

and then it almost transitions into our

downswing where what we're going to do

here is we're going to fire it down okay

we'll come into that more detail in a

second but just for now just work on

your backswing get a sense of where that

needs to be here

keep that space

don't let it get stuck

then what i want to do

we want to make that as natural as

possible so there's a couple of things

you can do here

get yourself with your lead hand

swing the club backwards and forwards

start with the first position position

here catch it feel it there

then catch it later now look at this

when i'm catching it look i'm catching

it out here i am not catching it here

where nothing's really moved okay i am

laterally catching it there we go now

we've got

that distance out in front of kept that

space all the time from here okay now

what i'll do is i'll start to kind of

make some swings imagine the same

principle

swinging it back

just realizing keeping that space here

the arms desperately want to come around

here because it's easier to do that

we're not going to let them and

ultimately often the sensation when we

fire it to here is almost what you're

getting is kind of the scissor effect

where the leech holder is firing this

way the troll shoulder is firing back

this creates that space

okay that's where i want you to take

this driver motion and i would actually

hit some shots before we work on the

dancing element just training that no

big ones just simply training the

sensation of flow it to here

feel the whole motion to there wind up

to there

and then back into impact okay

no real big shots take your time

stop and through okay

literally get that sensation it should

feel like a very very short swing to

start with particularly if you've been

used to hitting driver and allowing

those arms to run off it should feel

like a very very short swing stopping

here because you've now got the space

and you're not invading that space okay

let's now look at the transition on the

way down

so getting into a great backswing

position is vitally important to make

this next stage so much easier so really

work on that

but in transition okay what i want to

look at is once you have the pattern of

this so as you see here this lead

forearm is rotating this way the trail

form is rotating this side here you've

now you're loading look at these muscles

these muscles here in the shoulders are

literally starting to load up so is this

one if once they've loaded up what they

are they're going to want to do they're

going to want to load or unload back

down again okay so as i've literally

done this once you've got that sensation

of them loading up what we do is we can

load back down

what most people do is

one they won't have loaded them in the

first place but then if they do load

them they'll go oh the target's there

they rotate they work on trying to get

their hips rotated or they rotate their

shoulders that's comes over the top or

the hookers might drop inside and gets

leech older going upwards

what we want to do look is look at my

leech holder here

as i've kind of

loaded it you'll see it's kind of come

away a little bit here rounded up and

it's loaded up

what it's going to do on the way down

look is this it's going to look

move back

this way behind me

back into the position this gets the

club down into the slot from here it's

gonna work behind me and fire the club

very different by the way well what you

see with most players they up here if

they do load them watch what happens now

they're trying to they spin out of it

they've been told to turn their hips and

now they're dragging the club across the

line of the golf ball creating slices or

the shoulder doesn't do this it actually

just goes up and that's your hook motion

okay so what you do is in the backswing

we load the shoulders up

wind them up first then look allow them

to unload so a great exercise here i

want to practice is take

that split hand exercise and then what

we're going to do is i want to really

sense that you are loading those

shoulders up really feel like they're

winding up to the top of the swing here

this way then fire them down when you

fire them down don't fire them with

rotation fire them and really feel that

that lead shoulder is working down

and behind you

wind it up

no

no

yes

yes now look at this i'm firing it the

arms now are in place okay i was going

to get leo in just for a second

on this one here so there do you want to

come

and hold this for a second

so

um there's a videographer just helping

me out a little bit so um a great

feeling here if you're if this doesn't

kind of connect with you if you don't

hold that just nice and high for me okay

so when you swing back

and i'm going to pull down here when i'm

at the top of the swing and i've got all

this space your downswing here is look

at the muscle here it needs to be

working look

back down

into place if i just try and turn my

hips nothing's happening you can't get

there's no speed you can't get the club

back down into position if i just turn

my body that's not going to work either

the power is going to come also from

there

moving back down into position here for

us then to kind of fire it okay you can

see that come from the side here as well

from here just watch this here holding

it here

pulling but look at how the muscle

here is working back down and left okay

versus

nothing's happening

nothing happening i've got to work it

down so get that thanks leah cheers

um

get that sensation here get the pattern

here then get the unloading of the

muscles on the way down and watch what

happens now get this sensation here

load those muscles back load them back

down and look what happens to the club

it's as those are unloading what's

happening to the club it's working back

out in front of us

as they keep on loading and going behind

what we're doing that's pushing the hips

open now we're coming through square

where's the muscle going now it's now

behind me towards you that's gonna then

hit those beautiful shots where we can

fire on the way through

very very different to

shoulders going up getting stuck or not

unloading dragging around into slice

positions okay so

just practice the pad pattern so you can

we've got

this up martian here so i'm practicing

load the muscles up load them back down

and then continue unloading them

all the way through so they form that

beautiful

arc again no big shots to start with

just feel load them up

unload them back down

and then through

you go so

load them up

load them back down no big shots to stop

just literally tap a few shots

nice and straight and you can see here

look at how accurate this is club path

face to path the neutral zero is perfect

okay that is really really close to dead

dead straight that's what we're after

because once you create this motion

where you're loading them up loading

them back down they're simply going to

help you follow the arc it's so

different without the muscles being

loaded

dragging inside lots of compensations

you can't repeat that okay so how do you

practice all this well you do it in

stage you don't do it all in one go get

the backswing right first you know the

first thing i would be getting you to do

is this get your arms working up feel

what loaded shoulders feels like so if

you lift the club up here and work it

this way

shoulders haven't reloaded

now they've loaded so now they've really

loaded

now for what it's like to unload

loaded

unloaded once you've done that once or

twice add the turning now you've you

haven't done you haven't turned with

your arms you've turned look with your

body now when it feels like i've still

got all that space we started with now

we unload okay so you're really getting

that sensation add the split hand into

this as well love this because what it's

going to do it's going to get

essentially now know your destination

work it back on camera look at the hands

completely in front of the chest here

that's what we're after there now we're

going to do look from here

load the shoulders

unload them load them up and then as we

do this we're going to add a bit more

power to that we've also got the

sensation here indoors you know what i

did with leah get the sensation of ready

from there once you've loaded them up

feel like you're from the lower ground

you're going to drive

that back down now notice we're not

driving this way

that would get the shoulder high we're

driving the shoulder

back to where it was so get those

sensations and do it in stages and then

you know what

just have some fun from here you know

when i complete all this it's really the

whole motion then becomes just a pattern

i am literally look

loading them up

loading the shoulders up

loading them back down that brings the

club here

work it right and i can work underneath

if i want to get high lounge too so

let's have one more smash

load those shoulders up

load them up

load them back down perfect so start

like that first okay we're not adding

the speed in yet we're just getting a

sensation of how that club is going to

work back and for you can so you can

start to hit it beautifully well and

accurately then we'll work on speed okay

so i hope you enjoyed the video if you

did give it a thumbs up maybe share it

with a friend of you know struggling

with their driver and look i've actually

got a full course on my website

dannymore.com on this from start to

finish so from this setup all the way

through it's kind of kind of holding you

by the hand through this entire process

so if you did like this and you want to

know more or a much more detailed course

go and check that one out but look

thanks for joining us again if you're

new to the channel come and join the

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button but until next week have a

wonderful golfing week