Pro Pointers - Other details to be aware of

It’s a misconception to believe you have to make a different swing for each different club.

Here, I’m still thinking about my natural shape of shot, which is left to right, so for me the left-hand bunker is a good line.

On the tee I talked about maintaining height and making a shallow swing, and those are still valid keys.

There will be a natural steepness built in here because the ball’s on the ground. But I go through the same procedure – i.e. get the grip, aim the clubface, create a stance and posture, and so on. Then I can think about the shoulders turning.

The thing with alignment is not to be too exact – after all, it’s not a rifle you have in your hands. 

Different club, same basic swing: combining wrist action and body motion

Don’t put too much pressure on your alignment. For me, here, the bunker is a decent target and the ball should drift off that as it fades to the right. That gives me 10 or 15 yards to play with, which is a decent margin for error.

So it’s not a straight line, you are aiming into a funnel. The ball position is a little inside my left heel, whereas with a driver it was up off the left toe.

I’m not one of those golfers who talks about having your weight split in favour of the right side on the longer shots, and particularly the driver.

I prefer to have my weight split evenly at the setup, and then to consciously get across and on to my right side in the backswing.

I feel that if you settle too much of your weight on the right side at address, there’s a danger it might have a reverse effect, and that you don’t move on to your right side properly in the swing.

Rotating and clearing the hips makes way for the hands and arms

But when you start with your weight level, you know you have to shift your weight across and into your right side as you make your backswing.

Favour the right side at the top of the backswing, yes, but not before you get there.

Let the ball get in the way as you release the clubhead