Good posture is important on every shot. At address It is important to make sure the back is fairly straight and that I have a bit of flex in my knees. The body is now prepared to move freely in any direction during the swing. One of the most important aspects of good posture is to hold your chin high at address. You want your chin well off your chest so your left shoulder has plenty of room to turn under your chin on the backswing. THINK `WIDE' ON THE BACKSWING The proper backswing is a combination of horizontal and vertical movement. Most amateurs swing on the vertical side -- they start the swing by lifting the arms straight up and cocking the wrists immediately. Because the backswing is too vertical, the downswing is too vertical as well. The tendency is to chop down on the ball instead of swinging hrough it smoothly. Don't forget the "horizontal" part of the backswing. That means establishing a nice, wide swing arc as soon as you move the club back. I have the feeling of stretching my hands and arms away from my body early in the backswing, my wrists beginning to cock naturally after the clubhead reaches about knee height. That helps me accumulate power and also ensures that my downswing won't be too steep. While I believe in a nice, wide backswing, I don't like one that is too loose. I don't want my arms running away from my upper body. That would lead to a "fake backswing" -- the club reaching parallel, but only due to excessive wristcocking or the arms swinging back too far. That leads to a weak downswing in which you slap at the ball with your hands and arms alone. I try to swing the club back with everything -- hips, shoulders, arms and hands -- working together. When I turn my shoulders fully, they accommodate the swinging of my arms to create a strong, unified package at the top of the backswing. START DOWN SLOW When good players talk about "getting too quick," they're almost always talking about the first move down from the top of the backswing. The beginning of the downswing can't be rushed. You want your swing to gather speed gradually. If you start down suddenly, all your speed and power are gone by the time you reach impact. Your timing and mechanics are shot, too. Remember, there can only be one fast moment in the swing, and it had better be when the club strikes the ball. DOWN AND THROUGH 0ne of the keys to good ball striking is to hit through the ball, not at it. In my mind, the ball is merely an object that is in the way of the clubhead as it tears through the hitting area. I don't try to end my swing abruptly after the ball is struck. I try to keep the clubhead accelerating down the target line as long as I comfortably can. A SWEET FINISH The look of my follow-through serves as sort of a road map for what happened earlier in my swing. My arms are extended, showing that my swing was real wide, with good extension through the ball. My shoulders have unwound, showing that my swing was predicated on a full shoulder turn. The toe of the club points straight down, proving that I didn't rotate the club excessively with my hands through impact. For it to arrive at this position, I had to release the club naturally. FINISHING THOUGHTS 0ne of the secrets to good iron play is keeping things simple. The number of situations I encounter may be endless, but the same sound, no-frills swing is sufficient to deal with almost all of them. !
