Using any club and standing with your back about 1 ‘ from a wall,assume your address position.Swing to the top and allow the clubhead to rest against the wall. …Swing down very slowly with clubhead touching the wall until your hands reach hip height.That’s what it feels like to be “in the slot.”

How do I get my swing in the golf slot?

Here are a couple of simple drills to instill a proper downswing sequence and get your swing in the golf slot. Pick any club and set up to the ball. Make a full backswing turn, with 75 – 80% of your weight on the right side at the top.

What is the slot on a golf club?

Simply put, the slot refers to the position of the club when it is approximately halfway through the downswing. On the way down, the club should be in a specific position relative to the ball in order to be considered in the slot.

How to hit a slot golf shot?

Just stand with your back facing a wall. You should be about a foot and a half from the wall. Now, go to the top of your swing and stop and rest the clubhead on the wall. Swing the club down at a very slow speed, keeping the clubhead on the wall. This will give you the feeling of being in the slot.

Why can’t I hit my golf clubs in the slot?

Most amateurs just are not able to get the club in the slot because they rotate their shoulders early from the top of their swing. This, of course, throws the club outside the target line and usually results in a slice, a pull, or even a top.

How to get your right elbow to move?

Drop into the slot by letting your knees return to their address position – both flexed – and let your arms drop slightly so your right elbow moves closer to your right side. Although this action causes a chain reaction. Your hips will start to unwind, your shoulders will start to uncoil, and your downswing will start.

How to relax your hips?

Hit the ball as hard as you want. The "relaxing" started your hips unwinding and, as Ben Hogan wrote, "After you have initiated the downswing with the hips, you want to think of only one thing: hitting the ball.". Once you’re in the slot, it’s hard to go wrong. All you need to do is straighten your right elbow, finish your downswing, …

How to use a driver for golf?

Step 1. Address the ball normally. Everyone’s setup is slightly different, but your feet should be about shoulder-width apart when using your driver and slightly narrower for the shorter clubs. Bend forward from your hips so your spine leans toward the ball and your knees are slightly flexed as if you were squatting to lift something.

What does it feel like to drop into a slot?

Dropping into the slot feels as if you are just exhaling so you can relax for an instant – but only an instant.

What does it mean when your hips are turned to the right?

Your hips will be turned slightly to the right and your left knee pointing slightly behind the ball. You’ll feel tension in your right knee as it resists your hip twist; this is what most golfers refer to as a "weight shift.".

How to turn your shoulder in golf?

Bend your right elbow toward your right shoulder. This will simultaneously cock your wrists and allow you to finish your shoulder turn. When you finish this part of your swing, your shoulders will have turned roughly 90 degrees from your address position, pointing the club shaft down the target line and parallel to the ground.

Why does Luke Donald play so consistently?

By Mike Southern. Luke Donald plays so consistently because he gets into "the slot" so often . Chances are that you’ve heard of "the slot.". It’s a position halfway into your downswing from where you can hit the ball on a slightly in-to-out path.

How to do a full backswing turn?

The classic checkpoints for a full backswing turn are to rotate the shoulders to reach a 90° angle to the target line (with the hips at about 45°), with 75 – 80% of your weight on the right side (centered over the inside of the right foot). From here, you’re poised to start the downswing with a target-ward shift of the lower body.

How to swing a golf club?

Pick any club and set up to the ball. Make a full backswing turn, with 75 – 80% of your weight on the right side at the top. Pause for a second or two. Slowly swing down until your hands reach waist height. Remember, you should feel as though your back faces the target for as long as possible.

Where is the slot in golf swing?

The slot is simply a position halfway into the downswing where the right elbow (for a right-hander) is tucked close to the right hip and the club is tracking a path to the ball from inside the target line . Every pro golfer’s swing is built to put the club in this slot.

What is the inside angle of attack?

An inside angle of attack – aka an inside-to-out swing path – is necessary to draw the ball. It also maximizes power by compressing the ball against the clubface in a way that’s practically impossible if your swing is outside-to-inside (aka “over the top”).

What is the first move down in golf?

Yet few actually achieve this coveted position because, after reaching the top of the backswing, their first move down is with the shoulders and arms.

What is golf slot?

Golf Slot: The Key Position to Groove Your Swing. You’ve heard of an athlete being “in the zone.”. In golf, you’ll never visit that magical realm unless your swing is “in the slot.”. What is the golf slot?

How far away from a wall should you stand when playing golf?

Using any club and standing with your back about 1 ½’ from a wall, assume your address position.

How to get the feeling of being in the slot?

Swing the club down at a very slow speed, keeping the clubhead on the wall. This will give you the feeling of being in the slot.

What does a consistent golfer have in common?

Golf swings all look different. But any consistent player has one thing in common: They have the ability to get the club in the slot on the downswing.

How to do a golf swing drill?

To perform this drill, just go to the top of your swing and stop. From here, just bring the club down to waist high. As you do this, feel the right elbow come into your side while keeping your wrists cocked . Pump the club two or three times like this, and on the fourth pump, go ahead and hit the ball.

Which golfers have low swings?

For example, Jim Furyk and Sean O’Hair have high swings but are still able to drop their arms into the slot before they turn out of the way with their body. Fred Funk and Trevor Immelman have low swings and don’t have to work so hard to get their club in the slot coming down.

Who is Jim Suttie?

Dr. Jim Suttie, the 2000 PGA Teacher of the Year, is director of instruction at The Club at TwinEagles in North Naples and at Cog Hill Golf Club in Lemont, Ill. Call 1-800-765-3838. Suttie is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 20 Teacher, and coaches the FGCU golf team. E-mail him at [email protected] or go online to www.jimsuttie.com.

Is golf a tough game?

Nothing could be more destructive for the average amateur. The resultant outside-inside swing makes golf a tough game indeed.

What does shallowing the golf club mean?

Shallowing the golf club refers to a movement at the top of the backswing where the club shifts from a ‘steep’ position to a ‘shallower’ position, resulting in a shaft angle more horizontal to the ground. When shallowing the golf club correctly, your trail arm and wrists will help the downswing occur underneath the plane that the club was on at the top of the swing.

How do you shallow the golf club and hit it farther?

To shallow the golf club and hit the ball farther it is important to flatten the club in the backswing, not steepen it. Getting the club in a more horizontal position will allow you to coil and release more freely, maintain swing speed and avoid slices that will travel far less distance than draws.

Why can’t I shallow the golf club?

You might not be able to shallow the club due to a strong grip or a takeaway that is too far on the inside. A strong grip will make it harder for you to perform the necessary wrist adjustments at the top of the swing and an inside takeaway will cause your backswing to be too shallow, meaning shallowing even further can cause hooks.

How do you flatten a golf swing?

To flatten the golf swing you need to work on taking the club into a position more horizontal to the ground at the top of the swing. This can be achieved by dropping the trail arm and allowing the wrists to lower the club head more towards the ground.

Can a golf swing be too shallow?

Yes, a golf swing can be too shallow, and people who take the club back in a shallow position will quite often come over-the-top to negate this, leading to slices and misses to the right. Try working on a takeaway less from the inside, and more on-plane, so you can shallow the club with confidence.

How did Sergio learn to shallow?

Sergio learned the art of shallowing the golf club through the analogy of ‘pulling down on a chain’ with his trail hand to get the golf club shallower , which has led to him becoming one of the best ball-strikers in the game.

What do green and red lines on a golf club mean?

To help viewers and average golfers visualise how the club shallows, the PGA Tour has added an excellent feature to their coverage where green and red lines show the exact components of a pro’s golf swing, broken into the backswing and the downswing.

Why should the club pointing parallel to the target be on the backswing?

This signifies that you’re on plane and you won’t have to re-route the club on the way down to hit an accurate shot. It’s good advice, but for many golfers, it’s useless information because they have poor shoulder mobility. If you don’t have enough external rotation, it’s impossible to get the club in this position without suffering pain or injury.

How to tell if you have limited external rotation?

You can tell if you have limited external rotation in either shoulder with this test: Get into your address posture, and hold one arm out to your side at shoulder height, bent at 90 degrees but still parallel with the ground. From this position, you should be able to rotate that hand up so it can go past your ear.

How to improve contact in golf?

But if the limitations are here to stay, or you’re simply comfortable playing from this across-the-line position, there is something you can do to improve your contact. As you start the downswing, let your lead hip move laterally toward the target, and keep driving your body in that direction for as long as you can ( above, right ). This will allow the club to drop into a slot inside the target line and get into a better position at impact more consistently.

What is the meaning of "being in a wonderful state of mind"?

The player, whether he realizes it or not, is making reference to his state of mind. Being in a wonderful state of mind allows us to be resilient to adversity. It’s not so much the mental aspects of behavior but the physiological ones that control our mental state. Understand that mood is the key.

Is it hard to play golf in a bad mood?

Being in a bad mood hinders our ability to access our physical skill set. It’s difficult to play good golf when in a bad mood. Sean Foley, a Golf Digest Teaching Professional, works at the Core Golf Junior Academy, outside of Orlando.