The Low Point in Your Swing: Crisis or Ecstasy

When you understand that there are 2 arcs in every golf swing and low points in each arc, you will have a better chance to control direction and shape for every shot. This may sound a little confusing, but your club is swinging with a Target-Arc up your target line as well as a Body-Arc wrapping around your body. Its your job to sort out what is happening with the position of YOUR body at the Low Point with each arc on every swing. Use your practice swing to determine your low point before you move forward to your ball. First we are looking at iron swings.

Target-Arc (swinging up your target line)
Danny Maude was the inspiration for this blog as he described the bottom of the swing arc as either FORWARD, CENTERED or BEFORE the ball:
-FORWARD is typical for High Handicappers who bottom the arc 1 to 4 inches beyond the ball.
-CENTERED for Low Handicap Players bottoming the arc at the ball position.
-BEFORE for Professionals who bottom their arc 1 to 4 inches before impact.

Recommendation: If your body is out of sync with your Target-Arc, setup with your leading knee slightly bent to ensure that the bottom of your swing arc happens before you impact your ball to compress it before you take any divot.

Plugged-in-Golf used this image to to display your target line and the Body-Arc that will push or pull your shot depending on where you bottom your arc.

Body-Arc (swinging around your body)
Right handed players impacting the ball before the low point, will push the ball to the right. Impacting it after the low point will pull the ball to the left. A closed or open face at the point of impact will add more motion to a draw or a fade and turn them into a hook or a slice.

The bottom of your arc is normally below your leading armpit so you can’t afford to allow your body to sway back during your backswing and freeze-up in that position during your downswing. That’s why you need a consistent tempo throughout your swing so that your body can recover with your follow-through.

Recommendation: Determine if you are hitting early or late in your Body Arc swing and slightly close or open your stance to minimize the affect of an early or late impact.

Driver Swings: You have the same arc issues with your driver but in all cases you should be teeing your ball so that half of the ball is higher than the crown of your driver and somewhat forward of the center of your stance to impact during the upward finish of your target-arc. You may have to close your driver stance slightly to avoid pulling your shots as your club wraps around your body-arc.

The low point of your swing should be below your leading armpit as long as your body rotates with your backswing and downswing. Your hips, shoulders and arms can’t afford to be out of sync with the arcs of your swing. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn the proper straight arm or flat wrist to control the distance to your ball throughout your swings. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com