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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Improve Your Takeaway with the Alignment Stick Drill

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Develop a consistent takeaway by maintaining pressure against your side
  • Improve your body rotation and hip movement during the swing
  • Recognize how to keep your arms connected for better swing mechanics

In this video, you'll learn the Alignment Stick Takeaway drill to help prevent disconnection in your arm movement. This practice will enhance your takeaway by promoting proper pressure and rotation with your body.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.240
This drill is the alignment stick takeaway so this drill is inspired by a good

2
00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:06.480
golf

3
00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:10.440
coach and friend of mine Ryan Cheney so he showed this to me a little way is

4
00:00:10.440 --> 00:00:15.980
back and I use it for golfers who tend to have more of a disconnected arm

5
00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:16.320
action

6
00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:20.850
especially if they start going into this kind of internal rotation or shrug

7
00:00:20.850 --> 00:00:21.540
very

8
00:00:21.540 --> 00:00:27.800
early so if you see yourself doing this from down the line or from the face on

9
00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:34.560
camera then this drill can help the first version of the drill is choking up to

10
00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:38.560
about six inches from the club head just like this and then you're gonna get

11
00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:38.800
set

12
00:00:38.800 --> 00:00:44.320
up in your normal angle but you're going to feel the club up against the bottom

13
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:48.280
of your ribs so you're just that little space in between your ribs and your

14
00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:53.880
pelvis or essentially if I took this angle and then drove it up it be right

15
00:00:53.880 --> 00:00:59.800
here on kind of the bottom of my ribs so now I'm going to apply just a little

16
00:00:59.800 --> 00:01:00.040
bit

17
00:01:00.040 --> 00:01:05.080
of pressure into the my side this way and I'm going to keep that pressure all

18
00:01:05.080 --> 00:01:11.640
the way through until I get the club to about parallel so keeping that pressure

19
00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:15.920
just like this I find when some golfers start to do it they get that pressure

20
00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:20.810
and then they lose it because old habits tend to die hard so keeping that

21
00:01:20.810 --> 00:01:21.000
pressure

22
00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:26.880
that will help you control this initial movement more with the hips and the

23
00:01:26.880 --> 00:01:32.400
chest rotating instead of doing it all with the arms now the second phase is

24
00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:37.440
you're gonna take the alignment stick and you're gonna hold it on the bottom of

25
00:01:37.440 --> 00:01:42.600
the grip so that stick out sticks out far enough so that you can set up to the

26
00:01:42.600 --> 00:01:49.800
ball and basically keep the the pressure the same way you were just doing now

27
00:01:49.800 --> 00:01:50.760
it

28
00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:54.680
will force you to start with a little bit more angle so you're not going to be

29
00:01:54.680 --> 00:01:57.320
able to start with the shaft vertical it's going to have a little bit of an

30
00:01:57.320 --> 00:02:03.400
angle but this does allow you to hit little waist height nine to three swings

31
00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:07.040
keeping that pressure and just kind of really feeling like your arms you're

32
00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:13.560
doing almost nothing and that you're doing your controlling majority of the

33
00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:18.880
hit with the hips and the chest so hitting these shots very much like a

34
00:02:18.880 --> 00:02:24.920
triangle drill hitting the shots with the pelvis and in your takeaway it will

35
00:02:24.920 --> 00:02:30.460
force you to keep that connection and you may feel like the club is a little

36
00:02:30.460 --> 00:02:30.560
bit

37
00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:34.600
more outside the hands especially if you're used to loading the wrist early or

38
00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:39.280
loading the shoulders early and whipping the club inside then once you have a

39
00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:46.270
feeling you can either drop the club or drop the alignment stick as I did and

40
00:02:46.270 --> 00:02:46.760
move

41
00:02:46.760 --> 00:02:52.520
on to to duplicating the shot with the golf club or you can take three quarter

42
00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:58.000
shots knowing that the club is going to disconnect when it leaves there and

43
00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:02.800
then it'll feel almost like it reconnects on the way through or if you're

44
00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:03.240
really

45
00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:09.920
good you can disconnect and then keep the disconnection as long as you can

46
00:03:09.920 --> 00:03:15.280
through finish it may hit you especially if you go past waist height but it

47
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:19.800
shouldn't hit you down right as you're making contact so once you have that

48
00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:26.380
feeling then you can try and duplicate keeping that pressure to help create

49
00:03:26.380 --> 00:03:26.560
that

50
00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:31.480
one-piece takeaway where the club stays a little bit more outside and on plane

51
00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:36.360
and then hitting it more with your triangle this is a great drill if you

52
00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:43.240
struggle with getting the club a little bit more disconnected inside which

53
00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:48.800
usually creates either if I stay there more of a fat or low point behind the

54
00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:53.640
ball pattern or sometimes it will cause more of a lunge and some steep chicken

55
00:03:53.640 --> 00:03:58.720
wing patterns but ultimately refining your takeaway so that it's a little bit

56
00:03:58.720 --> 00:04:05.560
more hip chord driven should help control low point especially when it comes to

57
00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:10.520
the shorter irons or the scoring clubs so now we'll do a quick little demo of

58
00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:19.280
the full swing keep that pressure all the way through

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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Improve Your Takeaway with the Alignment Stick Drill

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Develop a consistent takeaway by maintaining pressure against your side
  • Improve your body rotation and hip movement during the swing
  • Recognize how to keep your arms connected for better swing mechanics

In this video, you'll learn the Alignment Stick Takeaway drill to help prevent disconnection in your arm movement. This practice will enhance your takeaway by promoting proper pressure and rotation with your body.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.240
This drill is the alignment stick takeaway so this drill is inspired by a good

2
00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:06.480
golf

3
00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:10.440
coach and friend of mine Ryan Cheney so he showed this to me a little way is

4
00:00:10.440 --> 00:00:15.980
back and I use it for golfers who tend to have more of a disconnected arm

5
00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:16.320
action

6
00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:20.850
especially if they start going into this kind of internal rotation or shrug

7
00:00:20.850 --> 00:00:21.540
very

8
00:00:21.540 --> 00:00:27.800
early so if you see yourself doing this from down the line or from the face on

9
00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:34.560
camera then this drill can help the first version of the drill is choking up to

10
00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:38.560
about six inches from the club head just like this and then you're gonna get

11
00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:38.800
set

12
00:00:38.800 --> 00:00:44.320
up in your normal angle but you're going to feel the club up against the bottom

13
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:48.280
of your ribs so you're just that little space in between your ribs and your

14
00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:53.880
pelvis or essentially if I took this angle and then drove it up it be right

15
00:00:53.880 --> 00:00:59.800
here on kind of the bottom of my ribs so now I'm going to apply just a little

16
00:00:59.800 --> 00:01:00.040
bit

17
00:01:00.040 --> 00:01:05.080
of pressure into the my side this way and I'm going to keep that pressure all

18
00:01:05.080 --> 00:01:11.640
the way through until I get the club to about parallel so keeping that pressure

19
00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:15.920
just like this I find when some golfers start to do it they get that pressure

20
00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:20.810
and then they lose it because old habits tend to die hard so keeping that

21
00:01:20.810 --> 00:01:21.000
pressure

22
00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:26.880
that will help you control this initial movement more with the hips and the

23
00:01:26.880 --> 00:01:32.400
chest rotating instead of doing it all with the arms now the second phase is

24
00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:37.440
you're gonna take the alignment stick and you're gonna hold it on the bottom of

25
00:01:37.440 --> 00:01:42.600
the grip so that stick out sticks out far enough so that you can set up to the

26
00:01:42.600 --> 00:01:49.800
ball and basically keep the the pressure the same way you were just doing now

27
00:01:49.800 --> 00:01:50.760
it

28
00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:54.680
will force you to start with a little bit more angle so you're not going to be

29
00:01:54.680 --> 00:01:57.320
able to start with the shaft vertical it's going to have a little bit of an

30
00:01:57.320 --> 00:02:03.400
angle but this does allow you to hit little waist height nine to three swings

31
00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:07.040
keeping that pressure and just kind of really feeling like your arms you're

32
00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:13.560
doing almost nothing and that you're doing your controlling majority of the

33
00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:18.880
hit with the hips and the chest so hitting these shots very much like a

34
00:02:18.880 --> 00:02:24.920
triangle drill hitting the shots with the pelvis and in your takeaway it will

35
00:02:24.920 --> 00:02:30.460
force you to keep that connection and you may feel like the club is a little

36
00:02:30.460 --> 00:02:30.560
bit

37
00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:34.600
more outside the hands especially if you're used to loading the wrist early or

38
00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:39.280
loading the shoulders early and whipping the club inside then once you have a

39
00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:46.270
feeling you can either drop the club or drop the alignment stick as I did and

40
00:02:46.270 --> 00:02:46.760
move

41
00:02:46.760 --> 00:02:52.520
on to to duplicating the shot with the golf club or you can take three quarter

42
00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:58.000
shots knowing that the club is going to disconnect when it leaves there and

43
00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:02.800
then it'll feel almost like it reconnects on the way through or if you're

44
00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:03.240
really

45
00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:09.920
good you can disconnect and then keep the disconnection as long as you can

46
00:03:09.920 --> 00:03:15.280
through finish it may hit you especially if you go past waist height but it

47
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:19.800
shouldn't hit you down right as you're making contact so once you have that

48
00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:26.380
feeling then you can try and duplicate keeping that pressure to help create

49
00:03:26.380 --> 00:03:26.560
that

50
00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:31.480
one-piece takeaway where the club stays a little bit more outside and on plane

51
00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:36.360
and then hitting it more with your triangle this is a great drill if you

52
00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:43.240
struggle with getting the club a little bit more disconnected inside which

53
00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:48.800
usually creates either if I stay there more of a fat or low point behind the

54
00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:53.640
ball pattern or sometimes it will cause more of a lunge and some steep chicken

55
00:03:53.640 --> 00:03:58.720
wing patterns but ultimately refining your takeaway so that it's a little bit

56
00:03:58.720 --> 00:04:05.560
more hip chord driven should help control low point especially when it comes to

57
00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:10.520
the shorter irons or the scoring clubs so now we'll do a quick little demo of

58
00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:19.280
the full swing keep that pressure all the way through

Have questions about this video?

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