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Shoulder Chop Vs Lift - Driver Vs Iron

Good iron play and a fade biased swing will have more of a chop to the left shoulder, while good driving and a draw biased swing will have more of a lift to the left shoulder. It's important to be able to do both and stay within a range of lifting or chopping. Too much of one or the other can cause major contact issues with one part of your game or another.

Show more

Good iron play and a fade biased swing will have more of a chop to the left shoulder, while good driving and a draw biased swing will have more of a lift to the left shoulder. It's important to be able to do both and stay within a range of lifting or chopping. Too much of one or the other can cause major contact issues with one part of your game or another.

Hide
Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.520
In this concept video, we're going to talk about chop versus lift and how it

2
00:00:04.520 --> 00:00:04.880
applies

3
00:00:04.880 --> 00:00:07.320
to driver versus iron.

4
00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:09.560
In the wedge section, I have a video on chop versus lift.

5
00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:15.260
I want to do one for the iron section because I think that it can have a big

6
00:00:15.260 --> 00:00:16.320
impact on your

7
00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:20.760
driver versus your iron ability just as it does with the wedges.

8
00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:25.170
In simple terms, the chop versus lift is going to look at this angle between

9
00:00:25.170 --> 00:00:26.560
the lead arm

10
00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:27.560
and my body.

11
00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:30.970
If I was to lift, it's going to go more up, if I was to chop, it's going to go

12
00:00:30.970 --> 00:00:31.240
more

13
00:00:31.240 --> 00:00:33.160
down and behind me.

14
00:00:33.160 --> 00:00:37.500
One of the things you'll see with good wedge players is it's very much a chop

15
00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:38.080
movement

16
00:00:38.080 --> 00:00:43.360
where in that finish position that trail elbow will almost be behind their body

17
00:00:43.360 --> 00:00:44.000
where with

18
00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:49.050
good drivers of the golf ball, you will tend to see that elbow more in front of

19
00:00:49.050 --> 00:00:49.640
the body

20
00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:53.120
and almost working up like so.

21
00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:58.170
This would be more of that lift movement which helps produce a more in-out path

22
00:00:58.170 --> 00:00:58.480
.

23
00:00:58.480 --> 00:01:04.040
This would be more of the chop movement which helps produce an out-to-in path.

24
00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:07.950
Iron play can kind of be either, but I want you to know how to identify what

25
00:01:07.950 --> 00:01:08.700
you're doing

26
00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:11.360
as well as what the tendencies are going to be.

27
00:01:11.360 --> 00:01:16.120
One of the easiest places to look for if you were chopping or lifting is past

28
00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:16.880
the follow

29
00:01:16.880 --> 00:01:17.880
through position.

30
00:01:17.880 --> 00:01:21.760
What is a concept that we call the exit plane?

31
00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.030
If you were to go from impact into that follow through, you can look at the

32
00:01:26.030 --> 00:01:26.960
angle that the

33
00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:30.800
club is on somewhere out in there.

34
00:01:30.800 --> 00:01:35.910
The more that the club is erring towards vertical, you will have a tendency for

35
00:01:35.910 --> 00:01:37.040
that arm when

36
00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:41.520
I go into that finish position to finish very high compared to my body.

37
00:01:41.520 --> 00:01:45.960
This would be a lifting motion of that trail arm.

38
00:01:45.960 --> 00:01:50.140
The more that it is horizontal, you will tend to see that elbow work a little

39
00:01:50.140 --> 00:01:50.440
bit more

40
00:01:50.440 --> 00:01:54.860
down and so now compared to the shoulder height, that elbow will be much closer

41
00:01:54.860 --> 00:01:55.560
or more of

42
00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:59.320
a chop pattern down around the side like so.

43
00:01:59.320 --> 00:02:05.270
You can get away with doing either as your main power source from the shoulder,

44
00:02:05.270 --> 00:02:05.760
but it's

45
00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:10.140
important to be able to vary it if you want to be really elite and really good

46
00:02:10.140 --> 00:02:10.880
at golf.

47
00:02:10.880 --> 00:02:14.310
A lot of people, a lot of tour golfers kind of do it naturally without really

48
00:02:14.310 --> 00:02:14.800
thinking

49
00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:20.090
about it, but sometimes it's helpful especially for adults to pay attention to

50
00:02:20.090 --> 00:02:21.040
these things

51
00:02:21.040 --> 00:02:23.840
while you're trying to make these changes.

52
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:28.050
If you're trying to work on more of your driver swing and that lifting motion,

53
00:02:28.050 --> 00:02:28.920
you will tend

54
00:02:28.920 --> 00:02:33.100
to feel a little bit more of the club swinging out towards the right and a

55
00:02:33.100 --> 00:02:34.000
little bit more

56
00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.320
up trying to finish vertical.

57
00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:40.040
If you're trying to get that elbow to work more behind your body and get more

58
00:02:40.040 --> 00:02:40.440
of that

59
00:02:40.440 --> 00:02:45.520
chopping motion, the club will work more around your body and a little bit more

60
00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:46.600
horizontal.

61
00:02:46.600 --> 00:02:51.310
These will have big impacts as far as where the bottom of your swing is going

62
00:02:51.310 --> 00:02:51.740
to be and

63
00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:53.360
what your miss is going to be.

64
00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:57.540
Pay attention to your exit plane because it may give you an idea as to if you

65
00:02:57.540 --> 00:02:58.360
need to

66
00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:03.090
put more attention into your driver or more attention into your iron and while

67
00:03:03.090 --> 00:03:03.760
this axis

68
00:03:03.760 --> 00:03:08.810
tilt and what the body is doing is one of the big differences between the ideal

69
00:03:08.810 --> 00:03:09.240
driver

70
00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:11.140
and the ideal iron swing.

71
00:03:11.140 --> 00:03:15.320
What this shoulder is doing in the overall kind of path of the hands is also

72
00:03:15.320 --> 00:03:15.840
going to

73
00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:18.930
be an important factor because they're going to adjust differently depending on

74
00:03:18.930 --> 00:03:19.360
where the

75
00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:20.160
upper body is.

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Related topics
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. Meet your new instructor.

Shoulder Chop Vs Lift - Driver Vs Iron

Good iron play and a fade biased swing will have more of a chop to the left shoulder, while good driving and a draw biased swing will have more of a lift to the left shoulder. It's important to be able to do both and stay within a range of lifting or chopping. Too much of one or the other can cause major contact issues with one part of your game or another.

Show more

Good iron play and a fade biased swing will have more of a chop to the left shoulder, while good driving and a draw biased swing will have more of a lift to the left shoulder. It's important to be able to do both and stay within a range of lifting or chopping. Too much of one or the other can cause major contact issues with one part of your game or another.

Hide
Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.520
In this concept video, we're going to talk about chop versus lift and how it

2
00:00:04.520 --> 00:00:04.880
applies

3
00:00:04.880 --> 00:00:07.320
to driver versus iron.

4
00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:09.560
In the wedge section, I have a video on chop versus lift.

5
00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:15.260
I want to do one for the iron section because I think that it can have a big

6
00:00:15.260 --> 00:00:16.320
impact on your

7
00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:20.760
driver versus your iron ability just as it does with the wedges.

8
00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:25.170
In simple terms, the chop versus lift is going to look at this angle between

9
00:00:25.170 --> 00:00:26.560
the lead arm

10
00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:27.560
and my body.

11
00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:30.970
If I was to lift, it's going to go more up, if I was to chop, it's going to go

12
00:00:30.970 --> 00:00:31.240
more

13
00:00:31.240 --> 00:00:33.160
down and behind me.

14
00:00:33.160 --> 00:00:37.500
One of the things you'll see with good wedge players is it's very much a chop

15
00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:38.080
movement

16
00:00:38.080 --> 00:00:43.360
where in that finish position that trail elbow will almost be behind their body

17
00:00:43.360 --> 00:00:44.000
where with

18
00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:49.050
good drivers of the golf ball, you will tend to see that elbow more in front of

19
00:00:49.050 --> 00:00:49.640
the body

20
00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:53.120
and almost working up like so.

21
00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:58.170
This would be more of that lift movement which helps produce a more in-out path

22
00:00:58.170 --> 00:00:58.480
.

23
00:00:58.480 --> 00:01:04.040
This would be more of the chop movement which helps produce an out-to-in path.

24
00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:07.950
Iron play can kind of be either, but I want you to know how to identify what

25
00:01:07.950 --> 00:01:08.700
you're doing

26
00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:11.360
as well as what the tendencies are going to be.

27
00:01:11.360 --> 00:01:16.120
One of the easiest places to look for if you were chopping or lifting is past

28
00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:16.880
the follow

29
00:01:16.880 --> 00:01:17.880
through position.

30
00:01:17.880 --> 00:01:21.760
What is a concept that we call the exit plane?

31
00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.030
If you were to go from impact into that follow through, you can look at the

32
00:01:26.030 --> 00:01:26.960
angle that the

33
00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:30.800
club is on somewhere out in there.

34
00:01:30.800 --> 00:01:35.910
The more that the club is erring towards vertical, you will have a tendency for

35
00:01:35.910 --> 00:01:37.040
that arm when

36
00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:41.520
I go into that finish position to finish very high compared to my body.

37
00:01:41.520 --> 00:01:45.960
This would be a lifting motion of that trail arm.

38
00:01:45.960 --> 00:01:50.140
The more that it is horizontal, you will tend to see that elbow work a little

39
00:01:50.140 --> 00:01:50.440
bit more

40
00:01:50.440 --> 00:01:54.860
down and so now compared to the shoulder height, that elbow will be much closer

41
00:01:54.860 --> 00:01:55.560
or more of

42
00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:59.320
a chop pattern down around the side like so.

43
00:01:59.320 --> 00:02:05.270
You can get away with doing either as your main power source from the shoulder,

44
00:02:05.270 --> 00:02:05.760
but it's

45
00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:10.140
important to be able to vary it if you want to be really elite and really good

46
00:02:10.140 --> 00:02:10.880
at golf.

47
00:02:10.880 --> 00:02:14.310
A lot of people, a lot of tour golfers kind of do it naturally without really

48
00:02:14.310 --> 00:02:14.800
thinking

49
00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:20.090
about it, but sometimes it's helpful especially for adults to pay attention to

50
00:02:20.090 --> 00:02:21.040
these things

51
00:02:21.040 --> 00:02:23.840
while you're trying to make these changes.

52
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:28.050
If you're trying to work on more of your driver swing and that lifting motion,

53
00:02:28.050 --> 00:02:28.920
you will tend

54
00:02:28.920 --> 00:02:33.100
to feel a little bit more of the club swinging out towards the right and a

55
00:02:33.100 --> 00:02:34.000
little bit more

56
00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.320
up trying to finish vertical.

57
00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:40.040
If you're trying to get that elbow to work more behind your body and get more

58
00:02:40.040 --> 00:02:40.440
of that

59
00:02:40.440 --> 00:02:45.520
chopping motion, the club will work more around your body and a little bit more

60
00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:46.600
horizontal.

61
00:02:46.600 --> 00:02:51.310
These will have big impacts as far as where the bottom of your swing is going

62
00:02:51.310 --> 00:02:51.740
to be and

63
00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:53.360
what your miss is going to be.

64
00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:57.540
Pay attention to your exit plane because it may give you an idea as to if you

65
00:02:57.540 --> 00:02:58.360
need to

66
00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:03.090
put more attention into your driver or more attention into your iron and while

67
00:03:03.090 --> 00:03:03.760
this axis

68
00:03:03.760 --> 00:03:08.810
tilt and what the body is doing is one of the big differences between the ideal

69
00:03:08.810 --> 00:03:09.240
driver

70
00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:11.140
and the ideal iron swing.

71
00:03:11.140 --> 00:03:15.320
What this shoulder is doing in the overall kind of path of the hands is also

72
00:03:15.320 --> 00:03:15.840
going to

73
00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:18.930
be an important factor because they're going to adjust differently depending on

74
00:03:18.930 --> 00:03:19.360
where the

75
00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:20.160
upper body is.

Have questions about this video?

Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.

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