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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 Ball Striking with Open Trail Hand Drill

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Feel how to maintain connection between your hands during the swing
  • Identify the difference between flipping the club and proper hand positioning
  • Enhance your ability to rotate your body effectively for consistent shots

In this drill, you'll learn how to position your trail hand to enhance your swing mechanics. By practicing the open trail hand technique, you'll develop better control and rotation through impact.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.560
In this drill video, we're going to do nine to three with the open trail hand.

2
00:00:05.560 --> 00:00:09.240
So it's a very simple drill, but it's hard to do.

3
00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:10.240
I like those.

4
00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:14.240
So you're going to take your normal grip and then you're going to completely

5
00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:14.680
open your

6
00:00:14.680 --> 00:00:15.680
right hand.

7
00:00:15.680 --> 00:00:18.920
I want no fingers gripping on the club.

8
00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:22.320
You are going to have to police yourself because when I do this in clinics,

9
00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:22.880
everybody

10
00:00:22.880 --> 00:00:27.130
tries to wrap the pinky and wrap the index finger to give themselves a little

11
00:00:27.130 --> 00:00:27.720
bit more

12
00:00:27.720 --> 00:00:29.020
control.

13
00:00:29.020 --> 00:00:32.480
If you are pushing with the right part of this right hand, which would look

14
00:00:32.480 --> 00:00:33.100
something

15
00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:39.140
like this, if you're pushing with those two points, the heel pad and the kind

16
00:00:39.140 --> 00:00:39.900
of first

17
00:00:39.900 --> 00:00:44.180
joint of the index finger, you will still have plenty of leverage to keep your

18
00:00:44.180 --> 00:00:44.580
right

19
00:00:44.580 --> 00:00:46.560
hand in contact with the club.

20
00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:50.980
If all you are pushing with is your hand like you're flipping like so, then

21
00:00:50.980 --> 00:00:51.840
what will happen

22
00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:55.520
is when you swing through, the weight of the club through impact will cause a

23
00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:56.240
separation

24
00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:57.880
between those two hands.

25
00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:04.230
So if you're practicing the right hand only swings and the left hand only

26
00:01:04.230 --> 00:01:05.500
swings, like

27
00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:10.100
so, this is a very good intermediate step to bringing it back together.

28
00:01:10.100 --> 00:01:14.890
So you take your normal grip, open that right hand and if you're pushing

29
00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:16.140
through the right

30
00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:21.680
parts in your right hand and rotating or letting the left forearm just kind of

31
00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:22.260
gently, passively

32
00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:28.700
rotate, you will be able to hit these nine to three shots pretty solidly with

33
00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:29.440
that right

34
00:01:29.440 --> 00:01:33.960
hand open and just pushing on the club.

35
00:01:33.960 --> 00:01:37.440
So this is one of my favorite drills to help you get out of the pattern of

36
00:01:37.440 --> 00:01:38.080
holding off

37
00:01:38.080 --> 00:01:44.810
rotation like so and learning how to rotate so that the hands stay on top of

38
00:01:44.810 --> 00:01:45.680
the club.

39
00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:49.350
Because if I did it towards you, I can't actually hit a golf ball this way, but

40
00:01:49.350 --> 00:01:49.640
if I

41
00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:53.490
did it towards you, what you'll see is as I come through, I'm going to be

42
00:01:53.490 --> 00:01:54.300
continually

43
00:01:54.300 --> 00:01:59.860
putting pressure on top of the shaft as opposed to if I got here and got

44
00:01:59.860 --> 00:02:01.300
underneath it, then

45
00:02:01.300 --> 00:02:04.680
what happens is the weight of the club ends up causing a gap between those

46
00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:05.340
hands and that

47
00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:10.300
gap is a really strong feeling and gives you really good clear feedback.

48
00:02:10.300 --> 00:02:14.120
You'll also notice as I come through that this wrist tends to stay relatively

49
00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:14.620
straight

50
00:02:14.620 --> 00:02:22.660
or even cupped in order to keep in contact where most flippers are going to

51
00:02:22.660 --> 00:02:23.840
stop that

52
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.780
rotation and let it separate and the weight of the club is just going to cause

53
00:02:26.780 --> 00:02:27.680
that separation.

54
00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:32.350
So it's a great drill for learning feedback and then you can take that feeling,

55
00:02:32.350 --> 00:02:32.800
close

56
00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:36.490
your hand and try to recreate it as you do regular nine to threes or even as

57
00:02:36.490 --> 00:02:37.040
you move

58
00:02:37.040 --> 00:02:38.500
into the full swing.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
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 Ball Striking with Open Trail Hand Drill

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Feel how to maintain connection between your hands during the swing
  • Identify the difference between flipping the club and proper hand positioning
  • Enhance your ability to rotate your body effectively for consistent shots

In this drill, you'll learn how to position your trail hand to enhance your swing mechanics. By practicing the open trail hand technique, you'll develop better control and rotation through impact.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.560
In this drill video, we're going to do nine to three with the open trail hand.

2
00:00:05.560 --> 00:00:09.240
So it's a very simple drill, but it's hard to do.

3
00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:10.240
I like those.

4
00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:14.240
So you're going to take your normal grip and then you're going to completely

5
00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:14.680
open your

6
00:00:14.680 --> 00:00:15.680
right hand.

7
00:00:15.680 --> 00:00:18.920
I want no fingers gripping on the club.

8
00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:22.320
You are going to have to police yourself because when I do this in clinics,

9
00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:22.880
everybody

10
00:00:22.880 --> 00:00:27.130
tries to wrap the pinky and wrap the index finger to give themselves a little

11
00:00:27.130 --> 00:00:27.720
bit more

12
00:00:27.720 --> 00:00:29.020
control.

13
00:00:29.020 --> 00:00:32.480
If you are pushing with the right part of this right hand, which would look

14
00:00:32.480 --> 00:00:33.100
something

15
00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:39.140
like this, if you're pushing with those two points, the heel pad and the kind

16
00:00:39.140 --> 00:00:39.900
of first

17
00:00:39.900 --> 00:00:44.180
joint of the index finger, you will still have plenty of leverage to keep your

18
00:00:44.180 --> 00:00:44.580
right

19
00:00:44.580 --> 00:00:46.560
hand in contact with the club.

20
00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:50.980
If all you are pushing with is your hand like you're flipping like so, then

21
00:00:50.980 --> 00:00:51.840
what will happen

22
00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:55.520
is when you swing through, the weight of the club through impact will cause a

23
00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:56.240
separation

24
00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:57.880
between those two hands.

25
00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:04.230
So if you're practicing the right hand only swings and the left hand only

26
00:01:04.230 --> 00:01:05.500
swings, like

27
00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:10.100
so, this is a very good intermediate step to bringing it back together.

28
00:01:10.100 --> 00:01:14.890
So you take your normal grip, open that right hand and if you're pushing

29
00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:16.140
through the right

30
00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:21.680
parts in your right hand and rotating or letting the left forearm just kind of

31
00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:22.260
gently, passively

32
00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:28.700
rotate, you will be able to hit these nine to three shots pretty solidly with

33
00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:29.440
that right

34
00:01:29.440 --> 00:01:33.960
hand open and just pushing on the club.

35
00:01:33.960 --> 00:01:37.440
So this is one of my favorite drills to help you get out of the pattern of

36
00:01:37.440 --> 00:01:38.080
holding off

37
00:01:38.080 --> 00:01:44.810
rotation like so and learning how to rotate so that the hands stay on top of

38
00:01:44.810 --> 00:01:45.680
the club.

39
00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:49.350
Because if I did it towards you, I can't actually hit a golf ball this way, but

40
00:01:49.350 --> 00:01:49.640
if I

41
00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:53.490
did it towards you, what you'll see is as I come through, I'm going to be

42
00:01:53.490 --> 00:01:54.300
continually

43
00:01:54.300 --> 00:01:59.860
putting pressure on top of the shaft as opposed to if I got here and got

44
00:01:59.860 --> 00:02:01.300
underneath it, then

45
00:02:01.300 --> 00:02:04.680
what happens is the weight of the club ends up causing a gap between those

46
00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:05.340
hands and that

47
00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:10.300
gap is a really strong feeling and gives you really good clear feedback.

48
00:02:10.300 --> 00:02:14.120
You'll also notice as I come through that this wrist tends to stay relatively

49
00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:14.620
straight

50
00:02:14.620 --> 00:02:22.660
or even cupped in order to keep in contact where most flippers are going to

51
00:02:22.660 --> 00:02:23.840
stop that

52
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.780
rotation and let it separate and the weight of the club is just going to cause

53
00:02:26.780 --> 00:02:27.680
that separation.

54
00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:32.350
So it's a great drill for learning feedback and then you can take that feeling,

55
00:02:32.350 --> 00:02:32.800
close

56
00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:36.490
your hand and try to recreate it as you do regular nine to threes or even as

57
00:02:36.490 --> 00:02:37.040
you move

58
00:02:37.040 --> 00:02:38.500
into the full swing.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.