Headcover Swings
Stop Casting: Improve Your Downswing with Headcover Swings
After this video, you'll be able to:
- Understand when to activate your arms for maximum power.
- Develop the feel for proper timing to avoid casting the club.
- Improve your follow-through and arm extension for consistent shots.
In this drill, you'll learn how to time your arm activation in the downswing using a headcover. This technique helps you apply force at the right moment for better power and control.
Tyler Ferrell. Golf Digest Best Teachers in California, 2026-27. The only person named to both Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America and Best Golf Fitness Professionals lists. Author of The Stock Tour Swing.
Video Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.120
This drill is called head cover swings, and this is to get the feeling of when
2
00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:05.680
the arm
3
00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:10.560
should get in place, or when the arm should activate in the downswing.
4
00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:14.320
So you may have been pointed to this because you're looking for a little bit
5
00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:15.080
more power,
6
00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.320
or because you have the tendency of the club to come over the top, or you have
7
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:18.720
a hard time
8
00:00:18.720 --> 00:00:22.720
getting your arm extension in the follow through, but either way, it means that
9
00:00:22.720 --> 00:00:23.560
you're applying
10
00:00:23.560 --> 00:00:25.800
force with your arms too soon.
11
00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.760
So what you're going to do is you're going to take a head cover, or a sock, if
12
00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:30.240
you have
13
00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:34.850
the kind of the modern magnet head covers, like I have on my driver, they don't
14
00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:35.160
work
15
00:00:35.160 --> 00:00:37.320
very well for this particular drill.
16
00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:41.290
So my three wood head cover has a little bit of a sock to it, but a longer sock
17
00:00:41.290 --> 00:00:41.600
makes it
18
00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:43.000
even easier.
19
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:46.090
What you're going to do is you're going to take the head cover and you're going
20
00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:46.480
to swing
21
00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:47.480
it.
22
00:00:47.480 --> 00:00:49.560
This is the drill.
23
00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.120
Okay, so here's what you're going to learn from it.
24
00:00:52.120 --> 00:00:56.810
If we slow it down, you can start to become aware of the rhythm of when you're
25
00:00:56.810 --> 00:00:57.480
applying
26
00:00:57.480 --> 00:00:59.860
a force to it, right?
27
00:00:59.860 --> 00:01:04.000
It's kind of hard to tell, but there's still a rhythm when I'm at a fast pace.
28
00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.760
I'm not just applying a constant force.
29
00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:12.620
So if you slow it down enough, what you'll see is I apply a force, boom, right
30
00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:13.480
there.
31
00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:14.800
Boom, right there.
32
00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:17.590
So the thing is swinging, the head cover swinging, it gets to the point where
33
00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:18.480
it's furthest away
34
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.320
from me and then I take that momentum of the club swinging and I accelerate it.
35
00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:29.430
Where this shows up in the golf swing, if you cast or if you apply force to the
36
00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:29.920
club
37
00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:34.590
early, what it means is that when you come down, you're applying force right
38
00:01:34.590 --> 00:01:35.200
away.
39
00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:39.540
So I'm applying force when the head cover is still behind me and it'll make it
40
00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:39.960
swing
41
00:01:39.960 --> 00:01:40.960
funny.
42
00:01:40.960 --> 00:01:41.960
We're going to do that in a second.
43
00:01:41.960 --> 00:01:45.210
But what you want to practice doing is waiting until the club is the furthest
44
00:01:45.210 --> 00:01:45.720
point away
45
00:01:45.720 --> 00:01:49.960
from you, which would be somewhere around in here and then applying the force
46
00:01:49.960 --> 00:01:50.340
from your
47
00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:51.340
hands.
48
00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:55.060
So it'll kind of feel like it falls through transition before you apply the
49
00:01:55.060 --> 00:01:55.640
force with
50
00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:57.000
your hands.
51
00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:03.250
If you apply it early, it would be as if I was trying to swing it, you'll see
52
00:02:03.250 --> 00:02:03.800
it's
53
00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:06.280
kind of hard to do.
54
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.200
If I was trying to apply the force while it's still facing me, but then kind of
55
00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:10.540
get the
56
00:02:10.540 --> 00:02:12.960
natural rhythm going, it just doesn't work out very well.
57
00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.420
The energy releases too soon and it doesn't make it all the way down to the
58
00:02:16.420 --> 00:02:17.120
golf ball.
59
00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:22.980
So grab a head cover, get the feeling of this timing of the force being applied
60
00:02:22.980 --> 00:02:23.280
and
61
00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:28.280
that'll help you a lot with transferring energy into the golf club.
62
00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:30.760
Now if you start doing this and you start hitting the ball off to the right,
63
00:02:30.760 --> 00:02:31.200
review the
64
00:02:31.200 --> 00:02:35.710
motorcycle and review the wrist release stuff because you're probably, instead
65
00:02:35.710 --> 00:02:36.320
of squaring
66
00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:40.560
the club with the motorcycle and along the axis so that you can transfer energy
67
00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:40.880
to the
68
00:02:40.880 --> 00:02:44.960
club, you're probably squaring the club face by releasing early.
69
00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:48.000
So pay attention to that, hopefully this will help you hit it long and straight
70
00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:48.040
.
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.120
This drill is called head cover swings, and this is to get the feeling of when
2
00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:05.680
the arm
3
00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:10.560
should get in place, or when the arm should activate in the downswing.
4
00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:14.320
So you may have been pointed to this because you're looking for a little bit
5
00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:15.080
more power,
6
00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.320
or because you have the tendency of the club to come over the top, or you have
7
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:18.720
a hard time
8
00:00:18.720 --> 00:00:22.720
getting your arm extension in the follow through, but either way, it means that
9
00:00:22.720 --> 00:00:23.560
you're applying
10
00:00:23.560 --> 00:00:25.800
force with your arms too soon.
11
00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.760
So what you're going to do is you're going to take a head cover, or a sock, if
12
00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:30.240
you have
13
00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:34.850
the kind of the modern magnet head covers, like I have on my driver, they don't
14
00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:35.160
work
15
00:00:35.160 --> 00:00:37.320
very well for this particular drill.
16
00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:41.290
So my three wood head cover has a little bit of a sock to it, but a longer sock
17
00:00:41.290 --> 00:00:41.600
makes it
18
00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:43.000
even easier.
19
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:46.090
What you're going to do is you're going to take the head cover and you're going
20
00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:46.480
to swing
21
00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:47.480
it.
22
00:00:47.480 --> 00:00:49.560
This is the drill.
23
00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.120
Okay, so here's what you're going to learn from it.
24
00:00:52.120 --> 00:00:56.810
If we slow it down, you can start to become aware of the rhythm of when you're
25
00:00:56.810 --> 00:00:57.480
applying
26
00:00:57.480 --> 00:00:59.860
a force to it, right?
27
00:00:59.860 --> 00:01:04.000
It's kind of hard to tell, but there's still a rhythm when I'm at a fast pace.
28
00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.760
I'm not just applying a constant force.
29
00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:12.620
So if you slow it down enough, what you'll see is I apply a force, boom, right
30
00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:13.480
there.
31
00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:14.800
Boom, right there.
32
00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:17.590
So the thing is swinging, the head cover swinging, it gets to the point where
33
00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:18.480
it's furthest away
34
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.320
from me and then I take that momentum of the club swinging and I accelerate it.
35
00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:29.430
Where this shows up in the golf swing, if you cast or if you apply force to the
36
00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:29.920
club
37
00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:34.590
early, what it means is that when you come down, you're applying force right
38
00:01:34.590 --> 00:01:35.200
away.
39
00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:39.540
So I'm applying force when the head cover is still behind me and it'll make it
40
00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:39.960
swing
41
00:01:39.960 --> 00:01:40.960
funny.
42
00:01:40.960 --> 00:01:41.960
We're going to do that in a second.
43
00:01:41.960 --> 00:01:45.210
But what you want to practice doing is waiting until the club is the furthest
44
00:01:45.210 --> 00:01:45.720
point away
45
00:01:45.720 --> 00:01:49.960
from you, which would be somewhere around in here and then applying the force
46
00:01:49.960 --> 00:01:50.340
from your
47
00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:51.340
hands.
48
00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:55.060
So it'll kind of feel like it falls through transition before you apply the
49
00:01:55.060 --> 00:01:55.640
force with
50
00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:57.000
your hands.
51
00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:03.250
If you apply it early, it would be as if I was trying to swing it, you'll see
52
00:02:03.250 --> 00:02:03.800
it's
53
00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:06.280
kind of hard to do.
54
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.200
If I was trying to apply the force while it's still facing me, but then kind of
55
00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:10.540
get the
56
00:02:10.540 --> 00:02:12.960
natural rhythm going, it just doesn't work out very well.
57
00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.420
The energy releases too soon and it doesn't make it all the way down to the
58
00:02:16.420 --> 00:02:17.120
golf ball.
59
00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:22.980
So grab a head cover, get the feeling of this timing of the force being applied
60
00:02:22.980 --> 00:02:23.280
and
61
00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:28.280
that'll help you a lot with transferring energy into the golf club.
62
00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:30.760
Now if you start doing this and you start hitting the ball off to the right,
63
00:02:30.760 --> 00:02:31.200
review the
64
00:02:31.200 --> 00:02:35.710
motorcycle and review the wrist release stuff because you're probably, instead
65
00:02:35.710 --> 00:02:36.320
of squaring
66
00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:40.560
the club with the motorcycle and along the axis so that you can transfer energy
67
00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:40.880
to the
68
00:02:40.880 --> 00:02:44.960
club, you're probably squaring the club face by releasing early.
69
00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:48.000
So pay attention to that, hopefully this will help you hit it long and straight
70
00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:48.040
.
Tyler Ferrell. Golf Digest Best Teachers in California, 2026-27. The only person named to both Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America and Best Golf Fitness Professionals lists. Author of The Stock Tour Swing.
Headcover Swings
Stop Casting: Improve Your Downswing with Headcover Swings
After this video, you'll be able to:
- Understand when to activate your arms for maximum power.
- Develop the feel for proper timing to avoid casting the club.
- Improve your follow-through and arm extension for consistent shots.
In this drill, you'll learn how to time your arm activation in the downswing using a headcover. This technique helps you apply force at the right moment for better power and control.
Video Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.120
This drill is called head cover swings, and this is to get the feeling of when
2
00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:05.680
the arm
3
00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:10.560
should get in place, or when the arm should activate in the downswing.
4
00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:14.320
So you may have been pointed to this because you're looking for a little bit
5
00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:15.080
more power,
6
00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.320
or because you have the tendency of the club to come over the top, or you have
7
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:18.720
a hard time
8
00:00:18.720 --> 00:00:22.720
getting your arm extension in the follow through, but either way, it means that
9
00:00:22.720 --> 00:00:23.560
you're applying
10
00:00:23.560 --> 00:00:25.800
force with your arms too soon.
11
00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.760
So what you're going to do is you're going to take a head cover, or a sock, if
12
00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:30.240
you have
13
00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:34.850
the kind of the modern magnet head covers, like I have on my driver, they don't
14
00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:35.160
work
15
00:00:35.160 --> 00:00:37.320
very well for this particular drill.
16
00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:41.290
So my three wood head cover has a little bit of a sock to it, but a longer sock
17
00:00:41.290 --> 00:00:41.600
makes it
18
00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:43.000
even easier.
19
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:46.090
What you're going to do is you're going to take the head cover and you're going
20
00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:46.480
to swing
21
00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:47.480
it.
22
00:00:47.480 --> 00:00:49.560
This is the drill.
23
00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.120
Okay, so here's what you're going to learn from it.
24
00:00:52.120 --> 00:00:56.810
If we slow it down, you can start to become aware of the rhythm of when you're
25
00:00:56.810 --> 00:00:57.480
applying
26
00:00:57.480 --> 00:00:59.860
a force to it, right?
27
00:00:59.860 --> 00:01:04.000
It's kind of hard to tell, but there's still a rhythm when I'm at a fast pace.
28
00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.760
I'm not just applying a constant force.
29
00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:12.620
So if you slow it down enough, what you'll see is I apply a force, boom, right
30
00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:13.480
there.
31
00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:14.800
Boom, right there.
32
00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:17.590
So the thing is swinging, the head cover swinging, it gets to the point where
33
00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:18.480
it's furthest away
34
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.320
from me and then I take that momentum of the club swinging and I accelerate it.
35
00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:29.430
Where this shows up in the golf swing, if you cast or if you apply force to the
36
00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:29.920
club
37
00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:34.590
early, what it means is that when you come down, you're applying force right
38
00:01:34.590 --> 00:01:35.200
away.
39
00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:39.540
So I'm applying force when the head cover is still behind me and it'll make it
40
00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:39.960
swing
41
00:01:39.960 --> 00:01:40.960
funny.
42
00:01:40.960 --> 00:01:41.960
We're going to do that in a second.
43
00:01:41.960 --> 00:01:45.210
But what you want to practice doing is waiting until the club is the furthest
44
00:01:45.210 --> 00:01:45.720
point away
45
00:01:45.720 --> 00:01:49.960
from you, which would be somewhere around in here and then applying the force
46
00:01:49.960 --> 00:01:50.340
from your
47
00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:51.340
hands.
48
00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:55.060
So it'll kind of feel like it falls through transition before you apply the
49
00:01:55.060 --> 00:01:55.640
force with
50
00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:57.000
your hands.
51
00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:03.250
If you apply it early, it would be as if I was trying to swing it, you'll see
52
00:02:03.250 --> 00:02:03.800
it's
53
00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:06.280
kind of hard to do.
54
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.200
If I was trying to apply the force while it's still facing me, but then kind of
55
00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:10.540
get the
56
00:02:10.540 --> 00:02:12.960
natural rhythm going, it just doesn't work out very well.
57
00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.420
The energy releases too soon and it doesn't make it all the way down to the
58
00:02:16.420 --> 00:02:17.120
golf ball.
59
00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:22.980
So grab a head cover, get the feeling of this timing of the force being applied
60
00:02:22.980 --> 00:02:23.280
and
61
00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:28.280
that'll help you a lot with transferring energy into the golf club.
62
00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:30.760
Now if you start doing this and you start hitting the ball off to the right,
63
00:02:30.760 --> 00:02:31.200
review the
64
00:02:31.200 --> 00:02:35.710
motorcycle and review the wrist release stuff because you're probably, instead
65
00:02:35.710 --> 00:02:36.320
of squaring
66
00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:40.560
the club with the motorcycle and along the axis so that you can transfer energy
67
00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:40.880
to the
68
00:02:40.880 --> 00:02:44.960
club, you're probably squaring the club face by releasing early.
69
00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:48.000
So pay attention to that, hopefully this will help you hit it long and straight
70
00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:48.040
.
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.120
This drill is called head cover swings, and this is to get the feeling of when
2
00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:05.680
the arm
3
00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:10.560
should get in place, or when the arm should activate in the downswing.
4
00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:14.320
So you may have been pointed to this because you're looking for a little bit
5
00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:15.080
more power,
6
00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.320
or because you have the tendency of the club to come over the top, or you have
7
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:18.720
a hard time
8
00:00:18.720 --> 00:00:22.720
getting your arm extension in the follow through, but either way, it means that
9
00:00:22.720 --> 00:00:23.560
you're applying
10
00:00:23.560 --> 00:00:25.800
force with your arms too soon.
11
00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.760
So what you're going to do is you're going to take a head cover, or a sock, if
12
00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:30.240
you have
13
00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:34.850
the kind of the modern magnet head covers, like I have on my driver, they don't
14
00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:35.160
work
15
00:00:35.160 --> 00:00:37.320
very well for this particular drill.
16
00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:41.290
So my three wood head cover has a little bit of a sock to it, but a longer sock
17
00:00:41.290 --> 00:00:41.600
makes it
18
00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:43.000
even easier.
19
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:46.090
What you're going to do is you're going to take the head cover and you're going
20
00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:46.480
to swing
21
00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:47.480
it.
22
00:00:47.480 --> 00:00:49.560
This is the drill.
23
00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.120
Okay, so here's what you're going to learn from it.
24
00:00:52.120 --> 00:00:56.810
If we slow it down, you can start to become aware of the rhythm of when you're
25
00:00:56.810 --> 00:00:57.480
applying
26
00:00:57.480 --> 00:00:59.860
a force to it, right?
27
00:00:59.860 --> 00:01:04.000
It's kind of hard to tell, but there's still a rhythm when I'm at a fast pace.
28
00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.760
I'm not just applying a constant force.
29
00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:12.620
So if you slow it down enough, what you'll see is I apply a force, boom, right
30
00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:13.480
there.
31
00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:14.800
Boom, right there.
32
00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:17.590
So the thing is swinging, the head cover swinging, it gets to the point where
33
00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:18.480
it's furthest away
34
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.320
from me and then I take that momentum of the club swinging and I accelerate it.
35
00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:29.430
Where this shows up in the golf swing, if you cast or if you apply force to the
36
00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:29.920
club
37
00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:34.590
early, what it means is that when you come down, you're applying force right
38
00:01:34.590 --> 00:01:35.200
away.
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00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:39.540
So I'm applying force when the head cover is still behind me and it'll make it
40
00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:39.960
swing
41
00:01:39.960 --> 00:01:40.960
funny.
42
00:01:40.960 --> 00:01:41.960
We're going to do that in a second.
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00:01:41.960 --> 00:01:45.210
But what you want to practice doing is waiting until the club is the furthest
44
00:01:45.210 --> 00:01:45.720
point away
45
00:01:45.720 --> 00:01:49.960
from you, which would be somewhere around in here and then applying the force
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00:01:49.960 --> 00:01:50.340
from your
47
00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:51.340
hands.
48
00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:55.060
So it'll kind of feel like it falls through transition before you apply the
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00:01:55.060 --> 00:01:55.640
force with
50
00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:57.000
your hands.
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00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:03.250
If you apply it early, it would be as if I was trying to swing it, you'll see
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00:02:03.250 --> 00:02:03.800
it's
53
00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:06.280
kind of hard to do.
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00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.200
If I was trying to apply the force while it's still facing me, but then kind of
55
00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:10.540
get the
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00:02:10.540 --> 00:02:12.960
natural rhythm going, it just doesn't work out very well.
57
00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.420
The energy releases too soon and it doesn't make it all the way down to the
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00:02:16.420 --> 00:02:17.120
golf ball.
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00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:22.980
So grab a head cover, get the feeling of this timing of the force being applied
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00:02:22.980 --> 00:02:23.280
and
61
00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:28.280
that'll help you a lot with transferring energy into the golf club.
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00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:30.760
Now if you start doing this and you start hitting the ball off to the right,
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00:02:30.760 --> 00:02:31.200
review the
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00:02:31.200 --> 00:02:35.710
motorcycle and review the wrist release stuff because you're probably, instead
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00:02:35.710 --> 00:02:36.320
of squaring
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00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:40.560
the club with the motorcycle and along the axis so that you can transfer energy
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00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:40.880
to the
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00:02:40.880 --> 00:02:44.960
club, you're probably squaring the club face by releasing early.
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00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:48.000
So pay attention to that, hopefully this will help you hit it long and straight
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00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:48.040
.
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