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Impact Fix - Driver
While this may seem like a simple drill, training "impact fix" for the driver is a great way to reinforce proper orientations and build spatial awareness. The reasons for doing this drill with several different clubs can be summarized by this anecdote:
Jon Rahm, former World No. 1, has an attack angle with his 9-iron that is 9 degrees "down"; his driver attack angle is 5 degrees "up". This means he can vary his attack angle by up to 14 degrees between just (2) different shots.
Ultimately, this variation in attack angle is necessary for producing optimal launch conditions with every club in the bag. However, if we do not understand the changes in body movements & release patterns that create this dynamic ability, we are going to have a hard time playing consistently with the irons & driver.
While this may seem like a simple drill, training "impact fix" for the driver is a great way to reinforce proper orientations and build spatial awareness. The reasons for doing this drill with several different clubs can be summarized by this anecdote:
Jon Rahm, former World No. 1, has an attack angle with his 9-iron that is 9 degrees "down"; his driver attack angle is 5 degrees "up". This means he can vary his attack angle by up to 14 degrees between just (2) different shots.
Ultimately, this variation in attack angle is necessary for producing optimal launch conditions with every club in the bag. However, if we do not understand the changes in body movements & release patterns that create this dynamic ability, we are going to have a hard time playing consistently with the irons & driver.
Video Transcript
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.680
This drill is the driver impact fix.
2
00:00:07.680 --> 00:00:12.520
So the driver impact fix is looking at the difference between setup and impact.
3
00:00:12.520 --> 00:00:16.650
So similar to the iron version, where if I choke up like it was an iron, with
4
00:00:16.650 --> 00:00:17.000
the iron
5
00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:22.360
version, if we do the merry-go-round, our hands get a few inches or four inches
6
00:00:22.360 --> 00:00:22.960
or so
7
00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.680
closer to the target, they get a little bit higher, the face gets a little bit
8
00:00:26.680 --> 00:00:27.440
more closed
9
00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:32.320
and we feel this kind of shaft lean that helps give us really solid contact.
10
00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:37.300
Well, with the driver, one of the interesting things is when we do this impact
11
00:00:37.300 --> 00:00:37.840
fix, you'll
12
00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:43.390
notice that at start position it's on the ground and then if I go to impact
13
00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:45.400
position, it's
14
00:00:45.400 --> 00:00:47.800
actually going to be off the ground.
15
00:00:47.800 --> 00:00:51.200
So it goes from here, more to there.
16
00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:54.750
And what you'll see is the hands don't move as much, the shaft will move around
17
00:00:54.750 --> 00:00:55.240
a little
18
00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:00.690
bit, but the hands don't move as much with the driver as they will with the
19
00:01:00.690 --> 00:01:01.360
iron.
20
00:01:01.360 --> 00:01:05.550
So this also answers a member question that's basically, okay, if we set up
21
00:01:05.550 --> 00:01:07.080
with the driver
22
00:01:07.080 --> 00:01:11.710
on the ground and we tee the ball halfway up the face, what is it that actually
23
00:01:11.710 --> 00:01:12.320
adjusts
24
00:01:12.320 --> 00:01:16.120
the driver so that you then hit it just above center?
25
00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:20.600
Because with the iron, we're trying to make contact about the fourth groove up.
26
00:01:20.600 --> 00:01:24.940
With the driver, you're trying to make contact just above center and just
27
00:01:24.940 --> 00:01:26.320
slightly millimeter
28
00:01:26.320 --> 00:01:27.960
or two towards the heel.
29
00:01:27.960 --> 00:01:31.530
So just above center, just towards the heel, but pretty much in the middle of
30
00:01:31.530 --> 00:01:32.160
the club,
31
00:01:32.160 --> 00:01:33.160
just like that.
32
00:01:33.160 --> 00:01:37.670
Okay, well, when I start with it on the ground, I'm going to have a certain
33
00:01:37.670 --> 00:01:38.640
amount of bend
34
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:39.640
in my arms.
35
00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:45.240
Well, when I get to impact, that right arm is typically going to be bent about
36
00:01:45.240 --> 00:01:46.480
45 degrees
37
00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:49.960
or so, 40 degrees somewhere in that zone.
38
00:01:49.960 --> 00:01:54.350
So if here, let's say it's 20 degrees bent at setup, well, that means I'm going
39
00:01:54.350 --> 00:01:54.880
to bend
40
00:01:54.880 --> 00:01:56.360
it 20 degrees more.
41
00:01:56.360 --> 00:02:00.000
That puts the driver back behind me a little bit like this.
42
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.120
And then when I changed my body position, when I go from here back to impact,
43
00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:05.760
my upper
44
00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:13.200
body is actually going to be one to two inches behind where it started.
45
00:02:13.200 --> 00:02:17.740
So that combination of I'm set up here and then at impact, I'm a little bit
46
00:02:17.740 --> 00:02:18.800
further back
47
00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:23.880
and the right arm is a little bit more bent, that brings the driver up off the
48
00:02:23.880 --> 00:02:24.760
ground.
49
00:02:24.760 --> 00:02:29.460
And that gives me basically the position so that then when I extend my arms
50
00:02:29.460 --> 00:02:30.280
through, you'll
51
00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:33.040
see that it has a nice flat bottom of the swing.
52
00:02:33.040 --> 00:02:37.660
Clubface is already very square, feels very stable, pointing at the target, but
53
00:02:37.660 --> 00:02:38.160
the arm
54
00:02:38.160 --> 00:02:41.400
extension is through the ball instead of at it.
55
00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:46.790
But the two big differences are with the iron, we get an inch or so closer to
56
00:02:46.790 --> 00:02:47.540
the golf
57
00:02:47.540 --> 00:02:53.120
ball as we rotate through and our hands get, you know, four inches or so in
58
00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:53.880
front of the
59
00:02:53.880 --> 00:02:55.360
golf ball at impact.
60
00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:57.760
That helps create the shaft lean.
61
00:02:57.760 --> 00:03:01.890
Well, the hands are in a similar position compared to the body, but the body is
62
00:03:01.890 --> 00:03:02.440
further
63
00:03:02.440 --> 00:03:05.440
back and a little bit more rotated inside bent.
64
00:03:05.440 --> 00:03:07.760
That helps keep this right arm bent longer.
65
00:03:07.760 --> 00:03:11.480
And those two combinations being a little bit further back and the arm more
66
00:03:11.480 --> 00:03:12.160
bent elevate
67
00:03:12.160 --> 00:03:24.260
the driver off the ground.
Have questions?
Ask Mulligan for helpImpact Fix - Driver
While this may seem like a simple drill, training "impact fix" for the driver is a great way to reinforce proper orientations and build spatial awareness. The reasons for doing this drill with several different clubs can be summarized by this anecdote:
Jon Rahm, former World No. 1, has an attack angle with his 9-iron that is 9 degrees "down"; his driver attack angle is 5 degrees "up". This means he can vary his attack angle by up to 14 degrees between just (2) different shots.
Ultimately, this variation in attack angle is necessary for producing optimal launch conditions with every club in the bag. However, if we do not understand the changes in body movements & release patterns that create this dynamic ability, we are going to have a hard time playing consistently with the irons & driver.
While this may seem like a simple drill, training "impact fix" for the driver is a great way to reinforce proper orientations and build spatial awareness. The reasons for doing this drill with several different clubs can be summarized by this anecdote:
Jon Rahm, former World No. 1, has an attack angle with his 9-iron that is 9 degrees "down"; his driver attack angle is 5 degrees "up". This means he can vary his attack angle by up to 14 degrees between just (2) different shots.
Ultimately, this variation in attack angle is necessary for producing optimal launch conditions with every club in the bag. However, if we do not understand the changes in body movements & release patterns that create this dynamic ability, we are going to have a hard time playing consistently with the irons & driver.
Video Transcript
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.680
This drill is the driver impact fix.
2
00:00:07.680 --> 00:00:12.520
So the driver impact fix is looking at the difference between setup and impact.
3
00:00:12.520 --> 00:00:16.650
So similar to the iron version, where if I choke up like it was an iron, with
4
00:00:16.650 --> 00:00:17.000
the iron
5
00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:22.360
version, if we do the merry-go-round, our hands get a few inches or four inches
6
00:00:22.360 --> 00:00:22.960
or so
7
00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.680
closer to the target, they get a little bit higher, the face gets a little bit
8
00:00:26.680 --> 00:00:27.440
more closed
9
00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:32.320
and we feel this kind of shaft lean that helps give us really solid contact.
10
00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:37.300
Well, with the driver, one of the interesting things is when we do this impact
11
00:00:37.300 --> 00:00:37.840
fix, you'll
12
00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:43.390
notice that at start position it's on the ground and then if I go to impact
13
00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:45.400
position, it's
14
00:00:45.400 --> 00:00:47.800
actually going to be off the ground.
15
00:00:47.800 --> 00:00:51.200
So it goes from here, more to there.
16
00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:54.750
And what you'll see is the hands don't move as much, the shaft will move around
17
00:00:54.750 --> 00:00:55.240
a little
18
00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:00.690
bit, but the hands don't move as much with the driver as they will with the
19
00:01:00.690 --> 00:01:01.360
iron.
20
00:01:01.360 --> 00:01:05.550
So this also answers a member question that's basically, okay, if we set up
21
00:01:05.550 --> 00:01:07.080
with the driver
22
00:01:07.080 --> 00:01:11.710
on the ground and we tee the ball halfway up the face, what is it that actually
23
00:01:11.710 --> 00:01:12.320
adjusts
24
00:01:12.320 --> 00:01:16.120
the driver so that you then hit it just above center?
25
00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:20.600
Because with the iron, we're trying to make contact about the fourth groove up.
26
00:01:20.600 --> 00:01:24.940
With the driver, you're trying to make contact just above center and just
27
00:01:24.940 --> 00:01:26.320
slightly millimeter
28
00:01:26.320 --> 00:01:27.960
or two towards the heel.
29
00:01:27.960 --> 00:01:31.530
So just above center, just towards the heel, but pretty much in the middle of
30
00:01:31.530 --> 00:01:32.160
the club,
31
00:01:32.160 --> 00:01:33.160
just like that.
32
00:01:33.160 --> 00:01:37.670
Okay, well, when I start with it on the ground, I'm going to have a certain
33
00:01:37.670 --> 00:01:38.640
amount of bend
34
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:39.640
in my arms.
35
00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:45.240
Well, when I get to impact, that right arm is typically going to be bent about
36
00:01:45.240 --> 00:01:46.480
45 degrees
37
00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:49.960
or so, 40 degrees somewhere in that zone.
38
00:01:49.960 --> 00:01:54.350
So if here, let's say it's 20 degrees bent at setup, well, that means I'm going
39
00:01:54.350 --> 00:01:54.880
to bend
40
00:01:54.880 --> 00:01:56.360
it 20 degrees more.
41
00:01:56.360 --> 00:02:00.000
That puts the driver back behind me a little bit like this.
42
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.120
And then when I changed my body position, when I go from here back to impact,
43
00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:05.760
my upper
44
00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:13.200
body is actually going to be one to two inches behind where it started.
45
00:02:13.200 --> 00:02:17.740
So that combination of I'm set up here and then at impact, I'm a little bit
46
00:02:17.740 --> 00:02:18.800
further back
47
00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:23.880
and the right arm is a little bit more bent, that brings the driver up off the
48
00:02:23.880 --> 00:02:24.760
ground.
49
00:02:24.760 --> 00:02:29.460
And that gives me basically the position so that then when I extend my arms
50
00:02:29.460 --> 00:02:30.280
through, you'll
51
00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:33.040
see that it has a nice flat bottom of the swing.
52
00:02:33.040 --> 00:02:37.660
Clubface is already very square, feels very stable, pointing at the target, but
53
00:02:37.660 --> 00:02:38.160
the arm
54
00:02:38.160 --> 00:02:41.400
extension is through the ball instead of at it.
55
00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:46.790
But the two big differences are with the iron, we get an inch or so closer to
56
00:02:46.790 --> 00:02:47.540
the golf
57
00:02:47.540 --> 00:02:53.120
ball as we rotate through and our hands get, you know, four inches or so in
58
00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:53.880
front of the
59
00:02:53.880 --> 00:02:55.360
golf ball at impact.
60
00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:57.760
That helps create the shaft lean.
61
00:02:57.760 --> 00:03:01.890
Well, the hands are in a similar position compared to the body, but the body is
62
00:03:01.890 --> 00:03:02.440
further
63
00:03:02.440 --> 00:03:05.440
back and a little bit more rotated inside bent.
64
00:03:05.440 --> 00:03:07.760
That helps keep this right arm bent longer.
65
00:03:07.760 --> 00:03:11.480
And those two combinations being a little bit further back and the arm more
66
00:03:11.480 --> 00:03:12.160
bent elevate
67
00:03:12.160 --> 00:03:24.260
the driver off the ground.
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