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.

Identify Your Power Source with Rope Swing Drills

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Recognize the differences between pulling and twerking the club for better swing dynamics
  • Feel how the tension in the rope translates to your swing mechanics
  • Develop a clearer sense of timing for your backswing and follow-through

In this video, you'll learn how to use rope swings to identify and train your power source in your golf swing. This practical drill helps you understand the timing and mechanics that contribute to a powerful shot.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.440
This video is using rope swings to identify your power source.

2
00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:09.450
So I'm going to talk a little bit here about the difference between iron driver

3
00:00:09.450 --> 00:00:09.760
.

4
00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:14.600
We're going to use the rope as kind of an experiment to help you feel and train

5
00:00:14.600 --> 00:00:15.000
the different

6
00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:18.760
timings of how we want to pull on the club.

7
00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:24.410
And this is one of the best ways I know to kind of replicate a hands-on drill

8
00:00:24.410 --> 00:00:25.000
that I

9
00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:28.060
do with a lot of my students where I have to get in there and kind of pull on

10
00:00:28.060 --> 00:00:28.520
the club

11
00:00:28.520 --> 00:00:32.640
in specific ways and help them really feel what's going on.

12
00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:35.800
So the drill itself is really simple.

13
00:00:35.800 --> 00:00:37.380
You're basically going to swing a rope.

14
00:00:37.380 --> 00:00:44.200
So this is, let's say, about a five-foot rope and I'm just doubling it up.

15
00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:50.160
A lot of guys have used this, Rob Holding, Dr. Kwan, I know Sasha is a big fan.

16
00:00:50.160 --> 00:00:56.420
And part of the reason is because there are two major ways I can swing this

17
00:00:56.420 --> 00:00:57.360
golf club

18
00:00:57.360 --> 00:00:59.960
around me because it's a rigid object.

19
00:00:59.960 --> 00:01:05.140
I can use either twerking the club where basically I just get the club to

20
00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:06.560
rotate or

21
00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:11.660
I can pull along the club and if I pull different than the direction it's

22
00:01:11.660 --> 00:01:12.880
pointing, I can get

23
00:01:12.880 --> 00:01:16.240
the club to kind of swing that way.

24
00:01:16.240 --> 00:01:22.100
The way some conversations with Sasha Mackenzie, the better players tend to

25
00:01:22.100 --> 00:01:23.240
pull along the

26
00:01:23.240 --> 00:01:28.720
rope longer or pull along the shaft of the golf club longer.

27
00:01:28.720 --> 00:01:33.620
And the neat thing is, with a rope, you can't really do anything but pull along

28
00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:34.320
it or else

29
00:01:34.320 --> 00:01:43.080
it'll lose that angle and it'll basically lose that leg and it'll release.

30
00:01:43.080 --> 00:01:48.650
So when we take the rope, you're just going to take a little backswing, let the

31
00:01:48.650 --> 00:01:49.240
rope kind

32
00:01:49.240 --> 00:01:54.250
of collect around you and then you're going to take your through swing working

33
00:01:54.250 --> 00:01:55.080
on whatever

34
00:01:55.080 --> 00:01:57.120
good mechanic you're working on.

35
00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:59.800
The thing that I want you to pay attention to is the direction that you're

36
00:01:59.800 --> 00:02:00.600
pulling compared

37
00:02:00.600 --> 00:02:01.600
to the rope.

38
00:02:01.600 --> 00:02:07.810
So when I'm up here and I'm pulling it down, if I do, you'll see that it will

39
00:02:07.810 --> 00:02:08.800
tend to release

40
00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:13.680
kind of out towards the ground or if I get up here and I pull down, you'll see

41
00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:14.440
that it'll

42
00:02:14.440 --> 00:02:16.280
release behind the golf ball.

43
00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:20.760
The other option would be as if I was pulling it.

44
00:02:20.760 --> 00:02:25.770
The classic example that I've heard, I know Brian Menzel has used it recently,

45
00:02:25.770 --> 00:02:26.280
but I'm

46
00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:33.080
not sure where it originally came from, is the pulling on either the, like I

47
00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:34.120
have a quiver

48
00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:41.160
of arrows and I'm trying to pull an arrow out, basically by using my body turn,

49
00:02:41.160 --> 00:02:42.000
I'm going

50
00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:47.810
to be pulling this club or pulling along the shaft of the club or along the end

51
00:02:47.810 --> 00:02:48.040
of the

52
00:02:48.040 --> 00:02:49.480
club kind of like this.

53
00:02:49.480 --> 00:02:53.900
So it's not that you really need to feel like you pull it out that way, it's

54
00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:54.800
that if someone

55
00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:59.680
was holding on to this, I'm going to use my body to kind of feel like I pull

56
00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:00.360
that out

57
00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:04.960
from wherever it's attached, somewhere to my towel pull model.

58
00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:10.100
So I can get up there and if I was to pull straight down, even if I use body

59
00:03:10.100 --> 00:03:11.080
turn, you'll

60
00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:15.840
see that it tends to pass there, where if I pull along it, I can actually get

61
00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:17.680
it to whip

62
00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:21.960
all the way up through there, I can get it to whip well after impact.

63
00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:24.790
And that's where the two different patterns for the two different clubs tend to

64
00:03:24.790 --> 00:03:27.320
come in.

65
00:03:27.320 --> 00:03:32.330
With the iron, I can get away with kind of pulling down and having it whip

66
00:03:32.330 --> 00:03:33.400
right through

67
00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:39.640
there, where I'm pulling more perpendicular to the rope instead of along it.

68
00:03:39.640 --> 00:03:44.650
But with a driver, in order to get the club low to the ground and not bottom

69
00:03:44.650 --> 00:03:45.720
out, or not

70
00:03:45.720 --> 00:03:50.220
hit the ground behind it, in order to develop this flat spot, I have to pull

71
00:03:50.220 --> 00:03:51.480
along it longer.

72
00:03:51.480 --> 00:03:57.880
So I'm going to pull all the way through well past impact.

73
00:03:57.880 --> 00:04:03.460
So that model, if I was to then take a driver, go up to the top of the swing,

74
00:04:03.460 --> 00:04:04.480
means that I'm

75
00:04:04.480 --> 00:04:11.600
basically going to be pulling along the direction that the club is pointing.

76
00:04:11.600 --> 00:04:15.040
Which basically just means I'm not going to pull with my arms, I'm going to

77
00:04:15.040 --> 00:04:15.600
pull with

78
00:04:15.600 --> 00:04:16.600
my body.

79
00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:19.450
So if I pull with my body, you can see right around here, it looks like I'm

80
00:04:19.450 --> 00:04:20.040
going to be

81
00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:23.840
pulling that way, right around here, it looks like I'm going to be pulling that

82
00:04:23.840 --> 00:04:24.280
way.

83
00:04:24.280 --> 00:04:28.880
Right around here, if I'm pulling along it, it's pulling more that way.

84
00:04:28.880 --> 00:04:34.070
So the longer I kind of pull along the club, the more I'm using my body to pull

85
00:04:34.070 --> 00:04:35.400
along it.

86
00:04:35.400 --> 00:04:39.830
The more that I get up here, and I pull down, that creates a ton of lag, but

87
00:04:39.830 --> 00:04:40.700
then it's going

88
00:04:40.700 --> 00:04:47.630
to tend to force this kind of releasing of that lag, which is going to tend to

89
00:04:47.630 --> 00:04:48.560
cause that

90
00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:54.600
high to low, steeper angle of attack, which tends to struggle with the longer

91
00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:55.440
clubs.

92
00:04:55.440 --> 00:04:59.440
So if I'm using the rope to help train my driver swing, then I want to make

93
00:04:59.440 --> 00:05:00.120
sure that

94
00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:05.310
I'm getting this thing to release as late as possible, or I'm pulling along the

95
00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:05.720
rope

96
00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:07.640
for as long as possible.

97
00:05:07.640 --> 00:05:13.280
So I'm going to try and basically get it to pull all the way through here.

98
00:05:13.280 --> 00:05:19.190
So I'm pull, pull, pull, pull, and then you'll see that my arms don't actually

99
00:05:19.190 --> 00:05:20.680
release until

100
00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:21.920
right around there.

101
00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:26.330
And I can do it looking where I would be looking, so kind of looking in the

102
00:05:26.330 --> 00:05:26.600
direction of the

103
00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:27.680
golf ball.

104
00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:32.100
And then once I have a real good feeling of it, instead of having the rope or

105
00:05:32.100 --> 00:05:32.640
doubling

106
00:05:32.640 --> 00:05:39.610
it up, I can do it in one long position, which now it just takes a little bit

107
00:05:39.610 --> 00:05:40.440
more kind of

108
00:05:40.440 --> 00:05:44.400
discipline and timing to kind of feel exactly when to pull.

109
00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:53.100
Once I have that good sensation, then I can take my regular grip and setup, and

110
00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:53.680
I can

111
00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:58.090
feel like I'm going to pull, pull, pull, pull, like I'm going to release out

112
00:05:58.090 --> 00:05:58.480
there.

113
00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:04.240
So we'll move that bucket, I think it was safe, but better safe than sorry.

114
00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:08.260
So up to the top, and then I'm going to pull, pull, pull, pull, and it's going

115
00:06:08.260 --> 00:06:08.920
to feel like

116
00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:14.730
I'm basically snapping that towel all the way through there, as opposed to if I

117
00:06:14.730 --> 00:06:15.120
got up

118
00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:18.120
here, I pulled more down.

119
00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:23.130
So pulling this way instead of along it, using my arms, now I have this steep

120
00:06:23.130 --> 00:06:23.800
angle and it's

121
00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:31.340
going to cause me to use that torque of the club in order to get it out.

122
00:06:31.340 --> 00:06:35.280
So I would pull down, and then I would use my hands to kind of throw it there.

123
00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:38.870
You would see that the path isn't going to work for a driver, I can make it

124
00:06:38.870 --> 00:06:39.320
work for

125
00:06:39.320 --> 00:06:44.220
an iron if I have a little bit of an upper body lunge, but overall that pattern

126
00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:44.640
is not

127
00:06:44.640 --> 00:06:46.600
going to work for the longer clubs.

128
00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.820
The more I can use my body to pull, the better it's going to work for the

129
00:06:49.820 --> 00:06:50.720
longer clubs, and

130
00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:55.610
a good way for you to experience it, as well as to train it, is by swinging a

131
00:06:55.610 --> 00:06:56.320
four or five

132
00:06:56.320 --> 00:06:56.760
foot rope.

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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.

Identify Your Power Source with Rope Swing Drills

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Recognize the differences between pulling and twerking the club for better swing dynamics
  • Feel how the tension in the rope translates to your swing mechanics
  • Develop a clearer sense of timing for your backswing and follow-through

In this video, you'll learn how to use rope swings to identify and train your power source in your golf swing. This practical drill helps you understand the timing and mechanics that contribute to a powerful shot.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.440
This video is using rope swings to identify your power source.

2
00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:09.450
So I'm going to talk a little bit here about the difference between iron driver

3
00:00:09.450 --> 00:00:09.760
.

4
00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:14.600
We're going to use the rope as kind of an experiment to help you feel and train

5
00:00:14.600 --> 00:00:15.000
the different

6
00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:18.760
timings of how we want to pull on the club.

7
00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:24.410
And this is one of the best ways I know to kind of replicate a hands-on drill

8
00:00:24.410 --> 00:00:25.000
that I

9
00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:28.060
do with a lot of my students where I have to get in there and kind of pull on

10
00:00:28.060 --> 00:00:28.520
the club

11
00:00:28.520 --> 00:00:32.640
in specific ways and help them really feel what's going on.

12
00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:35.800
So the drill itself is really simple.

13
00:00:35.800 --> 00:00:37.380
You're basically going to swing a rope.

14
00:00:37.380 --> 00:00:44.200
So this is, let's say, about a five-foot rope and I'm just doubling it up.

15
00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:50.160
A lot of guys have used this, Rob Holding, Dr. Kwan, I know Sasha is a big fan.

16
00:00:50.160 --> 00:00:56.420
And part of the reason is because there are two major ways I can swing this

17
00:00:56.420 --> 00:00:57.360
golf club

18
00:00:57.360 --> 00:00:59.960
around me because it's a rigid object.

19
00:00:59.960 --> 00:01:05.140
I can use either twerking the club where basically I just get the club to

20
00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:06.560
rotate or

21
00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:11.660
I can pull along the club and if I pull different than the direction it's

22
00:01:11.660 --> 00:01:12.880
pointing, I can get

23
00:01:12.880 --> 00:01:16.240
the club to kind of swing that way.

24
00:01:16.240 --> 00:01:22.100
The way some conversations with Sasha Mackenzie, the better players tend to

25
00:01:22.100 --> 00:01:23.240
pull along the

26
00:01:23.240 --> 00:01:28.720
rope longer or pull along the shaft of the golf club longer.

27
00:01:28.720 --> 00:01:33.620
And the neat thing is, with a rope, you can't really do anything but pull along

28
00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:34.320
it or else

29
00:01:34.320 --> 00:01:43.080
it'll lose that angle and it'll basically lose that leg and it'll release.

30
00:01:43.080 --> 00:01:48.650
So when we take the rope, you're just going to take a little backswing, let the

31
00:01:48.650 --> 00:01:49.240
rope kind

32
00:01:49.240 --> 00:01:54.250
of collect around you and then you're going to take your through swing working

33
00:01:54.250 --> 00:01:55.080
on whatever

34
00:01:55.080 --> 00:01:57.120
good mechanic you're working on.

35
00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:59.800
The thing that I want you to pay attention to is the direction that you're

36
00:01:59.800 --> 00:02:00.600
pulling compared

37
00:02:00.600 --> 00:02:01.600
to the rope.

38
00:02:01.600 --> 00:02:07.810
So when I'm up here and I'm pulling it down, if I do, you'll see that it will

39
00:02:07.810 --> 00:02:08.800
tend to release

40
00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:13.680
kind of out towards the ground or if I get up here and I pull down, you'll see

41
00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:14.440
that it'll

42
00:02:14.440 --> 00:02:16.280
release behind the golf ball.

43
00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:20.760
The other option would be as if I was pulling it.

44
00:02:20.760 --> 00:02:25.770
The classic example that I've heard, I know Brian Menzel has used it recently,

45
00:02:25.770 --> 00:02:26.280
but I'm

46
00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:33.080
not sure where it originally came from, is the pulling on either the, like I

47
00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:34.120
have a quiver

48
00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:41.160
of arrows and I'm trying to pull an arrow out, basically by using my body turn,

49
00:02:41.160 --> 00:02:42.000
I'm going

50
00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:47.810
to be pulling this club or pulling along the shaft of the club or along the end

51
00:02:47.810 --> 00:02:48.040
of the

52
00:02:48.040 --> 00:02:49.480
club kind of like this.

53
00:02:49.480 --> 00:02:53.900
So it's not that you really need to feel like you pull it out that way, it's

54
00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:54.800
that if someone

55
00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:59.680
was holding on to this, I'm going to use my body to kind of feel like I pull

56
00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:00.360
that out

57
00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:04.960
from wherever it's attached, somewhere to my towel pull model.

58
00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:10.100
So I can get up there and if I was to pull straight down, even if I use body

59
00:03:10.100 --> 00:03:11.080
turn, you'll

60
00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:15.840
see that it tends to pass there, where if I pull along it, I can actually get

61
00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:17.680
it to whip

62
00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:21.960
all the way up through there, I can get it to whip well after impact.

63
00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:24.790
And that's where the two different patterns for the two different clubs tend to

64
00:03:24.790 --> 00:03:27.320
come in.

65
00:03:27.320 --> 00:03:32.330
With the iron, I can get away with kind of pulling down and having it whip

66
00:03:32.330 --> 00:03:33.400
right through

67
00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:39.640
there, where I'm pulling more perpendicular to the rope instead of along it.

68
00:03:39.640 --> 00:03:44.650
But with a driver, in order to get the club low to the ground and not bottom

69
00:03:44.650 --> 00:03:45.720
out, or not

70
00:03:45.720 --> 00:03:50.220
hit the ground behind it, in order to develop this flat spot, I have to pull

71
00:03:50.220 --> 00:03:51.480
along it longer.

72
00:03:51.480 --> 00:03:57.880
So I'm going to pull all the way through well past impact.

73
00:03:57.880 --> 00:04:03.460
So that model, if I was to then take a driver, go up to the top of the swing,

74
00:04:03.460 --> 00:04:04.480
means that I'm

75
00:04:04.480 --> 00:04:11.600
basically going to be pulling along the direction that the club is pointing.

76
00:04:11.600 --> 00:04:15.040
Which basically just means I'm not going to pull with my arms, I'm going to

77
00:04:15.040 --> 00:04:15.600
pull with

78
00:04:15.600 --> 00:04:16.600
my body.

79
00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:19.450
So if I pull with my body, you can see right around here, it looks like I'm

80
00:04:19.450 --> 00:04:20.040
going to be

81
00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:23.840
pulling that way, right around here, it looks like I'm going to be pulling that

82
00:04:23.840 --> 00:04:24.280
way.

83
00:04:24.280 --> 00:04:28.880
Right around here, if I'm pulling along it, it's pulling more that way.

84
00:04:28.880 --> 00:04:34.070
So the longer I kind of pull along the club, the more I'm using my body to pull

85
00:04:34.070 --> 00:04:35.400
along it.

86
00:04:35.400 --> 00:04:39.830
The more that I get up here, and I pull down, that creates a ton of lag, but

87
00:04:39.830 --> 00:04:40.700
then it's going

88
00:04:40.700 --> 00:04:47.630
to tend to force this kind of releasing of that lag, which is going to tend to

89
00:04:47.630 --> 00:04:48.560
cause that

90
00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:54.600
high to low, steeper angle of attack, which tends to struggle with the longer

91
00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:55.440
clubs.

92
00:04:55.440 --> 00:04:59.440
So if I'm using the rope to help train my driver swing, then I want to make

93
00:04:59.440 --> 00:05:00.120
sure that

94
00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:05.310
I'm getting this thing to release as late as possible, or I'm pulling along the

95
00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:05.720
rope

96
00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:07.640
for as long as possible.

97
00:05:07.640 --> 00:05:13.280
So I'm going to try and basically get it to pull all the way through here.

98
00:05:13.280 --> 00:05:19.190
So I'm pull, pull, pull, pull, and then you'll see that my arms don't actually

99
00:05:19.190 --> 00:05:20.680
release until

100
00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:21.920
right around there.

101
00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:26.330
And I can do it looking where I would be looking, so kind of looking in the

102
00:05:26.330 --> 00:05:26.600
direction of the

103
00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:27.680
golf ball.

104
00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:32.100
And then once I have a real good feeling of it, instead of having the rope or

105
00:05:32.100 --> 00:05:32.640
doubling

106
00:05:32.640 --> 00:05:39.610
it up, I can do it in one long position, which now it just takes a little bit

107
00:05:39.610 --> 00:05:40.440
more kind of

108
00:05:40.440 --> 00:05:44.400
discipline and timing to kind of feel exactly when to pull.

109
00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:53.100
Once I have that good sensation, then I can take my regular grip and setup, and

110
00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:53.680
I can

111
00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:58.090
feel like I'm going to pull, pull, pull, pull, like I'm going to release out

112
00:05:58.090 --> 00:05:58.480
there.

113
00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:04.240
So we'll move that bucket, I think it was safe, but better safe than sorry.

114
00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:08.260
So up to the top, and then I'm going to pull, pull, pull, pull, and it's going

115
00:06:08.260 --> 00:06:08.920
to feel like

116
00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:14.730
I'm basically snapping that towel all the way through there, as opposed to if I

117
00:06:14.730 --> 00:06:15.120
got up

118
00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:18.120
here, I pulled more down.

119
00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:23.130
So pulling this way instead of along it, using my arms, now I have this steep

120
00:06:23.130 --> 00:06:23.800
angle and it's

121
00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:31.340
going to cause me to use that torque of the club in order to get it out.

122
00:06:31.340 --> 00:06:35.280
So I would pull down, and then I would use my hands to kind of throw it there.

123
00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:38.870
You would see that the path isn't going to work for a driver, I can make it

124
00:06:38.870 --> 00:06:39.320
work for

125
00:06:39.320 --> 00:06:44.220
an iron if I have a little bit of an upper body lunge, but overall that pattern

126
00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:44.640
is not

127
00:06:44.640 --> 00:06:46.600
going to work for the longer clubs.

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00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.820
The more I can use my body to pull, the better it's going to work for the

129
00:06:49.820 --> 00:06:50.720
longer clubs, and

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00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:55.610
a good way for you to experience it, as well as to train it, is by swinging a

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00:06:55.610 --> 00:06:56.320
four or five

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00:06:56.320 --> 00:06:56.760
foot rope.

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