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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 Wedge Game with the Towel Drill

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Feel how to keep your chest moving through impact for better contact
  • Identify common faults that lead to chunked or bladed shots
  • Develop a proper arm connection to enhance your wedge shots

Learn how to maintain body movement through impact with the finesse wedge towel drill. This essential practice will help you avoid fat and bladed shots by promoting better connection and follow-through.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.400
This drill is the finesse wedge towel drill, so this is to help you coast

2
00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:06.280
through the ball better.

3
00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:11.510
If you have a tendency to really stop the body and let the hands pass through,

4
00:00:11.510 --> 00:00:13.200
you may hit some

5
00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:17.600
occasional good shots here and there, but oftentimes if you have more of that

6
00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:19.760
stall body, like that

7
00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:24.870
one was okay, but I will tend to have a lot more chunk or bladed shots, and

8
00:00:24.870 --> 00:00:26.560
worst case scenario is

9
00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:31.240
I actually get some of the double hit shots because the club has so much

10
00:00:31.240 --> 00:00:32.960
acceleration from the arms

11
00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:38.060
very late. So one of the classic drills for working on keeping your chest

12
00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:39.680
moving on the way through

13
00:00:39.680 --> 00:00:44.510
is the good old towel drill. So we're going to take the towel and place it high

14
00:00:44.510 --> 00:00:45.840
up in your armpits.

15
00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:50.240
You don't want to, I see a lot of golfers anchor their elbows on this, and the

16
00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:51.280
problem is if you

17
00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:57.520
anchor your elbows, then your forearms will typically be a little bit too steep

18
00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:59.040
. So even though I have

19
00:00:59.040 --> 00:01:05.340
my arms anchored up near the armpit, I can still have the right arm slightly

20
00:01:05.340 --> 00:01:07.040
underneath or slightly

21
00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:12.790
more shallow than the left arm, so kind of like this. And then this will force

22
00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:14.160
me to keep my chest

23
00:01:14.160 --> 00:01:17.280
moving on the way through.

24
00:01:21.440 --> 00:01:25.750
So having a feel and having a look like that, but my wrists are free. So if I

25
00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:27.360
decide I want

26
00:01:27.360 --> 00:01:32.240
to have a little bit more of a feeling of throwing the club like I did on that

27
00:01:32.240 --> 00:01:32.720
one,

28
00:01:32.720 --> 00:01:38.320
this is a great way for you to feel what it's like to throw and then reconnect

29
00:01:38.320 --> 00:01:40.080
or continue with your

30
00:01:40.080 --> 00:01:40.080
chest late. So I'm going to let the club drop from my arms, and then I'm going

31
00:01:40.080 --> 00:01:48.720
to keep my chest

32
00:01:48.720 --> 00:01:51.570
turning on the way through, which I have to do in order to keep my arms

33
00:01:51.570 --> 00:01:52.800
connected for the towel.

34
00:01:52.800 --> 00:01:58.560
So like I said, a couple places where I see golfers go poor with this,

35
00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:04.420
would be in an effort to keep the club or to keep the towel connected, they'll

36
00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:05.200
dive down,

37
00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:08.560
and that's going to, that's one of the number one causes of chunking the ball

38
00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:09.040
and getting

39
00:02:09.040 --> 00:02:14.640
low point problems is coming down with the upper body. You can see when it does

40
00:02:14.640 --> 00:02:15.200
that,

41
00:02:15.200 --> 00:02:19.840
obviously exaggerated, but when it does that, the leading edge hits. If I then

42
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:21.440
were to have

43
00:02:21.440 --> 00:02:26.320
more of a stand up, even if I'm really trying to hit the ground, the bounce

44
00:02:26.320 --> 00:02:27.040
side of the club

45
00:02:27.040 --> 00:02:30.960
is going to hit the ground and the club will tend to slide. One other place

46
00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:31.840
where I see golfers

47
00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:37.120
getting trouble is when you get your body slightly open at set up, you don't

48
00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:38.240
want your shoulders to

49
00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:42.680
follow it too much. If this left shoulder gets lower than the right, that can

50
00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:43.760
cause the leading

51
00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:49.100
edge contact as well. And so some golfers, when they do this at first, when you

52
00:02:49.100 --> 00:02:49.840
put the towel in

53
00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.270
place, when they're trying to stay more centered, then when they rotate, that

54
00:02:54.270 --> 00:02:55.280
left shoulder will get

55
00:02:55.280 --> 00:03:02.240
really low. So just focus on keeping the arms a little bit more shallow or the

56
00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:03.600
shoulder slightly

57
00:03:03.600 --> 00:03:08.500
closed and holding the towel up high in the armpits, that will help to get the

58
00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:09.520
club to or

59
00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:13.080
get your body to continue turning on the way through or coasting, which will

60
00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:13.840
bring the club

61
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:16.640
through with a lot less hand action than you're used to.

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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 Wedge Game with the Towel Drill

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Feel how to keep your chest moving through impact for better contact
  • Identify common faults that lead to chunked or bladed shots
  • Develop a proper arm connection to enhance your wedge shots

Learn how to maintain body movement through impact with the finesse wedge towel drill. This essential practice will help you avoid fat and bladed shots by promoting better connection and follow-through.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.400
This drill is the finesse wedge towel drill, so this is to help you coast

2
00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:06.280
through the ball better.

3
00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:11.510
If you have a tendency to really stop the body and let the hands pass through,

4
00:00:11.510 --> 00:00:13.200
you may hit some

5
00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:17.600
occasional good shots here and there, but oftentimes if you have more of that

6
00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:19.760
stall body, like that

7
00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:24.870
one was okay, but I will tend to have a lot more chunk or bladed shots, and

8
00:00:24.870 --> 00:00:26.560
worst case scenario is

9
00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:31.240
I actually get some of the double hit shots because the club has so much

10
00:00:31.240 --> 00:00:32.960
acceleration from the arms

11
00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:38.060
very late. So one of the classic drills for working on keeping your chest

12
00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:39.680
moving on the way through

13
00:00:39.680 --> 00:00:44.510
is the good old towel drill. So we're going to take the towel and place it high

14
00:00:44.510 --> 00:00:45.840
up in your armpits.

15
00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:50.240
You don't want to, I see a lot of golfers anchor their elbows on this, and the

16
00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:51.280
problem is if you

17
00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:57.520
anchor your elbows, then your forearms will typically be a little bit too steep

18
00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:59.040
. So even though I have

19
00:00:59.040 --> 00:01:05.340
my arms anchored up near the armpit, I can still have the right arm slightly

20
00:01:05.340 --> 00:01:07.040
underneath or slightly

21
00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:12.790
more shallow than the left arm, so kind of like this. And then this will force

22
00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:14.160
me to keep my chest

23
00:01:14.160 --> 00:01:17.280
moving on the way through.

24
00:01:21.440 --> 00:01:25.750
So having a feel and having a look like that, but my wrists are free. So if I

25
00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:27.360
decide I want

26
00:01:27.360 --> 00:01:32.240
to have a little bit more of a feeling of throwing the club like I did on that

27
00:01:32.240 --> 00:01:32.720
one,

28
00:01:32.720 --> 00:01:38.320
this is a great way for you to feel what it's like to throw and then reconnect

29
00:01:38.320 --> 00:01:40.080
or continue with your

30
00:01:40.080 --> 00:01:40.080
chest late. So I'm going to let the club drop from my arms, and then I'm going

31
00:01:40.080 --> 00:01:48.720
to keep my chest

32
00:01:48.720 --> 00:01:51.570
turning on the way through, which I have to do in order to keep my arms

33
00:01:51.570 --> 00:01:52.800
connected for the towel.

34
00:01:52.800 --> 00:01:58.560
So like I said, a couple places where I see golfers go poor with this,

35
00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:04.420
would be in an effort to keep the club or to keep the towel connected, they'll

36
00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:05.200
dive down,

37
00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:08.560
and that's going to, that's one of the number one causes of chunking the ball

38
00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:09.040
and getting

39
00:02:09.040 --> 00:02:14.640
low point problems is coming down with the upper body. You can see when it does

40
00:02:14.640 --> 00:02:15.200
that,

41
00:02:15.200 --> 00:02:19.840
obviously exaggerated, but when it does that, the leading edge hits. If I then

42
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:21.440
were to have

43
00:02:21.440 --> 00:02:26.320
more of a stand up, even if I'm really trying to hit the ground, the bounce

44
00:02:26.320 --> 00:02:27.040
side of the club

45
00:02:27.040 --> 00:02:30.960
is going to hit the ground and the club will tend to slide. One other place

46
00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:31.840
where I see golfers

47
00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:37.120
getting trouble is when you get your body slightly open at set up, you don't

48
00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:38.240
want your shoulders to

49
00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:42.680
follow it too much. If this left shoulder gets lower than the right, that can

50
00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:43.760
cause the leading

51
00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:49.100
edge contact as well. And so some golfers, when they do this at first, when you

52
00:02:49.100 --> 00:02:49.840
put the towel in

53
00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.270
place, when they're trying to stay more centered, then when they rotate, that

54
00:02:54.270 --> 00:02:55.280
left shoulder will get

55
00:02:55.280 --> 00:03:02.240
really low. So just focus on keeping the arms a little bit more shallow or the

56
00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:03.600
shoulder slightly

57
00:03:03.600 --> 00:03:08.500
closed and holding the towel up high in the armpits, that will help to get the

58
00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:09.520
club to or

59
00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:13.080
get your body to continue turning on the way through or coasting, which will

60
00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:13.840
bring the club

61
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:16.640
through with a lot less hand action than you're used to.

Have questions about this video?

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