Improve Upper Body Connection with the Hogan Towel Drill

The Hogan towel drill is designed to improve upper body connection—the relationship between your arms, chest, and shoulder turn as the club moves through impact. When the drill is used correctly, it helps you feel that your body is moving the arms, rather than your hands and arms taking over on their own. That matters because many golfers lose structure in the release: the trail shoulder backs away, the lead arm folds too early, and the clubface has to be rescued with a flip. A towel placed correctly under the arms can give you immediate feedback and teach you to keep rotating through the strike. The key is using it the right way, in the right part of the swing, and not turning it into a drill that traps your arms against your body.

How the Drill Works

The basic idea is simple: you place a towel high under your armpits and make short swings while keeping the towel in place. If your arms disconnect too much from your torso, the towel will fall. That feedback encourages your chest and ribcage to keep turning so the arms can move with the body.

In practical terms, this drill trains you to avoid a release pattern where the body stalls and the hands throw the clubhead past you. If your torso keeps rotating, the handle continues moving, the arms stay more organized, and the club can release without excessive flipping or collapsing.

There is an important detail, though: the towel should sit high in the armpits, not down under the elbows. If you jam the towel too low, you restrict the natural motion of the arms and make it much harder to release the club properly. Your arms need some freedom. This drill is about connection, not immobilization.

You also need to be especially careful on the lead side. Many golfers pin the towel too much against the side of the lead ribcage. A better feel is to keep it slightly more toward the front of the body, so the lead arm is connected without being plastered flat against your side.

Used this way, the drill can help you feel:

• Continued thoracic rotation through the strike
• Better arm-body synchronization in the release
• Less stalling and flipping through impact
• More structure in the lead arm and trail shoulder after contact

Where golfers get into trouble is trying to make full swings with it. The arms and shoulders need some lift in the backswing—especially the trail shoulder. A towel under the armpits can interfere with that motion if you swing too long. That is why this drill is best used for release drills and 9-to-3 swings, not full-motion swings to the top.

Step-by-Step

1. Choose a small towel and place it high under both armpits. The towel should be tucked as high as possible so it connects the upper arms to the torso without locking the elbows into your sides.

2. Set the lead side correctly. On your lead arm, avoid pinning the towel straight into the side of your ribcage. Let it sit slightly more toward the front of your chest so the arm can still move naturally.

3. Take your normal setup. Use a short iron or wedge and stand as you normally would. This is not a drill where you need an exaggerated posture or a forced hand position.

4. Start with small waist-high swings. Make a backswing only to about hip or waist height, then swing through to a similar finish length. Think 9-to-3, not full swing.

5. Turn your chest to move the arms. As you swing down and through, feel that your ribcage and torso are carrying the arms along. The towel should stay in place because your upper body is continuing to rotate.

6. Keep the handle moving through the strike. A good checkpoint is that the grip keeps traveling with your body turn, rather than stopping while the clubhead races past your hands.

7. Finish with your chest open. At the end of the through-swing, your torso should be more rotated toward the target, with the arms still organized in front of you.

8. Watch for the towel dropping. If it falls early, that usually means you disconnected—often because your body stopped rotating, your trail shoulder backed away, or your lead arm folded and slid around you.

9. Build from rehearsals to soft shots. First make slow-motion practice swings. Then hit short shots at reduced speed. Let the drill teach the sensation before you try to add speed.

10. Keep the drill short and specific. Use it to train the release and through-swing connection, then remove the towel and hit a few normal shots while trying to preserve the same motion.

What You Should Feel

If the drill is helping you, the main sensation is that your torso keeps going. Instead of throwing the club with your hands, you should feel your chest and upper body carrying the motion through impact.

Connection Without Tension

You want to feel your upper arms staying related to your torso, but not squeezed rigidly into your sides. There should still be a little freedom in the arms. If you feel trapped, you have likely tucked the towel too low or are pressing too hard.

Body Rotation Through the Ball

The best version of this drill makes you feel as if your chest keeps opening after impact. That continued rotation is what keeps the arms from flying apart and the club from being squared only with a last-second hand action.

A More Organized Release

You may notice that the club feels more stable through the strike. The handle keeps moving, the clubhead does not overtake too early, and the finish feels more compact and controlled. That is a sign that your release is being supported by body motion rather than saved by hand timing.

Better Trail Shoulder Behavior

Another good checkpoint is your trail shoulder. In a poor release pattern, the trail shoulder can peel off your body and work too independently. In this drill, you should feel that shoulder staying more connected to the turn of your torso as you move through the ball.

Lead Arm Staying More Structured

If your lead arm tends to chicken wing after impact, this drill can help you sense a more connected exit. The lead arm should not immediately collapse and slide around your body. Instead, it should stay more in sync with the turning chest.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Placing the towel too low. If it sits under the elbows instead of high in the armpits, you will lock the arms down and interfere with the release.
• Squeezing the arms too tightly into the body. The goal is connection, not restriction. Your arms still need some natural motion.
• Using the drill for full swings. This is where many golfers run into trouble. The backswing needs some lift, especially in the trail shoulder, and the towel can distort that if you go too far.
• Letting the club get too far inside. Overdoing the “connected” feeling can drag the arms and club inward, upsetting your backswing structure and path.
• Trying to force a perfect towel hold at all costs. Some players will contort their motion just to keep the towel from falling. That defeats the purpose.
• Stalling the body through impact. If your torso stops, the towel often drops because the arms have to take over and throw the club.
• Allowing the trail shoulder to separate. When the trail shoulder backs out of the motion, connection is lost and the release usually becomes handsy.
• Letting the lead arm collapse into a chicken wing. Early folding of the lead arm often causes the towel to fall and signals that the arms are no longer being carried by the pivot.
• Assuming the drill is right for everyone. Some very good golfers may not respond well to it. If it makes your motion worse or overly restricted, it may not be the best tool for you.

How This Fits Your Swing

This drill fits into a bigger concept: the body should organize the motion of the arms, especially through the strike. That does not mean the arms do nothing. It means their movement is supported and directed by the pivot rather than disconnected from it.

If your common miss comes from flipping the club, stalling your chest, or losing structure after impact, the Hogan towel drill can give you a very useful feel. It teaches you that the release is not just a hand action. The club gets delivered more reliably when your torso keeps rotating and your arms stay connected to that motion.

At the same time, this drill should not become your entire swing model. In a full swing, the arms must elevate and the trail shoulder must work properly. If you overuse the towel drill, you can create the opposite problem: arms that get trapped, a club that works too far behind you, and a release pattern that becomes too restricted.

That is why the best use of this drill is targeted and specific:

• Use it for short swings
• Use it for release training
• Use it to feel continued body rotation through impact
• Then return to normal swings and keep only the useful sensation

Think of it as a feedback tool, not a permanent way to swing. When used in moderation, it can help you understand what a connected release feels like. You learn that your arms do not need to rescue the shot on their own. Instead, your chest, ribcage, and pivot can keep moving, and the club can be delivered with much better structure and control.

If you keep the towel high, keep the swings short, and focus on turning through the ball, this drill can be an excellent way to train a release where your body moves the arms—not the other way around.