Different Follow Throughs

Take a look down a regular driving range, what is very normal to see, is players of all levels hitting balls with one club, making one type of swing, hitting one type of shot to a sole target.  This one repetitive movement would be fine if golf was only played on a driving range, on a perfectly flat lie, with no wind, and the exact same distance of shot every time.   But golf is not like this; during a round of golf, you face many different situations: the lie, the wind, the pin position, the distance, for example.  So, to have the shot required each time, and to be able to control your ball from every situation, one repetitive movement will not work.  You need to be able to adjust, and it is a skill the better players have.   If you watch the great players around the world, even if they are not aware of it, they have learnt to change the way they release their arms, hands, and club through the impact zone, and in their follow through to hit the type of shot they need, and keep control over their ball.  This is not just about shot making.  It is a skill of controlling your ball.  Developing skill at impact into the follow through will help you gain control in your game, with the extra bonus of being able to hit different types of shots.

When you practice, I want you to develop the skill of changing your feel through impact, and into your follow through to hit 4 different types of shots.  If you can do this, I will guarantee your control will improve, and your scores will drop.

The Low Shot

From impact to follow through, feel like the club head stays underneath your hands.  To do this, you will have to shorten the length of your follow through.  It is a great shot to have when you are playing into the wind.

The High Shot

From just before impact, feel like you release the club a little faster with more of a tilt to your shoulders so you swing into to a high finish.  A great shot to play when you have an object to go over, or you need the ball to stop fast on the green.

Draw Shot

From just before impact, feel like you are swinging your arms more to the right of the target, out in front of your body while releasing the club face.  In the follow through, you will feel like the plane of the club shaft is flatter than normal.

Fade Shot

From just before impact, feel like you are swinging your arms more to the left of the target, around your body while you hold the club face open.  Opposite to the draw, you will feel the club shaft is steeper than normal, and because you are not releasing so much, the follow through length will be a little shorter.

The thing about golf and individuals is that we all will feel different things to create the same shot.  So you can use these feelings I have given you as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to experiment in your practice.