Spiral control

By T.J. TOMASI

The tilt and turn is a post-impact continuation of the downswing motion that is absent in the swings of most high handicappers, especially those who have been taught to “stay down.” The correct motion after contact consists of a spiraling up of the upper body as it winds itself around the spine and the forward leg.

When you think rotation, you will rotate. When you think tilt, you will tilt. Neither is exactly correct, so be careful what you think.

If all you do is rotate your body, your club is dragged across the ball at impact, producing pulls and slices. If all you do is tilt, your clubhead comes to the ball too steeply, causing fat shots and shots that fly to the right of the target.

But if you use the tilt-and-turn motion, the final leg of which is the spiral up, you will stay down when you should be down, and unwrap upward into a full release when you should be up.

The unaccomplished golfer who, on bad advice, forces his body to stay down as he swings through the ball, fights the forces of physics, which seek to continue the rotation of a body in motion. Interrupting your rotation by holding yourself down causes flipping of the hands and a flicking of the arms. Instead of spiraling up, you fire and fall back.

In contrast, the good player allows his body, including his head, to unwind upward around his spine after impact, with no restrictions on any part, right side or left. In other words, he achieves a full body release through the ball, neither adding anything nor holding anything back.

To get the feeling of the spiral up, place a ball where impact occurs and start from your finish position. Now simply rewrap yourself to the top of your backswing, then swing back down again and hit the ball, concentrating on the post-impact feeling of the spiral up.