I started doing what you suggest here after your other recent tip on separation. I think I am swinging the club better than ever. Longer and straighter. But it has led me to modify something else I learned from you: the downswing. I’ve initiated the downswing, as you do, by pushing off with my right foot. But sometimes I “spun out.” Sometimes I slid forward. After your previous separation tip, I began pushing off while still focusing on “turning the hips.” Maybe this is obvious to you. But I had never picked up on it. I thought all I had to do was either, push off or straighten the left leg (while staying behind the ball). Anyway, great tips. Keep ’em coming.
Thank you for your support. I truly appreciate it.
Are you getting the daily tips. I am getting a notification they are bouncing back to me. Please let me know.
Glad the separation tip helped. Yes, I am turning and shifting from the back instep. Without this rotation you will move too much sideways which would lead to inconsistent shots. Stay focused on this move now until you get better at it. It should make the world of difference.
Thank you for “drilling” your separation “drills” into my head! I like when you said in an earlier video there are two power sources in your swing, either your hips or your arms and I don’t want you to use your arms. This is really helping me turning them off.
Also I think my starting trigger is pretending there is a ball on the ground outside my left knee and try hitting it with my right knee. Your distraction video help me with this one. This also helps me get my hips firing first.
Now that I understand there should be about 70% of my weight at impact this is helping me straighten my left leg ending with a nice forward finish.
This is an excellent drill. I would be lying if I said I had separation totally nailed. I added when I am doing this drill a variation that I first practice. That is I stand upright and hold the club in front of me with my normal grip but my club and arms limp. This totally takes the swing out of the equation.
I take my normal coil/uncoil swing tempo and speed, though keeping my arms limp the whole time. I then do the coil with my shoulders and the uncoil with my shoulders. I do this until I get a sense as to the speed of the limp club moving through the swing. Then I repeat but do the uncoil by firing my lower body first. The sensation of the club moving through the swing is clearly faster. I find getting this noticeable feedback great food for the brain. I also find during this drill I am sometimes moving my body laterally (the power leak you talk about). I practice this drill until I get the mechanics down and the lateral move is gone.
Then I move to your drill. Then finally to hitting shots (I have a 10×10 cage in my backyard). Since I have started doing this I find myself getting to powerless arms much quicker in my warm up and I see faster swing speed on my radar as well as shots that pop the target with greater consistency.
I want to thank you for your instruction. It has made a huge difference in my handicap and more importantly in my enjoyment and appreciation for the game.
Very good. I like when people add to what I am instructing (if it’s right or beneficial). If this is getting you do feel it then certainly keep doing it. This is an important elements. As I said, it separates pros from ams. Guess what happens when you master it? You hit it like a pro. This should be incentive enough.
I am curious about your thoughts on the relationship between a lack of separation and pulls, pull hooks, and slices.
I struggle with the pulls, pull hooks, and slices, and know from your instruction that the main cause is that I am swinging to the left, or over the top.
You discuss that separation will lead to more distance, but I am guessing that my lack of separation is at least contributing to my swing going left. If the hips and shoulders don’t separate, and start down at roughly the same time, then I would think that would tend to cause the arms and club to swing left.
Not sure what you are curious about. If you have no separation you are hitting with arms. If you hit will arms you will send it over the top and pull/pull hook/pull slice it.
If you have separation you are firing your lower body first in the downswing. You body is the axis. You turn this first and mass (the club) follows it will always flatten towards 90 degrees to the axis. Simple physics.
Paul,
Thanks for confirming for me the key is seperation. The more aggressively I turn my hips and just sort of forget about my arms and hands the faster the club head speed. I am hitting drives to places I have never seen on my course. My friends are convinced it is my yoga workout. LOL.
My two things I struggle with are when I fire my hips to the left my hands will tighten and this ruins the release. And secondly with shorter clubs I want to hit with my hands. I don’t give it time to separate, I don’t trust that the club face will be square to target. Thanks for all you have done for me. Your method is solid and correct. I will keep working hard to make it effortless.
Thanks, Doug
Yes, separation is the missing link. Pros have it. Amateurs do not. You just need to keep doing the drills until you do it without thinking about it. Right now it is early days. I am certainly not thinking about it yet I have it. You will too.
Once you take all of their money make sure you tell them about the site.
This really demonstrates separation. I’ve been doing this for quite some time. Once you get the separation and end up in the correct follow through position you are ready to play the best golf of your life.
Paul,
I too want to thank you for the great tips. My problem is that there are so many good tips, I’m not sure what to work on first. With this tip that problem has been solved because this will be my primary drill.
I also wanted to mention to you that since you have moved your site I am finding the response a little slower than before. In addition I have had multiple nights where when I logged on it said I had an incorrect password. However, without changing anything, I try it multiple times and eventually i can get in.
Again keep up the good work with the drills, they are really helpful.
Strange the site would be slow. It is lightening fast now for me. It is hosted on the cloud so it should be loading it near your location. I can talk to the developers.
Log in issues are on your end. We deal with this on a daily basis. It is the person entering the wrong info, the wrong info is cached in their computer, they are adding spaces or capitalizing the password, or the device is autocorrecting what they are entering. The best thing to do it install password software. Enter it once and it will fill it in for you. The one I recommend is LastPass. You can download it for free. Give it a try and see.
Working on this all the time. When on the course my ball often goes right of the target. Not a slice but straight right of my target. I assume my clubface is open to the target at impact somewhat. How do you practice a square clubface at impact while moving the hips faster and faster?
You don’t. You need to roll it over early and get it hooking. Then you switch your thinking to the lower. If you try to do both you won’t do either.
Your ball is going right because you are only fire one part of your swing faster so the face is open. Your release is not timed for a body rotation that is that fast. So you do the roll over and hook it. This speeds up the release. Then you fire the lower harder to straighten it out.
My problem is a subset of Gerry’s. I find that I do well exaggerating separation with the longer clubs but with the short clubs it leads to a push. Am I correct in stating that the degree of separation in longer clubs needs to be greater than with shorter clubs? If so, is this timing difference due to the difference in shaft length?
You are firing the lower too hard with shorter clubs. You don’t have to go a million miles per hour with a 9 iron. Just swing smooth. If you blow it right do some roll overs to loose the hinge then try again.
Paul,
Have appreciated your tips and instruction. I think your method makes more sense than any other. I have been working on your technique for over 6 months, love the daily instructions, and feel really great practicing and swinging at home without a ball. Unfortunately, transferring the swing to the course has been completely unsuccessful to the point where I have zero confidence on any shot except a tee ball. My game has never been worse, and you probably have a feeling of how that eventually just wears you down mentally. I have decided to put the clubs away for at least 6 months, perhaps longer. If I resume after that time I will likely start over with your method, but not really sure for now. Perhaps a tip on re-starting one’s game would be a good thing.
The issue with taking your swing to the course is you go out to play and you keep trying to hit your best shots. So you go right back to your old swing. This is not how to do it. I have numerous tips on this. Here is the one you need to watch:
So follow that tip and make the transition. Forget the ball and trying to swing like you normally do. This is new and different and you are not good at it. So do it at a pace you can actually do it. Then do it faster.
Over the winter you need to work on the positions and make them perfect. Just do them in practice swings at home looking for the feedback and checkpoints.
I have been playing golf for about 40 years and have had regular tuition but I am now 68 with a stiff back and hitting shorter with all clubs. None of the many professionals that I have seen over the years have ever commented on separation, normally talking about turning the left shoulder and getting coil. I think getting my belt buckle to face the target before the club swings through is quite extreme but hopefully after plenty of winter practice I can work this out and get some distance back. Many thanks, this could be a “light bulb” moment!
Yes, this is a great drill and it is a thought not reality. It is new and different and take co ordination. You just need to keep doing it until you are good at it. Here are a couple more drills you can do.
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23 Responses to “Up In The Air Drills – Separation”
May 12, 2017
Bill FreemanHi Paul,
I started doing what you suggest here after your other recent tip on separation. I think I am swinging the club better than ever. Longer and straighter. But it has led me to modify something else I learned from you: the downswing. I’ve initiated the downswing, as you do, by pushing off with my right foot. But sometimes I “spun out.” Sometimes I slid forward. After your previous separation tip, I began pushing off while still focusing on “turning the hips.” Maybe this is obvious to you. But I had never picked up on it. I thought all I had to do was either, push off or straighten the left leg (while staying behind the ball). Anyway, great tips. Keep ’em coming.
May 14, 2017
Paul WilsonBill,
Thank you for your support. I truly appreciate it.
Are you getting the daily tips. I am getting a notification they are bouncing back to me. Please let me know.
Glad the separation tip helped. Yes, I am turning and shifting from the back instep. Without this rotation you will move too much sideways which would lead to inconsistent shots. Stay focused on this move now until you get better at it. It should make the world of difference.
May 22, 2017
JohnBensonThank you for “drilling” your separation “drills” into my head! I like when you said in an earlier video there are two power sources in your swing, either your hips or your arms and I don’t want you to use your arms. This is really helping me turning them off.
Also I think my starting trigger is pretending there is a ball on the ground outside my left knee and try hitting it with my right knee. Your distraction video help me with this one. This also helps me get my hips firing first.
Now that I understand there should be about 70% of my weight at impact this is helping me straighten my left leg ending with a nice forward finish.
May 22, 2017
Paul WilsonJohn,
This is critical if you want to hit it a long way. Glad you are working on it.
Sounds like you are getting close. Keep at it.
June 25, 2017
EricMatthewsThis is an excellent drill. I would be lying if I said I had separation totally nailed. I added when I am doing this drill a variation that I first practice. That is I stand upright and hold the club in front of me with my normal grip but my club and arms limp. This totally takes the swing out of the equation.
I take my normal coil/uncoil swing tempo and speed, though keeping my arms limp the whole time. I then do the coil with my shoulders and the uncoil with my shoulders. I do this until I get a sense as to the speed of the limp club moving through the swing. Then I repeat but do the uncoil by firing my lower body first. The sensation of the club moving through the swing is clearly faster. I find getting this noticeable feedback great food for the brain. I also find during this drill I am sometimes moving my body laterally (the power leak you talk about). I practice this drill until I get the mechanics down and the lateral move is gone.
Then I move to your drill. Then finally to hitting shots (I have a 10×10 cage in my backyard). Since I have started doing this I find myself getting to powerless arms much quicker in my warm up and I see faster swing speed on my radar as well as shots that pop the target with greater consistency.
I want to thank you for your instruction. It has made a huge difference in my handicap and more importantly in my enjoyment and appreciation for the game.
June 26, 2017
Paul WilsonEric,
Very good. I like when people add to what I am instructing (if it’s right or beneficial). If this is getting you do feel it then certainly keep doing it. This is an important elements. As I said, it separates pros from ams. Guess what happens when you master it? You hit it like a pro. This should be incentive enough.
November 30, 2017
MatthewVintonPaul,
I am curious about your thoughts on the relationship between a lack of separation and pulls, pull hooks, and slices.
I struggle with the pulls, pull hooks, and slices, and know from your instruction that the main cause is that I am swinging to the left, or over the top.
You discuss that separation will lead to more distance, but I am guessing that my lack of separation is at least contributing to my swing going left. If the hips and shoulders don’t separate, and start down at roughly the same time, then I would think that would tend to cause the arms and club to swing left.
Any thoughts on this?
November 30, 2017
Paul WilsonMatthew,
Not sure what you are curious about. If you have no separation you are hitting with arms. If you hit will arms you will send it over the top and pull/pull hook/pull slice it.
If you have separation you are firing your lower body first in the downswing. You body is the axis. You turn this first and mass (the club) follows it will always flatten towards 90 degrees to the axis. Simple physics.
2 Things Flatten the Plane: https://ignitiongolf.com/2-things-flatten-plane/
If you want to help it along do this:
Watch Back of The Golf Ball: https://ignitiongolf.com/watch-backside-golf-ball/
Get the path then go back to the touch the legs position so you don’t start pushing it.
December 1, 2017
MatthewVintonPaul,
Great, thanks so much! Great advice, as always.
-Matthew
November 28, 2018
dougsouthardPaul,
Thanks for confirming for me the key is seperation. The more aggressively I turn my hips and just sort of forget about my arms and hands the faster the club head speed. I am hitting drives to places I have never seen on my course. My friends are convinced it is my yoga workout. LOL.
My two things I struggle with are when I fire my hips to the left my hands will tighten and this ruins the release. And secondly with shorter clubs I want to hit with my hands. I don’t give it time to separate, I don’t trust that the club face will be square to target. Thanks for all you have done for me. Your method is solid and correct. I will keep working hard to make it effortless.
Thanks, Doug
November 28, 2018
Paul WilsonDoug,
Yes, separation is the missing link. Pros have it. Amateurs do not. You just need to keep doing the drills until you do it without thinking about it. Right now it is early days. I am certainly not thinking about it yet I have it. You will too.
Once you take all of their money make sure you tell them about the site.
November 29, 2018
GLENNWISSEThis really demonstrates separation. I’ve been doing this for quite some time. Once you get the separation and end up in the correct follow through position you are ready to play the best golf of your life.
November 30, 2018
Paul WilsonGlenn,
Yes, if pros do this you need to do it. If so, you hit it like a pro (which is a great feeling).
November 29, 2018
Clark BFowler JrPaul,
I too want to thank you for the great tips. My problem is that there are so many good tips, I’m not sure what to work on first. With this tip that problem has been solved because this will be my primary drill.
I also wanted to mention to you that since you have moved your site I am finding the response a little slower than before. In addition I have had multiple nights where when I logged on it said I had an incorrect password. However, without changing anything, I try it multiple times and eventually i can get in.
Again keep up the good work with the drills, they are really helpful.
Thanks, Clark
November 30, 2018
Paul WilsonClark,
Glad you like the tips.
Strange the site would be slow. It is lightening fast now for me. It is hosted on the cloud so it should be loading it near your location. I can talk to the developers.
Log in issues are on your end. We deal with this on a daily basis. It is the person entering the wrong info, the wrong info is cached in their computer, they are adding spaces or capitalizing the password, or the device is autocorrecting what they are entering. The best thing to do it install password software. Enter it once and it will fill it in for you. The one I recommend is LastPass. You can download it for free. Give it a try and see.
November 30, 2018
GerryBarnaWorking on this all the time. When on the course my ball often goes right of the target. Not a slice but straight right of my target. I assume my clubface is open to the target at impact somewhat. How do you practice a square clubface at impact while moving the hips faster and faster?
November 30, 2018
Paul WilsonGerry,
You don’t. You need to roll it over early and get it hooking. Then you switch your thinking to the lower. If you try to do both you won’t do either.
Your ball is going right because you are only fire one part of your swing faster so the face is open. Your release is not timed for a body rotation that is that fast. So you do the roll over and hook it. This speeds up the release. Then you fire the lower harder to straighten it out.
DRILL: Golf Swing Timing For More Distance: https://ignitiongolf.com/timing-more-distance/
Driving Hips Harder But Hook It First: https://ignitiongolf.com/driving-hips-hook-first/
December 1, 2018
MichaelBarrettPaul,
My problem is a subset of Gerry’s. I find that I do well exaggerating separation with the longer clubs but with the short clubs it leads to a push. Am I correct in stating that the degree of separation in longer clubs needs to be greater than with shorter clubs? If so, is this timing difference due to the difference in shaft length?
I hope you understand my question.
Thanks
Mike
December 2, 2018
Paul WilsonMicheal,
You are firing the lower too hard with shorter clubs. You don’t have to go a million miles per hour with a 9 iron. Just swing smooth. If you blow it right do some roll overs to loose the hinge then try again.
December 1, 2018
JamesDonagheyPaul,
Have appreciated your tips and instruction. I think your method makes more sense than any other. I have been working on your technique for over 6 months, love the daily instructions, and feel really great practicing and swinging at home without a ball. Unfortunately, transferring the swing to the course has been completely unsuccessful to the point where I have zero confidence on any shot except a tee ball. My game has never been worse, and you probably have a feeling of how that eventually just wears you down mentally. I have decided to put the clubs away for at least 6 months, perhaps longer. If I resume after that time I will likely start over with your method, but not really sure for now. Perhaps a tip on re-starting one’s game would be a good thing.
December 1, 2018
Paul WilsonJames,
Glad you like the tips.
The issue with taking your swing to the course is you go out to play and you keep trying to hit your best shots. So you go right back to your old swing. This is not how to do it. I have numerous tips on this. Here is the one you need to watch:
Definitive Tip For Taking Your New Swing To The Course: https://ignitiongolf.com/taking-new-swing-to-the-course/
So follow that tip and make the transition. Forget the ball and trying to swing like you normally do. This is new and different and you are not good at it. So do it at a pace you can actually do it. Then do it faster.
Over the winter you need to work on the positions and make them perfect. Just do them in practice swings at home looking for the feedback and checkpoints.
January 13, 2019
PeterGunnI have been playing golf for about 40 years and have had regular tuition but I am now 68 with a stiff back and hitting shorter with all clubs. None of the many professionals that I have seen over the years have ever commented on separation, normally talking about turning the left shoulder and getting coil. I think getting my belt buckle to face the target before the club swings through is quite extreme but hopefully after plenty of winter practice I can work this out and get some distance back. Many thanks, this could be a “light bulb” moment!
January 14, 2019
Paul WilsonPeter,
Yes, this is a great drill and it is a thought not reality. It is new and different and take co ordination. You just need to keep doing it until you are good at it. Here are a couple more drills you can do.
Belt Buckle Clubhead: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-belt-buckle-clubhead
Pro Versus Am – First 45 Degrees: https://ignitiongolf.com/pro-versus-first-45-degrees/