How To Compress the Ball for Power

How To Compress the Ball for Power Hinging and holding your right wrist gives you distance and spin By Dave Phillips Top 100 Teacher This story is for you if... • Your impact feels mushy. • You can't get your short and mid-irons to spin. • You're a club shorter than your buddies. The Problem You tend to pick the ball off the grass, which allows you to hit decent shots, but you never get the feeling of true compression and the ball often falls short of your target. The Solution The only way to generate powerful iron shots is to hit down on the back of the ball and then drive your clubhead through the dirt. While many moves are required to do this on a consistent basis, you can take a giant step forward by focusing on the action of your right wrist. Follow the steps at right. Step 1: HINGE & SUPPORT As you swing the club to the top, hinge your wrists so that you create a noticeable angle between your right forearm and your right wrist. If you do it correctly, the back of your left wrist will be flat and you'll feel like your right hand is under the club, supporting it rather than directing it. This right-wrist hinge is an important power lever in your swing — without it, your swing loses the ability to whip the clubhead through the ball at the fastest possible speed.

Step 2: RETAIN & RELEASE On the way back down to the ball, try to keep the angle in your right wrist intact. The easiest way to do this is to simply leave it alone. Even when your hands swing below your belt, you should still have your right-wrist hinge. If you do it correctly, it will feel like your clubface and your right palm are pointing toward the ball as you enter the impact zone. This allows you to properly hit down on the ball and compress it for max distance and spin.