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Ian Logan
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.
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Ian Logan
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.