A GOOD friend of mine and fellow golfer Odwa Ndugane, former player for the Sharks and Springbok rugby teams, bumped into me this week and mentioned the aspect of rotation that he is struggling with in his game.
As with many rugby players, muscle bulk often stops you from rotating completely in the swing. The key to this would be to shift the ball position forward in the stance to help gain a full turn.
Another problem could be the shafts not matching swing speed. Different weighted shafts match different swing powers. A light graphite shaft will be suited for a player that has a slow swing-speed while the steel heavier shafts are directed towards a player with a quicker swing-speed.
There’s no wrong shaft, it’s what is designed to suit the player. After analysing Odwa’s swing I had him hit balls on an uphill lie. The ball was above him. This helped him a create a more rounded swing...forcing his takeaway around his body.
Coming inside the line with the take-away helped him avoid hitting to the right. Try this the next time on the range. Hit balls from uphill lies. Avoiding the push shot to the right will increase your distance. Catch you on the fairways!
– Sewgolum is a PGA AA golf professional, Golf Pro for Saudi Aramco and was voted Top 5 International PGA professional for the year 2022.