Fighting Fire with Fire: How Practicing Opposites Can Fight the Extremes in Your Golf Swing

Get our free ebook
Sign up for the newsletter and receive our free 30 page course strategy eBook!

Golf can be a remarkably counterintuitive game. We have learned to perform the same technique repeatedly to gain skill as a ball striker. But what if deviating completely from the script and doing the opposite of what you normally do can make you a better player?

In this article I'll introduce you to a practice method that I think can add a lot of value to your sessions. It's not something you have to do all the time, but adding small doses here and there to your regiment can bring many benefits, especially when you're struggling to control your ball flight.

How Opposites Can Fight Extremes

A few years ago I was invited to play in the Goslings Invitational Tournament in Bermuda. Before the tournament started, we had a pro-am on Monday. I was paired with two athletes I'd seen on TV for years, and another golfer who (thankfully would) was a follower of the site.

Needless to say, I was a bit more nervous than usual before the round. I felt a lot of pressure that week to play well, because the guy who invited me (now a good friend) used one of his invites under the assumption that I would be a pretty good player. I had also never played golf with a celebrity before, so that confused me a bit.

Unfortunately, after not playing for over a month, my swing was really bad. Typically if I'm having a hard time it will be hooking the ball as my swing pad is very in-to-out. For the first six holes I hit duck hooks and was stunned. Luckily my teammate, a former Cy-Young winner, carried me into our game with 330 yard drives and birdies.

I decided to do the only thing I could think of with increasing embarrassment – try to hit a huge slab. So for each shot I used a drill I got from a friend years ago. I pointed my feet at the target and practiced an extremely exaggerated forward-to-in swing path. Maybe I looked dumb, but it worked like magic and saved the rest of the round (and week).

In actuality, the drill shifted my swing path. What felt like a massive & # 39; slice-swing & # 39 ;, my in-to-out swing was really bringing back to what I & # 39; functional area & # 39; would call.

Understanding Your Tendencies

The most common complaint among golfers is that they want more consistency. But in reality, most players are remarkably consistent with how they deliver the golf club. This can be one of the following categories:

Club path (out-to-in or in-to-out)
Impact location (toe or heel bias)
Turf Interaction (control the club's low point)
Club's loft on impact (lofting or delofting)

For example – I draw the ball, usually remove the club, have a shallow attack angle with irons and hit the heel when I am struggling.

Over time, our tendencies can become extreme. To become a better golfer, you have to fight those extremes and return to the aforementioned & # 39; functional territory & # 39 ;. I have found that the exact opposite, or & # 39; fighting fire with fire & # 39;, can help neutralize the problem.

The best place to start is to know your inclinations. You can measure your impact location, work with a teaching professional, use a shot tracking system, or even use a launch monitor to understand the slopes in your swing.

How to Experiment While You Practice

Fortunately, this practice method is quite simple. The goal is to let you do a little self-exploration and get out of your comfort zone. Broadly speaking, I want you to do the exact opposite of what you're struggling with .

Here are a few examples:

If you hit too close to the heel of the club, try to consciously hit the toe (measure with foot spray)
Are you struggling with a bad plaque? Try to hit the biggest hook imaginable
Is your ball flight usually too high? What can you do in your setup and golf swing to keep the ball lower?
Do you hit your iron shots "fat"? Make a conscious effort to hit the ground a few inches in front of the ball during training

While I cannot explain all of your results, I think many of you will see some interesting things happen when you do this. Going back and forth between practicing extremes and then trying to hit the ball “normally” can lessen many of the problems you have with your swing.

In general, the reason I love this type of exercise is that it helps build your skill. Too many golfers try to fit into a model swing and make their technique look a certain way. Most important, however, is your inherent skills as a ball attacker – not what it looks like.