. Drop and Drive for Better Path and Power Steve Bauerle GolfTEC Teaching Professional, PGA Member MTT Contributing Writer A high percentage of golfers that I see tend to use their arms and hands rather than their body to swing the club. Do you tend to lack power and consistency in your golf swing? Do you feel like you swing with your arms? Do you pull or slice the ball? If so, practice the drop and drive to gain distance and accuracy. To achieve a proper forward swing at the ball requires two specific motions from the body. A rotation in the hips (drive) while the hands are falling down (drop). Let's discuss this in more detail. Drive (generates power). The forward rotation in the hips which is a weight shift from the right to left (for a right-handed player) with the usage of the lower body. The tour average at impact in this position is 42 degrees open with the hips. Most amateurs that I see are around 15 degrees. In your golf swing use your legs and hips to shift 100% of your weight to the left side and rotate your hips rather than use any upper body strength to swing the club. You will gain power since you will be using much stronger muscles (legs) as opposed to weaker smaller muscles (hands and arms). Drop (controls path). The drop is the function of the hands while the hips are driving and rotating forward. Players who slice (ball curves to the right) or pull (ball starts left, but does not curve) the golf ball have not let the club drop enough. This can be caused by the overuse of the upper body for power (or starting the drive too soon). The hands should fall down very loosely to one's side while the hips drive the swing around the left leg. When done properly, it might feel like the hands and arms are going straight down towards your right hip. This will allow your club to travel back into the ball on the proper swing plane (either slightly from the inside or straight through). The swing plane defined is the path the club should take on the downswing in route to striking the ball. Two forces help control the swing plane. Gravity and the forward weight shift. Allow gravity to help in allowing your hands and arms to drop straight down. If your arms are not loose and your hips are not turning, you will not achieve full potential from your swing path. Attempt to achieve both the drop and drive simultaneously. Once you are able to successfully drop your hands while driving your hips, not only will you increase distance, but also consistency. If you have any questions, please call me at 303-426-6600 (Westminster) or another instructor at 303-770-5951 (Denver Tech Center). You can find us on the web at www.golftec.com.