Maintaining a consistent spine angle is my No. 1 swing key. The spine angle will vary for different body types, but keeping the same angle from the start of the backswing until after impact is most important.
Here’s a drill I do with a wire clothes hanger to check my spine angle. I bend the hook of the hanger into a circle, straighten the wire and stick the other end in the ground. I set up so the ball is framed in the circle, as shown here.
I want to keep the wire circle in line with my target as I swing. It’s OK if the ball appears to move sideways—if my head moves to the right as I swing back, the ball moves to the right of the center of the circle. Just make sure the ball returns to the center of the circle at impact.
It is NOT OK if the ball shifts up or down out of the center of the circle, because that means I’m changing my spine angle. My head is moving too much vertically, which results in an inconsistent point of contact with the clubhead.
This drill is simple enough to do in your backyard, and the hanger will help you get as many wrinkles out of your swing as it did your clothes in its previous life.
Set up so the ball is framed by the wire circle. The ball can appear to move a bit to the right as you swing back—just don’t let it appear to move up or down.
