We are still at Knightâs Play due to Coronavirus. Today Patrick continued to work on the top of the backswing and the downswing. As I get close to the top of the backswing, Patrick will tap my right lat making sure it does not lift or move up. It should serve as a stabilizer which will keep my head and upper body in good posture rather than lifting.
At the top, I am to relax my right lat, re-establish my left knee over my left toes and start the turn with my core; just like the backswing. I have a bad habit of allowing my upper thoracic or even shoulders to get way ahead of my core. If I use my core to start and keep my left knee planted I can feel the resistance after impact. I am definitely getting better with turning my core while keeping my left hip close to the target line. The first few times I tried to do this, my core did not want to turn at all. I would get halfway to the ball on the downswing and just stop, throw my arms and let my upper body take over.
It has been quite a lot of work to get my core to continue to turn all the way through the ball. Patrick encouraged me to hit a few balls with my full swing and I can now feel the finish of the backswing which, in turn, allows me to come from the inside and hit the ball very well. I know there are still some flexibility issues through and after impact, but we are definitely making a lot of progress. Now, I need to continue to stretch my lats and my triceps so I can complete the swing the way Patrick wants me to complete the swing.
UPDATE: It is now March 2021, I am over 230 lessons in and my upper right side remains a trouble spot. I know this will forever be my bad habit that needs to be addressed. I am much better than I have ever been but sometimes when I want to generate power I lift with the right lat at the top which then activates it to take over way too early in the downswing. Once again, it is much better than lesson #135 but still a work in progress. Golf is hard.
