Photo and video by Joachim Guay

The swing evolves from the initial move away from the ball. Let Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club professional Euan Bowden get your takeaway right from the get go.

By Euan Bowden
The takeaway is crucial as the rest of the swing evolves from here. It gives you a chance to set width in the swing and trigger the correct body movement from the outset.

To initiate the takeaway, feel as though you are applying pressure in the club down and away from the ball. This will encourage you to keep the club-wide and the arms connected to your body. It is important to ensure your body stays centred as you do this.

A mental image to help you achieve this feeling is to picture yourself holding a beach ball underwater, moving it away from your body. In other words, you are trying to drag your club through the water as it goes away from the golf ball. The feeling will create a resistance that slows the club down, helping to produce a slow and controlled takeaway.

A driving range drill to help with this is to place an alignment stick parallel to your target, half way between your feet and the ball. A good takeaway will see your hands staying on the inside of the stick as the club head stays on the outside just as the club reaches a position parallel to the ground. A lot of amateurs snatch the club away from the ball, whipping the club head inside their hands and around their body, often separating the elbows as a result. Others pick the club up from behind the ball, getting it working too far from the body. Both of these will make it hard to initiate the correct body movement.

Essentially, you should look to move the ‘V’ shape created between our arms at address straight back away from the ball, keeping the hands and club head low and wide. Work on this feeling and you’ll be on the path to sweet strikes in no time.

Euan Bowden is PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

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