Hey there, fellow golfers! Have you ever felt frustrated by your golf swing, especially when you end up “flipping” the golf club just before impact? If so, don’t worry, you’re not alone! Many golfers struggle with this common issue, and it can significantly affect your ball flight, accuracy, and overall enjoyment on the course. But fear not, as today, we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of golf club flipping and offer some helpful tips to overcome this challenge and improve your swing. So, grab your favorite 9-iron, and let’s get started!
What is Golf Club Flipping?
Flipping the golf club, also known as early release or casting, refers to the premature release of the clubhead before impact with the ball. Instead of compressing the ball against the clubface, the golfer ends up “flipping” the club, causing weak shots, lack of distance, and inconsistency. This problem usually arises due to improper timing and sequencing of the golf swing.
Now, let’s explore some of the common reasons why golfers tend to flip the club before impact:
- Lack of Lag: Lag is the angle formed between the club shaft and the left arm (for right-handed golfers) during the downswing. Insufficient lag means the clubhead is released early, leading to flipping.
- Overactive Hands: Some golfers use their hands excessively in the swing, leading to a loss of control and proper clubhead delivery.
- Weak Grip: An overly weak grip can cause the clubface to open too soon, resulting in a flip to square up the face at impact.
- Poor Weight Transfer: Inadequate weight shift to the front foot can disrupt the sequence of the golf swing and cause an early release.
Now that we understand some of the possible reasons behind golf club flipping let’s focus on ways to overcome this issue and elevate your golf game!
Emphasize Lag in Your Swing
To prevent flipping, it’s essential to maintain lag throughout your swing. During the downswing, try to retain the angle between your left arm and the club shaft as long as possible. This will create stored energy that you can release at the last moment, generating more power and consistency.
Drill: Practice half swings, focusing on maintaining the lag until the hands are near hip level. Gradually build up to full swings, ensuring the same sensation of lag retention.
Strengthen Your Grip
A weak grip can lead to clubface manipulation and flipping. Consider adopting a slightly stronger grip that helps keep the clubface square through impact. Remember, a balanced grip is crucial for a stable and consistent swing.
Tip: Check that your “V’s” (formed by the thumb and index finger of both hands) point between your right shoulder and chin. This indicates a neutral grip, which is ideal for most golfers.
Engage Your Body, Not Just Your Hands
Flipping often occurs when the swing is too reliant on hand action. Instead, focus on using your body’s rotation to initiate the downswing and deliver the clubhead squarely to the ball. When your hips and body stall your hands will take over and usually cause flipping or casting.
Tip: Before starting the downswing, feel your lower body leading the movement while your upper body follows naturally. This will promote a smoother transition and discourage early hand release.
Implement Delayed Wrist Hinge
A well-timed wrist hinge can improve your swing mechanics and prevent flipping. Delaying the wrist hinge until the club reaches the hip level during the backswing helps preserve lag and creates more power.
Drill: Practice taking the club back with your wrists relatively passive until your hands are around waist-high. Then, gradually hinge your wrists to the top of your swing.
Swing Thought: “Palm to the Sky”
During the downswing, visualize keeping your left palm facing the sky as long as possible. This thought helps prevent the early rotation of the clubface, which can lead to flipping.
Tip: Imagine holding a tray with your left hand at waist height. Keep the tray level throughout the downswing to encourage the correct club path.
Drill to Stop Flipping
So, head out to the driving range and put these techniques to the test. With determination and a positive mindset, you’ll be on your way to a more controlled, consistent, and enjoyable golf game. Happy swinging!
Some Helpful Golf Training Aids to Help You Stop Flipping
- Learn to Stop your hands from “flipping” during your golf swing & develop a repeatable, ball-first, solid impact golf swing which will improve your consistency, add power & distance.
- Get instant, immediate feedback while you practice your golf swing. If it hits your side before impact, it means your wrist flipped & your body stopped rotating during the golf swing.
- Work on all aspects of your golf swing with this one golf training aid - proper takeaway, wrist hinge, correct swing plane, solid impact, correct set up, & proper body turn. The end of the Anti-Flip Stick is 1" in diameter (made of rubber) and usually fits all standard sized grips.
- Will help you train your hands to hit down on the golf ball and square the club face for a more powerful impact position. By improve your muscle memory you will gain power, distance, and more control over your golf ball.
- Just 10 mins. a day can have a huge impact on your golf game. Understand Proper Swing Plane – Get rid of the “over the top swing” that produces high slices or a “snap hooks”. This practice method has been endorsed by the best PGA Teachers such as Martin Hall, Hank Haney & More!
- Point of Impact: Perfect the most important part of any golf swing, the point of impact. The Impact Bag is the perfect training aid for point of impact training
- Lower Scores: As you become more familiar with a square club face and solid contact, your score will naturally start to drop. Improve your game with a simple to use training aid!
- Professional Golf: Used by professional golf teachers around the world and pros on the tour. Designed by World Golf Teachers Hall of Famer, Dr. Gary Wiren.
- Repetition: Repeatedly strike the Impact Bag to improve muscle memory and perfect your swing. There is no training aid easier to use that will improve your game more than the Impact Bag.
- Long-Lasting: The Impact Bag is both durable and waterproof. Fill the Impact Bag up with cloth or towels to your preferred firmness, and remove contents for easy storage and portability.
- Instant Feedback
- Feel the correct positions throughout the golf swing
- Square Clubface
- Fix your club position at the top
- Learn how to drop the club into the slot
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- PGA PRO-TRUSTED GOLF TRAINING AID - theHANGER's patented design helps golfers achieve club face control (to eliminate hooks and slices), proper swing plane, and perfect impact position optimal ball striking.
- A MUST-HAVE FOR ALL SKILL LEVELS - theHANGER golf training aid is utilized by thousands of PGA Professional golf instructors around the world to help golfers of all abilities develop and/or maintain the most essential golf swing fundamentals.
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- OUR “BETTER GOLF” PROMISE - our #1 goal is to help you shoot lower scores and we are fully committed to making sure you are 100% happy with your purchase. If you are not satisfied for any reason, please contact Watson Golf directly for a full refund
