Golf Instruction

Shane LeBaron, the Director of Instruction for Shane LeBaron Golf in Hilton Head, SC and the Director of Golf for the nationally ranked University of South Carolina Beaufort men’s and women’s golf teams, will routinely offer his tips and techniques to help you improve your game. The latest installment from Shane is “The Story of True Compression”

Webster’s Dictionary defines “Compression” as an “act to press or squeeze together”. If you have ever watched a great golfer hit golf balls on the range you have heard “True Compression” The sound is an unmistakable smash or boom.

This sound is a timeless chase for most golfers. So how do I create that “Boom” sound when I hit the ball?

Shane LeBaron works with a student

The Key:

First you must understand that golf is the opposite of gravity. Down means up! You need to hit down on the ball to create the “Boom”, think of a teeter totter; one side goes up and the other goes down. This is how your shoulders should work in the golf swing.

Left shoulder down, right shoulder up, right shoulder down, left shoulder up. This motion of the upper body creates a much steeper angle to the ball and allows for the “Boom”.

Most gofers turn too flat or level, forcing the club to approach the ball too much from the inside and up on the ball at impact. Golfers that turn in this flat manner will tend to see a variety of shots, drop kicks, blades, thin and hosel rockets. The clubs that will give you problems on the golf course are fairway woods, long irons and short wedges. Golfers that turn too flat prefer the ball to be up on a tee, however they do fear the dreaded tight lie.

Look at these tremendous examples of “Teeter Totter” shoulder turns.

Give this move a try the next time you are practicing to see if you can make that ball “Boom”.

To learn more about Shane LeBaron, you can visit his website at www.shanelebarongolf.com

Shane LeBaron

Shane LeBaron