How to Shallow the Golf Club
Do you want to absolutely crush your golf irons and hit laser straight shots that make your playing partners jealous?
What amateur golfer doesn’t want to improve the quality of their contact?
The secret move is learning how to properly shallow the club on the downswing.
Don’t be fooled, of course, this transition move takes a few drills and practice to master, but the payoff is well worth it.
I will walk you through techniques to shallow your golf swing to hit it effortlessly, like Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson. You’ll be compressing shots with pure strikes that pierce through the wind.
Say goodbye to sprays and chunks destroying your scorecard. Learn to swing like the pros and watch your consistency go through the roof.
Curious now?
Here are a few secrets and tips on how to shallow the golf club so you can immediately begin hitting straighter shots!
Why do I need to shallow the golf club?
Mastering the art of shallowing the golf club is one of the biggest keys to achieving compressed, powerful shots. By compressing contact, you are creating more consistent contact, something the best players in the world rely upon each week in tournaments.
Most amateur golfers need to turn their very steep golf swing into a more shallow golf swing to improve the quality of their golf shots.
The place to start this downswing transition is on the driving range, as it helps provide instant feedback and allows you the chance to struggle without feeling the pressure of the scoring.
How to Shallow the Golf Club: A Step-by-Step Guide
There are several important elements to shallow the club properly in the transition from backswing to downswing.
Here are a few tips on things to take to the range when you want to create a shallowing downswing movement that will lead to a great golf swing.
1. Maintain Spine Angle
I believe it’s vital to maintain your spine angle and posture as you begin shifting into the downswing.
Swaying or sliding your hips toward the target will steepen the shaft, making it almost impossible to hit consistent shots.
2. Hinge Your Wrists
As you start down, feel as though your hands and arms are dropping straight down while your upper half coils hard against the resistance of your lower half.
This action of clearing your hips while aggressively rotating your shoulders and core will naturally shallow out the golf club.
Your wrists should hinge softly to match the plane of your tilted spine angle – be careful not to flip or cast the club here.
3. Keep a Soft Right Elbow
One of the easiest ways to shallow the club is by softening your right elbow on the downswing.
Most golfers wrongly keep their right arm, or trail arm, locked in place as the clubhead makes its way to the ground during shallow golf swing. Typically, this causes the early extension that plagues most golfers and creates wild golf shots.
If you look at videos of the top PGA Tour pros, you’ll find that their right elbow stays relaxed as they return to impact on the downswing, allowing the right forearm to lead and push the club through the impact zone.
4. Open Your Hips
You want to open your lower half as the shaft shallows and moves toward the point of impact.
Keeping your trail knee flexed and centered over the golf ball will allow your hips to open without swaying.
As you shift your weight into your lead foot and leg, the clubhead should swing outward away from your body before being pulled back down into the ball.
A great shallowing move will have the clubhead traveling on a wide, circular path rather than a steep, narrow one.
5. Sync Your Lead Arm With Your Chest
Finally, keep your lead arm connected to your chest rather than chicken winging or disconnecting too early.
Allow the clubface to shallow out naturally through proper sequencing rather than manipulating the path artificially.
If you can master this movement with slow, coordinated practice sessions on the range, you’ll be shallowing the club beautifully on the way to compressed, powerful striking.
The Baseball Drill
Start by placing an alignment stick near your toes, and another alignment stick about 8-10 inches in front of your feet. You want to create a golf swing corridor for the club to travel within.
Next, set up the ball normally at address. Then lift the club straight up in front of you until both the club and your arms are perpendicular to your body in an upright, 90-degree position.
From here, take the club back as you would in your regular backswing and move all the way through to a full finish. Pausing at the top and taking continuous practice swings will help engrain this “baseball” motion into real swing itself.
Once you can repeat the swinging move comfortably, place a ball on a tee. The goal now is to emulate the shallow swing plane of the baseball motion while picking the ball cleanly off the tee.
Be sure to avoid any ground contact during the drill. Focus on maintaining proper left wrist hinge and clubface control throughout the motion for maximum speed. Let the momentum of your rotation square the face naturally at impact.
Gradually work on making the drill feel more like your normal golf swing while retaining the shallow attack angle.
Start your drills with short swings and smooth tempo. The “baseball” drill promotes an effective, compressed impact and tour-quality shallowing action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to shallow the golf club?
Trying to find the answer on how to shallow the golf club, maintain your posture while clearing your lower half and rotating your upper half aggressively against resistance on the downswing.
Allow your lead and trail arm to drop vertically as the clubhead shallows out in a wide circular path.
Keep your leading and trail arm well connected and release the golf club naturally through impact for maximum power. Proper rotation helps shallow the club, placing the shaft in a perfect position to create compressed shots.
How do you shallow out in golf?
When trying to shallow the golf club, it’s crucial to maintain a good position and rotate your upper and lower halves correctly. As you start the downswing, keep your spine angle and don’t sway.
Clear your lower half out of the way by letting your rear knee flex as your weight shifts forward. At the same time, turn your upper torso back towards the target, making a proper weight shift onto the rear leg.
Make sure your upper half rotates against the resistance of your stable lower body. Let your arms drop down vertically as your turn pulls the club into a shallower path. The clubhead should swing on a wide circle around the torso.
Don’t release the golf club early, as you need to keep your leading arm connected to your chest until impact. If you get the movement down, the golf club will shallow out automatically and compress the shot for powerful results.
What does it mean to shallow the golf club?
Shallowing the golf club refers to the motion of the clubhead traveling on a wider, more circular path in the downswing as opposed to a narrow, straight-line path. Effectively shallowing the golf club involves the upper body rotating hard while the arms swing down vertically.
This allows the clubhead to be delivered back to the ball from the inside for maximum compression and power at impact.
A proper shallowing movement back to the golf ball is key for clean ball striking, eliminating your steeper golf swing, and building a repeatable shallow golf swing.
How do I shallow my downswing?
Clear your lower body first, then aggressively coil against it as you rotate your upper body and drive your right elbow down towards your hip.
Maintain posture and swing the club vertically as the clubhead travels on a wide circular path into impact. Proper sequencing and resistance shallows the golf club automatically for compressed shots.
Final Thoughts
Shallowing the club is an advanced move that can transform your ball striking for the better. While it takes practice, the keys are proper weight shift, aggressive upper body rotation, and vertical arm swing.
Clear your lower body out of the way, then coil hard into your right side if you’re a righty golfer.
Keep your head still and spine angle intact throughout the course of the motion. Feel the shaft shallowing out in a wide circular motion as the club drops into the slot created by your turn.
Don’t manipulate the club’s path. Instead, let it shallow naturally through proper sequencing. Mastering this move helps compress the ball for tremendous power and consistency.
Trust in the process, commit to quality reps, and you’ll be hitting rockets in no time with your newly formed shallowing action.