Tip 8. Finish

The Finish
By Trent Wearner

Although the finish is a result of what already happened, there are some things you can check to help with your golf swing. You may often find out that by improving your finish, your ball striking and accuracy can improve.

As the club nears the finish position (Photo #1), notice how the left arm has folded so that the elbow is pointing down toward the ground. The forearms have rotated in a fashion where you’ll notice that the glove hand is underneath the other hand. The chest is open pointed toward the target and so too is the belt buckle due to the opening of the hips. As a consequence of the hips being open, the left leg is straight and most of the weight is off of the back foot. It is also important to note that the head has swiveled to see the flight of the ball.

The momentum of your swing should take you to a finish that is completely in balance and you should be able to sustain your balance until the ball comes to rest. This is a great thing to focus on when playing because it promotes balance while in motion which may keep your mind off of the result, guiding the ball, or having too many mechanical thoughts. Notice in Photo #2 how all of the weight is completely off of the back foot as the shoe rests on the toe. You should be able to pick up your right foot with ease. The weight is into the heel of the left foot, which is also where it was at impact. More flexible golfers will finish with their chest pointed well left of the target. The belt buckle will also be pointed to the left of the target. The right shoulder is closer to the target than the left shoulder while the club shaft lie at a slight angle across the top of the back or neck area. Some golfers will have a different club shaft position in their finish depending on the plane of their swing.

From the back view (Photo #3), notice how the spine of the golfer is still tilted over, closely resembling the same angle that the golfer’s spine started in at the address position. You can also see every spike on the bottom of the player’s right shoe. Once the club has reached this position, the body, arms and club begin to recoil (Photo #4). The chest and hips will unwind slightly while the arms and club drop somewhere in front of the body as the golfer witnesses and evaluates the shot. It’s important to note that the golfer is still in balance. All of the weight is still dispersed to the heel of the left foot. The golfer is standing straight up-and-down from the left leg and is not leaning back on the right toe.

A finish that is well balanced is crucial to all shots, but especially shots that we hit from uneven lies. Due to the slope, gravity tends to pull us out of our foundation causing poor contact and misdirected shots. When you encounter a shot from uneven terrain, make certain that you take several practice swings with an unwavering finish as the goal.

The owners and teachers of the Meridian Golf Learning Center have taken you through the swing from start to finish. If you missed any segments of the swing sequence, please contact them and they’d be more than happy to forward you the entire series. Continue to check out this golf instructional column in the weeks to come as they get into other types of shots around the golf course.

As the top teachers in the state and contributing writers, Tim Odegard, Dana Smith, Tom Talbott, and Trent Wearner from the Meridian Golf Learning Center would like you to call with any questions you may have regarding this article or anything about your golf game. They offer golf schools, private lessons, after work clinics, the most successful junior golf programs, as well as custom club fitting.

• BACK TO TIPS PAGE

Meridian Golf Learning cee

Meridian Golf Learning ceenter