Here’s how to achieve the proper hand positions for the shaft lean you need at impact.

Hey, Performance Golfers, Matt Walter here at the Vanderbilt Legends Club. Today, I’m going to show you how to exit left, and it’s not going to be rope-hooked with the cane off the stage. I’m talking about how you’re going to get your golf club around your body to develop a great impact position.

The face-on view when we’re hitting is sometimes deceiving in the sense of how we create shaft lean. Typically, where I see players shank it and they really get way off base is that they think that the shaft lean comes from a linear push with their hands to develop that look. So, they look at it on video, and they go, “Oh, my hands should be forward. I’ve turned my body,” but the problem is, their hands are too far away from their body, and if they train in pushing their hands up towards the target line, you’re more than likely going to shank it because what you’re learning how to do is create a linear move to create shaft lean and that presents the hosel.

I want you to set up to the alignment stick.You’re going to go just inside the alignment stick, and if I get the club back down to shaft-parallel, so let’s say I made a full swing and I’ve come back down to here and I’ll let my hands continue towards the target, you can see how the club face actually works out to the right. It’s also open, so I could twist my hands, but it doesn’t stop the fact that my club is working its way out to the golf ball, presenting itself into the hosel.

Scoot down a little bit. If I get to that same spot and I feel like my left hand moves closer to my left pocket, the club doesn’t work out, and it squares itself up a lot easier than, if I try and push my hands forward, the club face is open and it’s working its way out to the right. So, what we have to remember is the exit left.

Now, the first question out of this gate is, “Hey, pro, doesn’t that mean I’m going to be coming over the top?” Wrong. If you remember, the golf club’s traveling on a plane, or, you know, many planes, but for the most part, it’s traveling around that circle. It goes back, out to the ball, and then it should go back again. The problem is, too many people try and go back, and then they go out to the ball, and then they try and keep going up towards the target.

If you watch any of the modern-era golfers, you will see that they don’t exit up the line with their hands. What you’ll see is, their hands go in.

Now, here’s where it gets slightly difficult for the average Joe. So, we may not have enough hip rotation to carry all of that shaft lean around our body. So, if we had to imagine my hips are here, I have to create space with my hips in order to have room for my hands to exit. If my hips can’t turn and they stop right here, well, there’s not much room for an exit plan, so I have to release the club face a little bit.

The key important variable here is, is that when you start coming down, you’re trying to hide those hands from the camera while the club head is staying out, and you hit these nice, soft, little pitch shots. So, then, once you’re comfortable with it, you can then start to get into a more full-like golf swing and really feel, from here, about shaft-parallel on the downswing, your hands start to go around your body and produce a lot more consistent, stable, shaft-leaning impact. So, I hope this drill and this explanation of how to create shaft lean enlightens you on how you can now produce a tour-like impact when it matters the most at the ball. If you liked this video, please subscribe. Send me your comments, your questions, your concerns. Be glad to answer them. I’ll be the one hopping on there, answering any questions you may have, so that’s your chance to interact with me. Until then, I’ll catch you later, golfers.