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One drill. One useful habit.
Turn gently.
Meet your lead hand.
Your drill at a glance
This drill is from the Golf Practice Made Easy App.
Give your turning movement a simple contact point. This Henry Cotton-inspired drill uses your lead hand as a reference while your trail hand moves back and returns. A gentle clap lets you pause and notice how your body and arm arrive together, without a club or ball.
Step 1. Watch the impact and transition drill
Watch the instructor demonstrate the fixed lead-hand reference and the returning trail hand. Notice the body turn and the pause when the palms meet.
Step 2. Turn and meet your lead hand
Take your address position
Stand as if you were about to play an iron shot, without a club. Hinge comfortably from your hips, soften your knees and bring your palms together in front of you, around your normal hand position at address.
Turn into your backswing
Keep your lead hand low in front of you as a relaxed contact point. Turn back and raise your trail hand, using a comfortable range of movement. For a right-handed golfer, the lead hand is the left hand and the trail hand is the right; reverse these if you play left-handed.
Turn through and meet your lead hand
Turn gently towards your target and let your weight move onto your lead leg. Bring your trail palm down to meet your lead palm with a gentle clap. Let your body and arm move together, rather than swiping with your arm alone.
Pause at contact and notice your balance and where your palms meet. Keep your knees and lead elbow soft, then reset to your address position before repeating.
Keep it smooth and comfortable. Use light palm contact and an easy pace. You can rehearse indoors without a club or ball. When you next make a normal golf swing, use this feeling as a rehearsal cue and let the swing continue naturally through impact.
A worked example: Put your palms together at address. Leave the lead hand in place, take the trail hand back, then turn gently and bring the palms together. Pause, notice whether you stayed balanced and reset for the next routine.
Hold the reference. Turn gently. Meet the palm.
Watch for these common mistakes
| Mistake | Useful reset |
|---|---|
| Moving the lead hand to chase the trail hand | Use the lead palm as a steady reference and make the returning movement smaller. |
| Swiping with the trail arm alone | Add a comfortable body turn and let the arm move with it. |
| Clapping hard or moving too quickly | Slow down and use light palm contact you can pause and notice. |
| Locking the knees or lead elbow | Keep the joints soft and return to a comfortable address position. |
Step 3. Complete your round
What to do
| Score | When to award it |
|---|---|
| 1 point | You complete the full clap-hand routine. |
| 0 points | You do not complete the routine. |
George’s Conclusion
I like simple drills that need no equipment. This one gives you a small, clear task: turn back, return to the palm and pause. A few calm repetitions can make your next rehearsal more purposeful. Keep the contact gentle and let the feeling, rather than the volume of the clap, guide you.
Try the Golf Impact Bag Drill or the Golf Transition Drill for another way to explore the movement into impact.
MAKE THE NEXT BUCKET COUNT
Pick a card. Practise with purpose.
