Danny Willett: Strike a hammer blow for more power

Last updated: 09 December 2014

In the swing, much of your speed is let out through your shoulders, wrists and elbows. Each of these joints loads and releases, just as you’d do naturally when using a hammer. The better you can match up their motion, the more speed you create. But with my old ‘inside’ takeaway, I couldn’t co-ordinate this motion. Picture a hammer motion, with it working to the side of your body; once the hands and arms work round behind you, creating speed in the right direction is hard. This is how to use your arms efficiently.


The Backswing Getting the club ‘inside’ is a red herring; you naturally create an in-to-in swing, as you are standing to the side of the ball. I do not feel this is rotational, but the club has moved inside. With a better path, my right elbow and wrist stay in front of my body, not behind it.	At the top The elbow-to-hand of my right arm is almost vertical – ideal. An overcooked ‘inside’ backswing has it splaying out behind me, at an angle of 45˚. If I stopped and turned to the camera, my arm would much be in the same position I’d use to hit down with a hammer.


The Delivery Forget about ‘hitting from the inside’, think of getting your arms onto a ‘hitting plane’; note how my upper right arm is to the side of my body, in that hammer position. Swinging back ‘inside’ can force you to reroute the club out and away, giving a steep, outside attack.	Through impact A beat after impact, the wrist and right elbow angles are fully released. I feel as if I’m hitting like a hammer; up and down, not around. This is my own feeling, as I try to work away from an ‘inside’ motion. All swings must blend around with up-and-down.

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