Everything about Gary Player is very charged and dynamic, so why wouldn’t his follow-though be?! When we still hear from him today, Player takes pride in his fitness routine and ability to play golf well into his 80s. Despite his stature, Player hit the ball with authority and moved it with the same force as the biggest and strongest players, namely Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
In order to keep up, Player transferred all energy into and through the hitting area. Although his tempo and swing were rhythmic, the impact was violent. And as a result, the full extension and force caused the trail pieces to be moving with such energy that they would continue to be propelled after impact.
Player’s right hip and leg are the trail pieces most notably influenced by his all-out transfer of pressure towards the target. As he fired through the ball, the momentum of fast rotating hips and leg drive moved his lower body enough to produce the signature walk through.
As instructors, we can reverse engineer this swing characteristic into a perfect drill for students struggling to transfer power into and through the ball with proper body motion.
By asking a student to make practice swings with a mid-iron and step towards the target with the their trail foot as the club passes the impact position, they instantly feel the sensation of shifting body weight and pressure towards the target. In doing this, the student no longer is dependent solely on the upper body for swing speed.
Furthermore, they are less likely to get stuck behind the ball or hang back, which causes the arms and hands to carry the club to and through impact.
The result of practicing the walk through drill with both practice swings and hitting shots is a more solid strike, a consistent trajectory and shot shape because the hands and arms follow a proper release sequence, and more power.
