# Head cover or towel under the armpits drill.



## delc (Jan 15, 2016)

I've just watched a video of the lovely Charley Hull practising shots while holding a head cover under her left armpit, and I have seen other pro golfers practising with a head cover or towel under one or both armpits. I find it helpful myself, because it helps keep my arms in sync with my body turn, but a pro golfer who posts on here didn't think it was a good idea in another thread. Any views on this?


----------



## Hacker Khan (Jan 15, 2016)

If it works for you then why not. As with every drill it will work for some people and not for others.  I think the trouble is that people are searching for the magic drill or tip that will cure all their golfing woes. And that just does not exist.


----------



## Robobum (Jan 15, 2016)

delc said:



			I've just watched a video of the lovely Charley Hull practising shots while holding a head cover under her left armpit, and I have seen other pro golfers practising with a head cover or towel under one or both armpits. I find it helpful myself, because it helps keep my arms in sync with my body turn, but a pro golfer who posts on here didn't think it was a good idea in another thread. Any views on this?
		
Click to expand...

You don't take a blind bit of notice unless you "discover" it yourself anyway, so no real issue?


----------



## Albanach (Jan 15, 2016)

DeÃ§ent explanation here from another instruction tip:

A trusted favourite â€“ but a drill that you need to understand before you go out and make the mistake that I have seen many amateur golfers make, believing it to be applicable to the full swing. Which it is not. The towel drill is specifically designed to help keep all of the components of the swing moving at the same even pace up to this half-way back and halfway through position. In other words, it is perfect to synchronise the movement of the club, your arms and body in the process of developing the heart of your basic pitching technique. But under no circumstances should you go out and train your full swing â€“ any attempt to keep the towel in place beyond this halfway position will result in the movement of the arms being severely restricted and you will fail to enjoy the freedom they need to complete a full swing.

That is not to say the towel drill will not benefit your full swing. It will. The better you synchronise the movement of your arms and body to this halfway position the better the real guts of your swing will be, and you can then lose the towel and experience real improvement in your full swing as you hit balls with that coordination to this halfway position built in.


----------



## virtuocity (Jan 15, 2016)

delc said:



			Any views on this?
		
Click to expand...

1.  The left arm has to disconnect from the body on the downswing
2.  The towel drill will not fix the root cause of swing issues other than connection.  Too much of a good thing can occur though.
3.  There are a number of pros who dislike this drill, not just oor Bob.


----------



## virtuocity (Jan 15, 2016)

Also, as many pros have said, this can actually cause shanking.  You rebutted on the other thread stating that it helps you beat the shanks.  So why ask?


----------



## delc (Jan 15, 2016)

virtuocity said:



			Also, as many pros have said, this can actually cause shanking.  You rebutted on the other thread stating that it helps you beat the shanks.  So why ask?
		
Click to expand...

I think that my occasional shanks are caused by my hands and arms coming away from, or getting out of sync with my body, so in that respect this drill helps.


----------



## woody69 (Jan 15, 2016)

IT helped me in terms of "staying connected" certainly in my back swing, but I didn't worry that it dropped out on the downswing.


----------



## One Planer (Jan 15, 2016)

Not a drill I've ever used, nor been suggested to use by a Pro.

My connection in the back swing is pretty good having a one plane swing and the same coming down.

If you have a disconnection issues I can see the merit.


----------



## chrisd (Jan 15, 2016)

delc said:



			I think that my occasional shanks are caused by my hands and arms coming away from, or getting out of sync with my body, so in that respect this drill helps.
		
Click to expand...

Trying to hit the ball with your hands rather than the clubhead? If you get what I mean


----------



## bobmac (Jan 15, 2016)

delc said:



			but a pro golfer who posts on here didn't think it was a good idea in another thread. Any views on this?
		
Click to expand...

I said (wrote)




			I really dont like that drill, it promotes a slice if your not careful.
		
Click to expand...

In my experience, the vast majority of mid to high h/caps have an out to in swing path through impact.
If you are one of these golfers and you try this drill, to stop the headcover from falling, you will pull the handle of the club further left through impact. This increases the amount of sidespin put on the ball resulting in a bigger slice/pull, depending on where the clubface is pointing at the time.

Just my opinion of course


----------



## ruff-driver (Jan 15, 2016)

Many of us would like to see charley draped in a towel, especially del


----------



## delc (Jan 15, 2016)

bobmac said:



			I said (wrote)



In my experience, the vast majority of mid to high h/caps have an out to in swing path through impact.
If you are one of these golfers and you try this drill, to stop the headcover from falling, you will pull the handle of the club further left through impact. This increases the amount of sidespin put on the ball resulting in a bigger slice/pull, depending on where the clubface is pointing at the time.

Just my opinion of course
		
Click to expand...


My problem is that as an impressionable teenager I was told that to be a good golfer I had to have an in-to-out swing. So I worked on this until it became ingrained. Now it is too ingrained and I am prone to hitting hooks and the occasional push or shank as a result. I am trying to get an in to straight through to back in swing and this drill helps. I went a full 18 holes without hitting one shank today!


----------



## jasondransfieldgolf (Jan 15, 2016)

bobmac said:



			I said (wrote)



In my experience, the vast majority of mid to high h/caps have an out to in swing path through impact.
If you are one of these golfers and you try this drill, to stop the headcover from falling, you will pull the handle of the club further left through impact. This increases the amount of sidespin put on the ball resulting in a bigger slice/pull, depending on where the clubface is pointing at the time.

Just my opinion of course
		
Click to expand...

I agree with you Bob, the drill put in to the wrong hands (arms) such as a slicer will most likely have the effect of making things worse. I have used the drill, but only for short pitches, I don't know how or why you would want to use it for full swing shots.


----------



## delc (Jan 15, 2016)

jasondransfieldgolf said:



			I agree with you Bob, the drill put in to the wrong hands (arms) such as a slicer will most likely have the effect of making things worse. I have used the drill, but only for short pitches, I don't know how or why you would want to use it for full swing shots.
		
Click to expand...

I only use it with short irons, and then normally only for a few practice swings, or maybe a few pitch shots. It seems to help my swing plane, timing and rhythm. I don't disagree that you need a bit more width for driving and long shots in general.


----------



## HomerJSimpson (Jan 15, 2016)

To be fair it has its merits and is something I was recommended on chip shots to keep the arms more connected.Peter Finch advocated something similar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C29fOC52Rt4

I have also been recommended the drill for pitching too to keep the arms connected which worked as it's not a full swing (so not too much side spin) and rarely got beyond ten o'clock


----------



## hines57 (Jan 16, 2016)

using this drill when you know what you are trying to achieve is a great help. It is not a cure all, but to help keep connected I have also been recommended by the pro to work on this.


----------



## delc (Jan 18, 2016)

I have been persevering with this drill, and it has definitely improved my ball striking throughout the bag. Or at least my bad shots are less bad than they were before. It is quite noticeable to me that I am now rotating my body a bit more slowly in the forward swing. I think I have always had a tendency to get ahead of myself during my downswing, which can lead to all sorts of bad shots, including the snap hook and the dreaded shank!


----------



## delc (Jan 19, 2016)

Although this drill seems to have improved all of my game, the biggest improvement seems to be in chipping. For the first time in my life I felt confident when chipping this morning, even though I was chipping into frozen greens where the slightest thin would have bounced straight off the back of the green. I made several up and downs from off the green!


----------



## One Planer (Jan 19, 2016)

Confidence is a great thing Del'


----------



## delc (Jan 19, 2016)

One Planer said:



			Confidence is a great thing Del' 

Click to expand...

But you normally need some underlying technical competence to achieve it!


----------



## One Planer (Jan 19, 2016)

delc said:



			But you normally need some underlying technical competence to achieve it!  

Click to expand...

Very true Del.

probably why confidence is such a fragile thing in golf. Even for the Professionals!


----------



## delc (Jan 21, 2016)

One thing this drill has made me appreciate is that at some point in the follow through, your left elbow has to start tucking into your side. I think that a lot of my problems were caused by trying to keep my left arm too straight for too long. I haven't hit any shanks (touch wood) or snap hooks since practising this drill and my chipping has improved markedly!


----------



## bobmac (Jan 21, 2016)

Are you using this drill for full swings?


----------



## delc (Jan 21, 2016)

bobmac said:



			Are you using this drill for full swings?
		
Click to expand...

No, don't need to. Three-quarter swings with a nine-iron or wedge are enough to give you the correct feeling.


----------



## delc (Jan 29, 2016)

I have been consistently playing better since practising this drill. I have almost completely eliminated the fat shot and the shank from my game, which have always been my bugbears. My occasional slightly bad shot is now off the toe, which is far less damaging to my scores than the dreaded shank off the other end of the clubface! My short game is also more reliable. . :thup:


----------

