weight transfer

Take Some Lumber to your Game

Ted Odorico April 11, 2026

Instruction

This might sound like a stupid question but do you want to hit the ball further? Well, there are many things that can go right or wrong during the golf swing, but one thing is for sure, the golf ball really cares about what happens at the moment of impact. It is at that precise moment the golf ball is given all its flight data from the golf club. It really doesn’t care about what your swing looks like. Even on the PGA Tour today there are different styles of golf swings. Some people might consider Matt Wolfe to have a very upright swing plane, Matt Kucher flat arms at the top of his swing, or Adam Scott just picture perfect. Is one swing better than another? To be honest, all the golf ball cares about is that the clubface angle is square to its intended target, the club is traveling on the correct plane, and that you make a divot after the golf ball with all your clubs except a driver and of course, a putter.

A lot of the golfers I see want to hit the golf ball further. More often than not they aren’t being efficient at impact. Common issues I see with amateurs at impact are: weight is on their back foot, their hands are behind the ball, and the left wrist (for a right handed golfer) is cupped. Not only is their ball striking not crisp, but the contact on the club face is not centered. Ultimately the club is ascending into the ball and there is a significant loss of distance.

In order to improve your ball striking and impact you first have to “educate the hands and arms” to be in the right position. If you are a right handed golfer your left hand specifically controls the club face. If your grip isn’t fundamentally sound you’re unlikely to have a square clubface at impact. Your right hand and arm influences the plane angle of the swing as well as shaft lean at impact. The right arm is a major sauce of power in your golf swing because of the levers in your right wrist and elbow. The concept of leading with the left arm and letting the right arm go along for the ride simply doesn’t hold true. You have to use your dominate arm as much as you can in the golf swing.

There are certain drills that can over correct a problem but this impact drill will have you hitting your shots better and maximizing your golf swings efficiency.

Setup: Make sure that your fundamentals are in place and you haven’t cut any corners

Before you proceed with the 2×4 impact drill, make sure that your setup fundamentals are in place and you haven’t cut any corners. Using a short iron, place the 2×4 approximately one foot behind the ball, perpendicular to your toe line. The golf ball should be positioned in the middle of your stance. Your setup should look like you are getting ready to make a full swing.

The Take Back: Take the golf club back until your left arm is parallel to the ground and the shaft is set at a 90 degree angle.

When you’re focusing on improving your impact position in the golf swing, start by making slow half swings. Take the golf club back until your left arm is parallel to the ground and the shaft is set at a 90 degree angle. To ensure that your clubface remains square, make sure that your left wrist remains flat and the right wrist is fully cocked. Your right arm should feel relaxed and soft like a wet noodle and you should have little to no tension in your left arm.

The Down Shift: To start your down swing you have to start transferring your weight toward your front heel.

As you start your down swing you have to start transferring your weight toward your front heel. If you don’t shift you are likely to hit the 2×4 before you get back to the golf ball. Make sure that you are keeping your wrists fully cocked while at the same time making sure that left wrist is flat. All this will ensure that you avoid releasing the club head early and casting. Remember, your hands will lead the charge back towards the golf ball.

The Moment of Truth: Feel like your right arm is extending and driving the club head through the ball and into the ground.

As the club continues to travel on a descending path towards the ball you should feel like your right arm is extending and driving the club head through the ball and into the ground. The most critical moment at impact is when the club reaches the low point in the swing arc and bottoms out. Your low point at impact should be in line with your left heel (approximately 4 inches past the ball) and will be identified as the end point of your divot. It is the only position in the swing that both left and right arms are fully extended at the same time. Other key points to recognize at impact are that your left wrist is still flat and right wrist is bent. The majority of your weight is on your left foot and your right heel is slightly raised.

Stick the Landing: Your weight is on your left leg, you should be able to maintain a balanced abbreviated finish position.

As you continue to rotate your body into the swings finish position, maintain extension in both arms to avoid the dreaded “Chicken Wing Left Arm”. As long as your right arm pushed down through impact and your weight finished on your left leg, you should be able to maintain a balanced abbreviated finish position. Remember these two key points; if you hit the 2×4 on your down swing it was because your weight remained behind the golf ball. If you were unable to take a divot it is because your right arm didn’t drive the club head into the turf.

The Statue Finish: Owning the Result

Ted Odorico April 5, 2026

Professional male golfer in navy polo and visor executing perfect driver swing during golden hour on pristine golf course with dramatic sunset lighting and bokeh effects.

Instruction

Why Mastering the End of Your Swing Fixes the Start.

Welcome to the finale of our four-part transformation. Over the last three days, we’ve built a rock-solid foundation, wound your core into a high-tension spring, and mastered the “Gravity Drop” that delivers the club with professional sequencing. You’ve done the hard work of rebuilding the machine. Now, it’s time to learn how to stick the landing. Have you ever wondered why the best players in the world—from Tiger Woods to Nelly Korda—look like they’re posing for a bronze statue after every shot? They hold that finish, chest high and eyes on the ball, until it disappears into the horizon. It’s not vanity. It’s not for the cameras. A balanced, held finish is the ultimate “receipt” for a perfect swing.

If you find yourself stumbling forward toward the ball, “walking” after your shot, or falling back toward your heels, it is a definitive sign that your swing path was a mess long before impact. Your finish is the diagnostic tool for everything that happened in the previous two seconds. Today, we’re closing the loop. We’re going to focus on the end of the swing to fix the beginning.

The Finish as a Mirror: Diagnosing Your Faults

In golf, the “result” isn’t just where the ball goes; it’s how your body ends up. Your brain is an incredible compensation machine. If you swing too much from the outside (the slice path), your weight will naturally pull toward your toes to keep you from falling over. If you swing too much from the inside, you might find yourself falling back toward your heels.

By forcing yourself into a specific, balanced finish position, you are actually “reverse-engineering” your swing. When you commit to a pro-level finish, your brain subconsciously self-corrects your swing path and tempo mid-stream to make that balance possible. You cannot hold a perfect finish if your transition was violent or your path was crooked. To own the finish is to own the fairway.

The Drill: The “Three-Second Freeze”

This drill is the ultimate lie detector. It’s easy to fake a good swing for a split second at impact, but you can’t fake balance once the club has stopped moving.

The Mission: To prove your swing was in total equilibrium and that you used your “foundation” from Day One correctly.

1. The Setup: Head to the range or your backyard net. Grab a mid-iron, like a 7-iron, and go through your full routine: the Wall-Butt hinge, the Shoulder-to-Chin load, and the Step-In transition.

2. The Action: Swing through and make contact. But here’s the catch: You are strictly forbidden from moving your feet, dropping the club, or “stepping out” of the swing until the ball hits the ground (or for at least three seconds if you’re hitting into a net).

3. The Checkpoint: While you are “frozen” in your finish, run through this mental checklist:

. The Chest: Is your shirt buttons (or chest) facing directly at the target or even slightly left of it?
. The Weight: Is 95% of your weight on your lead leg? You should feel like you could stay there all day.
. The Trail Foot: Is your trail shoe completely vertical, with only the very tip of the toe touching the turf?The Spine: Are you standing tall, or are you “crunching” over?

4. The Payoff: If you can’t hold this for three seconds without wobbling, you’re swinging “out of your shoes.” It means you’re trying to generate speed with effort rather than with the sequencing we’ve built this week.

Did you notice any specific wobbles during your first few Three-Second Freezes, or were you able to stay rock-solid right away?

Efficiency Over Effort

The “Three-Second Freeze” teaches you the difference between forced power and efficient power. When you swing within your balance, you create a more consistent strike. A center-face hit at 80% effort will always out-drive a toe-hit at 100% effort.

The finish is where you prove you stayed “connected.” If your arms and body finished together, you’ll be as stable as a tripod. If your arms raced ahead or your body outran your hands, the “statue” will crumble. By mastering the finish, you’re training your nervous system to maintain control through the most violent part of the swing.

Summary: The Receipt of Success

The finish is where you diagnose your game. It’s the final grade on your four-day exam. When you commit to a full, balanced follow-through, you remove the “hit” impulse and replace it with a “swing” motion. You’ve now completed the circle. You started with a foundation that allowed for movement, you built a turn that created tension, you mastered a transition that used gravity, and now you’ve learned to hold it all together until the very end.

The Final Word

You’ve gone from a shaky, “Rubik’s Cube” setup to a pro-level finish. You have the blueprint in your hands: Posture, Load, Transition, and Balance. The instruction phase is over. Now, it’s time to stop reading and start swinging. The transformation won’t happen sitting on the couch; it happens in the dirt. Grab your bag, head to the first tee, and show your playing partners what a four-part transformation looks like. Your skyscraper is built—now go see how far the penthouse can hit it.

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