How to shallow the club in the downswing
Shallowing has become the most talked-about idea in golf instruction, and one of the most misunderstood. It is not something you do with your wrists.
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What shallowing means
Shallowing describes the shaft flattening slightly at the start of the downswing, so that the club approaches the ball on a less steep angle than the one it went back on. In a swing that works, the transition drops the club a little behind and under the plane it went up on, which is what allows the path to come from the inside and the face to arrive square without a last-second save.
You will see this described online as a wrist move, usually as forearm rotation or 'flattening the lead wrist'. Those things can be part of it, but for most golfers, trying to create shallowing with the hands produces a hook, a block, or both in the same round.
Shallowing is what happens when the sequence is right
The club shallows on its own when the lower body starts the downswing while the club is still going back or has just finished. That small transition overlap creates a gentle backwards pull on the grip, and the shaft responds by flattening. The golfer does not have to do anything with their hands. In fact, the less they do, the better it works.
This is why shallowing and over-the-top are two ways of describing the same crossroads. Fire the upper body first and the club steepens. Let the lower body lead and the club shallows. The difference is measured in fractions of a second, which is why it is felt rather than thought.
The trail elbow tells you the truth
A reliable checkpoint: at the moment the club is halfway down, your trail elbow should be in front of your trail hip, close to your side, with the elbow pointing roughly at the ground. If it is behind you or sticking out away from your body, the club is not shallowing, no matter what your hands are doing.
You can check this in a mirror at home in about thirty seconds, and it costs nothing. Do it before and after each of the drills below.
One warning
Shallowing without a body that keeps turning is how good players start hooking the ball. If the club drops behind you and your rotation stalls, the hands take over and the face shuts. Keep the turn going through impact. Shallow and stalled is worse than steep and turning.
Drills you can do today
The pump drill
Take the club to the top, then pump it down to halfway three times without hitting anything, checking each time that your trail elbow arrives in front of your trail hip. On the third pump, complete the swing at half speed. The repetition of the halfway-down position is what builds the feel.
The wall drill
Stand with your back close to a wall, near enough that a steep downswing would knock your hands into it. Make slow downswing motions and keep the butt of the club, or your lead hand if you are not holding a club, clear of the wall. It gives you an instant, physical no when you steepen. Do this at walking pace, not swing pace.
The split-hands drill
Grip the club with your hands a few inches apart and make slow three-quarter swings. The gap exaggerates what your trail arm is doing, so a steep, over-the-top transition becomes obvious and uncomfortable, while a shallow one feels smooth. Ten slow swings, then put your hands back together and try to keep the same feeling.
If you want the same feeling on every swing
Shallowing is a sequencing feel, and sequencing feels are easy to lose the moment you stop paying attention. The Swing Glide keeps your trail arm connected to your torso through the transition while still allowing a full turn, which is the same relationship you are trying to hold in the pump drill. Use it if you want the feedback on every swing; use the drills alone if you would rather not spend anything.
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