How a bowling ball can help correct your golf swing (really!)

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.

Some golfers will go to great lengths in order to correct their golf swing. From trying all sorts of training aids to doing something unorthodox, regardless of how wild something may seem, if it’s effective, it’s worth trying.

But have you ever practiced by using a bowling ball? If not, it might be time to at least give it a try.

According to Addison Craig, the head professional at The Bridge Golf Club, he developed a drill that uses a bowling ball in order to correctly transfer weight in the golf swing to the lead side.

In today’s Play Smart, we’re looking at some images from Craig doing the drill, along with some instruction tips that might prove helpful for your game. Check it out below.

Try this easy bowling-ball drill to help your golf swing

Craig says he developed this bowling-ball drill in order to help players who struggle with shifting their weight to their lead side.

Since almost everyone has gone bowling before, Craig says golfers already have an idea of the motion of rolling the ball down a lane. It’s this motion that he wants golfers to focus on, which forces the posture to stay down toward the ground.

“When we’re bowling, it’s all about staying down in our posture (feeling our chest pointed toward the ground like Nick Faldo at post-impact),” he says. “By doing this, our weight will be transferred onto our lead side.”

The images below show what the drill should look like.

Now that you understand the concept of transferring your weight using a bowling ball, Craig says it’s time to put a club back in your hands to feel the difference.

“Try to hit golf shots feeling like you’re staying in the right posture, transferring the weight over to the lead side,” he says.

Whether you’re actually bringing a bowling ball to the driving range with you — that’s bold! — or you’re just planning to practice this in the comfort of your own home, give it a try to get the feel you need in your golf swing. If it leads to better contact on the course, it’s not as wild as it might first appear.

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