Over this past summer I had the privilege of doing a one minute instructional piece on Channel 6 Action News.  Although the piece aired twice, one minute goes by very quickly and many golfing viewers may have missed some of the key information I was trying to convey.  In this article my intentions are to give a clear understanding of the 3 Levels of the golf swing that we teach at our academy along with the reasons why these Levels are so powerful in Building A Solid Golf Swing. 

Like everything else in life, things need to be done in the correct order.  Run before you can walk and you are certain to fall, and fall hard.  As we have all heard, never put the cart before the horse.  Learning the golf swing is the same way. So why are these levels so important?  For one, they are the building blocks for constructing your full golf swing.  Second, all 3 Levels will be used during the course of a round of golf to hit your irons the proper distances, for controlling the trajectory of your shots under certain conditions,  hitting a shot low or landing a shot high and soft.  Here are a few examples of how these 3 Levels work for me.

Sand Wedge

Level 1 = 40 yds Level 2 = 60 yds, Level 3 = 80 yds

Pitching Wedge

Level 1 = 50 yds, Level 2 = 70 yds, Level 3 = 90 yds

6 Iron

Level 1 = Low trajectory approximately 50 yds,

Level 2 = Low trajectory approximately 130 yds,

Level 3 = Medium trajectory approximately 160 yds. 

As you can see, there are a lot of different scenarios using these 3 Levels.  You could be using a Level 2 swing with a 3 iron to punch out from under trees.  Use these 3 Levels to organize yourself and you will have an arsenal of different shots to choose from based on the conditions and the club you select.  No guesswork needed because you already know how the shot is going to come off the clubface before you ever execute it. 

In learning the 3 Levels to Building YOUR Solid Golf Swing we must first understand where these levels are and how to perform them properly.

Level 1 Approximately Hip high back and through.

Address the golf ball with your clubface square to the target.  Keep your elbows against your sides and start moving your body back so the club reaches approximately waste high.  Now rotate and transfer your weight over to your forward foot so that the club is approximately waste high in the follow through, again with the toe pointing up.  Remember to keep your elbows close to your sides while keeping as much tension out of your hands as possible.  You should feel the body working the club back and through without any manipulation from your arms or hands.  If the toe of the club is pointing up back and through you have achieved a square clubface throughout the swing and therefore, the ball has no choice but to go to your intended target. 

Master Level 1 and you have found the secret to how every swing should feel through the hitting area.  Our ultimate goal with any size swing is to plug back into Level 1 on the downswing going through our shot into the finish.  If achieved we will have no choice but to look up at a purely struck golf shot.  Nice problem to have if you ask me. 
 

Level 2 Approximately Chest high back and through.

In Level 2 do everything that has been described in Level 1but now lets get our hands up to approximately chest high level. (See Level 2 Photo) There will be a little more rotation in our body and we are now hinging the club on top of our hands.  Those additional movements will take our hands up to approximately the chest high position back and through.  Although there is only a small change in the hand positions from Level 1 to Level 2 the clubhead on the other hand has moved quite a bit due to the hinging of the hands.  This additional movement adds more speed to the swing but is still well short of maximum speed generated in your full golf swing.
 

Level 3 Approximately Shoulder high back and through.

In Level 3 we are doing everything as described in Level 2 but we must now take our hands up to approximately Shoulder high level.  (See Level 3 Photo)  Again, this additional movement ads speed to the swing and is now very close to your full golf swing.  For golfers with limited flexibility a Level 3 swing when performed correctly will be all the golf swing they need to play some really great shots. 

Remember, the Levels are designed to help you Build A Solid Golf Swing, control distances and hit shots with the proper trajectory.  The Levels control the speed in which you can swing the club and that controls the distance and trajectory.  Try these 3 Levels with different clubs, take notes and get ready to drop a few strokes off your handicap this spring. 

If you would like to learn more about Building A Solid Golf Swing along with setting goals for the overall improvement of your game I would be happy to personally work with you this winter at our indoor academy.  Thank you for taking the time to read my article and I look forward to seeing you at our indoor and outdoor Academy.