Eliminate excessive movement with some mirror work at home

Most of us struggle to catch the ball solidly on a consistent basis. The main reason for this is the body moves around more than necessary throughout the swing. You may be moving up and down (changing your levels) with your head throughout the swing or moving laterally off the ball during your backswing (too much weight shift). It’s very hard to detect when you are doing this when you don’t have a golf pro watching you or have access to a video camera, so you need to be careful you aren’t practising this bad habit. 

A good way to reduce this movement is to make swings at home in front of a mirror. Place a piece of tape on the mirror and line your head up with it. Make sure you have the correct body angles and then start making some backswings. By focusing on the tape you will be able to see if your head is moving up and down. Then look at your hips and make sure they are turning and not sliding. If your head is steady and your hips and shoulders are turning correctly you will retain your body angles and minimise any excessive movement. This exercise can be done with or without a golf club.

Finally, always focus on quality of practice over quantity and if you need any help to make sure you’re practicing the right technique you may need to check in for a lesson with your club professional.