How to Shallow the Golf Club

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Do you swing over the top and struggle to drop the club "into the slot"? Want that look of the pros where the hands drop straight down instead of working out toward the ball and steep? This program will teach you how to shallow the golf club like the pros so you can approach the ball from the inside and get rid of that banana slice forever! You'll discover a completely new feeling to the swing that will free you up to release the golf club as hard as you want, giving you more speed AND control!


For those of you who still struggle swinging over the top and can't get the club to shallow out. This sequence of drills is going to be a life-changer for you because it's not difficult to shallow at the club. But if you don't understand, what's really causing it. It's very difficult to figure out what's going on and why you keep slicing it and pulling it and all these things to shallow out the club properly. I've got a sequence of movements that I'm going to show you how to do both with the club and without a club that are going to help you feel for the first time maybe ever, what it feels like to come from the inside and release the club properly and start hitting a controlled, powerful draw, every single shot. So at first don't need a golf club. As usual, we're going to start with just the baby body movement.

It's all about what the body's doing. And then we worry about the club. So the key here is first as you're coming down, that transition video that I did the RSA video, just working on shifting this, move this shallow out the club move does not work until you shift your body correctly by working through those transition movements. So if you're shifting and getting your body to move correctly in your shoulders are staying back. Then this is going to be a piece of cake. If you're still turning your shoulders and head and all that stuff, you got to go back to the transition drill because you can't shell out the club without a proper transition, but once you have the transition down, now, what I'm going to start focusing in on is keeping my shoulders shut and bringing my arms down into impact. And I want to pay attention to where my body movements or where my body positions are and what path my hands are taking.

This is important. If you swing over the top, you tend to do this and the hands take a path way out over the plane and then across the ball and right to left when you swing correctly. And especially if you swing over the top, you're going to swear to me that you're swinging this way. It's going to feel horrible at first, but it's different. And that's just something you kind of have to get used to. So as we're going back, I'm doing my transition move. You see both knees are flexing. I'm starting to post up. And now I want my hands to stay in front of my chest and only work down. This is the key. Now in the real swing, everything, my shoulders would be turning a lot more, a lot faster because they'd be, my hips would be moving quicker. But when we're going slow, I can get the feeling of my hands, just working vertically down while still working on my hip movement and transition.

As I do that, my hands are obviously not coming over the top. If anything, they'd be coming too far from the inside. So what I want to do now is I want to take my right hand off and do the same movement and let my hand release into out. And I'll show you what I mean by that. So you're going back, transition, drill, hand, swings out that way. Now when you're swinging left hand only, it's really easy to swing way out to the right, which is a great exaggeration for this drill. If you come over the top and can't shallow out the club, so feeling that your hand drops down by your knee or from your perspective, it looks like it's in line with it. And then release this out to the right is the feeling that you want here. You don't want this. If your shoulders are open at any point during this drill, stop and go back and look at what you're doing.

Your shoulders. Notice that when I released the club or pretend to release the club, doing my transition drill, as my hand drops down to my knee and out to the right look where my chest is pointing it's square or only slightly open because my arm momentum pulled it open. I'm definitely not looking at it this way. There's nothing to see out there. So once I get this feeling of the hands dropping down and releasing out to the right, which feels a little bit awkward at first, then everything's starting to work correctly. Now with my right hand, I'm going to do my right hand. Only like with the throw the ball drill as I come down, my right elbows does the same thing. It comes down to my hip and releases out to the right and turns over, like trying to put top spin on a ping pong shot.

So transition, drill, right? Elbow down release. All I'm doing is trying to get the feeling of the club coming from the inside. And shallowing out now with the club in my hands, do the same thing. Really slow notice. If I just focus on my transition in the left hand, only the way to the club makes my hand, want to travel that path we just worked on. So as I go back and I just do this look where my hand is now the clubs too far from the inside. Don't worry about that yet. That's a good problem for us. We were swinging over the top and release out to the right. So my path is technically going to be a little bit too far out to the right that's okay. You're swinging over the top right now. This is a good problem. So it's just a little bit out to the right and now I'm starting to let it release with some speed. If you're still struggling with getting your shoulders square, go really slow. Stop at impact and check. Are my hips a little bit open or my shoulders square.

Still looking down at the ball and did

My hands drop down. This is the key. If you're used to doing this and turning your shoulders and pushing from that right side, this move is going to feel very bizarre, but it's going to feel awesome. Once you learn how aggressively you can release the club when you're coming from the inside. So you can do this five, 10 minutes a day, feeling that the hand drops while you work on your transition, little transition pump drill. My hand comes down to the knee, swings out to the right right hand with the clubs, same thing, transition, drill. I'm just kind of pumping, working my hips. That's bringing my hand down and now same thing as I released the club, notice that my arm is releasing, not my shoulders. My arm just lets the club go. It's a natural effortless release, just like throwing a ball. And because my weight shift and transition is working together.

I can get it to come from the inside now, same drill, but we're going to have both hands on the club, a little pump drill. I'm working on my weight shift, working on my lower body movement. Now that the right hand come off before this is key because you're going to feel how throwing that club creates a lot of speed without you working your body hard at all. This doesn't take any effort for me, just getting the same feeling of my hands. Dropping down to my knee is a little bit of an exaggeration of course, but that's the idea. And then releasing and slowly start keeping that right hand on there a little bit longer. This drill will get you. If you do it in a mirror and you start paying attention to what the club's doing, your hands will be coming down on plane, dropping the club from the inside and you start hitting a powerful draw on every shot.

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Tyler
Hi Craig hope all is well! This video is almost exactly what you and I talked about it my live lesson a month or so ago. As I shallow should I work on on keeping my right wrist back a bit as well? I'm thinking that should help my left wrist bow a little bit and make it easier to have shaft lean on my irons. Bowing my left wrist feels awkward to me but bending my right is a better feel for me. I'm going to try to get a liveswing up on the community page next week but I'm still working on getting my lower body transition and getting my arms going straight down. Have yourself a great day!
January 30, 2024
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tyler. I hope all is well. Exactly. The lead wrist will have to react to the function of the trail wrist. You may certainly focus on that feel to get the better lead flat/bowed position. Thanks for the well wishes and look forward to seeing the improved move.
January 30, 2024
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Tyler
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Quick question to make sure we are on the same page....... As I drop the hands and bend the right wrist to start the downswing, it should kind of feel like the axiom move correct? My right shoulder is externally rotating when I do that etc....I just want to make sure I'm practicing these things in the correct order to set up a good downswing.
January 31, 2024
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tyler. Yes. You won't get that much more external rotation as it's more preset when you finish the backswing. Axiom Lag will be the best demonstration for the feel/visual you are going for.
February 1, 2024
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Gerd Helene
Strange transcription: "So transition, drill, right? Elbow down release." What I hear Chuck says is: "So transition drill: Right elbow down - release." This is not the only example.
March 4, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gerd. The transcription is automated. Which is why you may see some errors with the punctuation. The right elbow will work down as you shallow. When the club shallows you can start releasing the club from the inside vs over the top.
March 4, 2023
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Gary
When you talk about dropping the hands and squatting to square you also indicate some pulling down in the shallowing process. Can you describe how you pull down. What muscles are being activated?
January 15, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gary. The weight shift, core and gravity are allowing this process to happen. You don't have a big pull with the arm, or yank. As the oblique is starting to open the hip the lead lat will aid in shallowing and pulling the arms/hands in front of the body. Take a look at Left Arm in the Golf Downswing Video. (LADD)
January 15, 2021
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Joe
I saw a glimpse of a concept called "stab yourself in the thigh with the club" recently but cannot not find it now. Is it related to this shallowing somehow? How do I find more about that concept? Thanks.
November 13, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Joe. Take a look at How to Shallow Your Hands During Transition Video. It is discussed in this Live Lesson.
November 14, 2020
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John
Hi, I’m curious to know how much outside should we be swinging to? If the ball was at 12 o’clock should we be swinging out to roughly 1 or 2 o’clock..? Thanks
November 2, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. 1 should work. All the way to 2 maybe a touch over cooked.
November 2, 2020
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John
Thank you..
November 3, 2020
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Jeff
Craig, I thought these videos were being offered if you attended a boot camp?
June 28, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jeff. I do not know what is in the package for the Bootcamp participants. I apologize. Customer Service would be able to answer this better for you.
June 28, 2020
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William (Certified RST Instructor)
I have been practicing this move, but when I squat to square, while not moving the shoulders at all and keeping them away from target, my lower body movement still seems to pull the hands and shoulders across the line and not into the slot. I thought the squat to square was supposed to pull the hands into the slot all by itself. Is there something I may be missing ?
October 24, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello William. It does pull the club on to plane. But, it is a blend of pull and gravity. It sounds like a big tension issue.
October 25, 2019
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Stephen
Hi, have been working on shallowing out my downswing by reducing the pressure of my right hand grip. I can feel the shaft shallow but now seem to hit a bad slice, or in best cases a slight cut, as I now can’t square the club face at impact....is there anything I should do/think of/try to feel in order to try and square the club face now I’m shallowing out the downswing more....
May 27, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. Sounds like you are allowing the club to shallow, but not releasing the club. I would make sure after you shallow to not spin the chest through the strike. Watch the Arms vs. Body Release Video and 5 Minutes to the Perfect Release.
May 28, 2019
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Tom
To paraphrase Chuck, "This sequence of drills has been a life changer!" I have been working diligently to ingrain the backswing, transition and posting moves Chuck demonstrates repeatedly in the On the Road Series. Despite my hard work I still had some right side push in my delivery when playing that would result in a slight pull, a less than square impact and rather disappointing swing speed. However, after drilling the sequences in this video for several days, I now enjoy a powerful, shallow delivery of the club head to the ball as evidenced by the drive of 270 yards (carry) straight down the middle as my final drive today. For the millionth time - many thanks to Chuck and the team.
January 12, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tom. Awesome. Thanks for the note. We much very much appreciate the good report and love hearing the good news.
January 13, 2019
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Jeffrey
I’m a member and this video is locked Please unlock Thank U
October 9, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jeffrey. Are you a Premium Member, or Academy Member? This video is for the Academy Membership. If you are an Academy Member please contact Customer Service as it should be unlocked for you. I apologize for the error.
October 10, 2018
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Hector
I’m premium member and I can’t open this video ???
August 20, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Hector. This video is part of the RSA Membership.
August 20, 2018
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Kenny
I've been working through videos for the last couple of months. Just joined RSA and love the material; great stuff!! Prior to RST, I was using a single plane swing and balls were going pretty straight, never a draw. Now I have picked up more clubhead speed, and my shot is straight, maybe a little draw... until last weekend!! Irons are OK, but with the driver the ball starts straight and duck hooks. Never done that in my life. The first 4-5 drives are fine, but after that, hooks. Only with the driver. Why did this start happening?
July 27, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kenneth. Sounds like you are manually speeding up the hands. Take a look at Flip vs Release and Iron vs. Driver Swing. Proper tempo and gradual release. The speed is in the club.
July 27, 2018
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Kenny
Thanks Craig! The driver I have been using is very light. I changed to my backup which has a heavier shaft, and I don't hook anymore. But I do hit the lighter club a little further, so I will go over the videos you suggest and give it another try.
July 27, 2018
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michael
Why Can’t I watch this
July 16, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michael. It is playing correctly on my end. Are you a premium user?
July 17, 2018
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Tim
Hi Craig, I am also the premium user but I cannot watch it as well. Also the video from 1 - 4
January 13, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tim. The video above is for the academy membership. I asked Michael if he was a premium member because I was going to relay to him that the premium membership doesn't cover the above presentation.
January 13, 2019
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