Considering my wife is from Canada, there’s one thing that I’ve noticed every time I play golf with some of her friends who grew up playing hockey — it’s that they’re all really good at golf.
When you think about it, it makes lots of sense.
Similar to the golf swing, hockey players use their trunk to establish a strong base. Likewise, both sports require above-average hand-eye coordination, with hockey players having to use a shoulder turn to hit a strong slapshot — which resembles a golf swing. It allows hockey players to get their hips around and stable their core, leading to a golf club face that’s squared up to the golf ball.
With so many overlaps between hockey and golf, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Martin Chuck has a tip for you amateurs struggling with squaring up your golf club face — use a hockey stick to practice.
How Chuck uses a hockey stick to square the golf club face
In the video above, Chuck demonstrates how (and why) he uses a hockey stick to help square up the club. For players who often slice, this is due to the club face opening up through the backswing, with the hands and wrists unable to catch up with the hips through the strike.
As Chuck says, “this isn’t a tumble of the club over the top — which makes me respond by standing up and chicken-winging. It’s an event where the club is traveling to the ball behind the hand path, and then there’s a sense of squaring up.”
It may appear to be a simple drill, but, all too often, amateur players continue to struggle with slicing the ball due to an open club face. But by using a hockey stick to help get the feel of a square club face, you’ll develop the formula and feel for hitting cleaner shots.
