The key is lag, and you can train for it in the gym

Bobby Clampett, the former tour pro turned golf instructor, studied the impact conditions of golfers of various abilities and found that the swing bottom of an elite golfer is up to four inches in front of the ball. That’s why you see those carpet strips of grass flying when Scottie Scheffler stripes one.

 How do they do it? Their hands and lower body are in front of the ball as the clubhead strikes it, says Darin Hovis, a Golf Digest 50 Best Golf-Fitness Trainer and the owner of Par 4 Fitness in Naples, Florida. That “lagging” action, where the clubhead trails the hands and body rotation through the impact zone, can be trained in the gym, he says. Here he demonstrates two exercises that can help move your swing bottom forward.

Wind up, then let it loose

Winding up like you’re making a backswing and then releasing a medium-weight medicine ball, as Hovis is doing here [above], forces you to rely on mostly your body to perform the exercise. Your arms are propelled by the rotation of your hips, followed by your torso. All the while, you have to maintain a stable base with your legs or you’ll fall off balance when you throw. Subliminally, you are training the very action you need to swing so that the club trails your body rotation in the through-swing.

Rotate down and through

Aside from that huge divot Scottie is taking on the previous page, the other thing to note is that he’s in basically the same posture at impact that he was in at address. The key to a good iron shot is to keep the clubhead moving downward through the turf after impact as your body rotates towards the target.

You can work on this by harnessing an anchored band over your lead leg and mimicking golf swings, Hovis says. It should feel as if you have to resist the band from pulling you forward [above]. Start slowly, but if you can swing without losing your posture, gradually increase your swing speed. See how fast you can go without losing your balance. 

scheffler: dylan buell/getty images • hovis: tyler boardway