Clay Ballard explains how moving the lead shoulder forward and down during the downswing helps golfers compress the golf ball. Lifting the lead shoulder too early drops the trail shoulder, traps the elbow, and leads to chunked shots. Moving the lead shoulder correctly allows the hands to get ahead of the ball for solid impact.
Lifting the left shoulder early drops the right shoulder and traps the right elbow behind the body, causing an early release.
Moving the left shoulder forward and down through impact creates space for the right elbow to stay in front.
A forward lead shoulder motion helps drive hands ahead of the ball, producing forward shaft lean and crisp ball compression.
The lower body and hips must shift forward along with the lead shoulder to stay over the ball and cover impact properly.
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