What is a shallow golf swing? A shallow golf swing is when the club shaft lays down, or becomes flatter, during the transition from the top of your backswing into the downswing. This angle change helps the club approach the ball from the inside. This is often seen as the secret to hitting straighter and longer shots.
Many amateur golfers struggle with coming “over the top.” This means the club comes in too steep and outside-to-in. This results in slices or pulls. Fixing this common fault starts with learning how to shallow the downswing properly. This guide will break down exactly how to achieve that ideal, inside path.
Why Shallowing the Downswing Matters for Your Game
Shallowing the golf swing plane is not just a modern fad. It’s a fundamental move used by top professionals. When the club is too steep, it fights against your body rotation. When it’s shallow, it works with your body.
The Advantages of a Shallow Swing Path
A flatter swing path offers several major benefits for shot quality:
- Draw Potential: A shallow approach promotes an in-to-out swing path. This naturally creates a slight draw spin, which maximizes distance for most players.
- Better Contact: With an inside takeaway leading to a shallow move, you use the wide arc of your swing. This helps you hit the center of the clubface more often.
- Increased Clubhead Speed: A proper shallowing action allows the body to rotate fully through impact. This sequencing builds speed efficiently.
- Consistent Ball Flight: Preventing over-the-top moves eliminates the primary cause of severe slices. This leads to more fairways found.
Steep vs Shallow Golf Swing: A Quick Look
It is crucial to see the difference between a steep and a steep vs shallow golf swing action.
| Feature | Steep Swing (Outside-In) | Shallow Swing (Inside-Out) |
|---|---|---|
| Shaft Angle at Transition | Stays steep or gets steeper | Lays down, flattens slightly |
| Clubhead Entry | Outside the target line | Approaching from inside the target line |
| Common Fault | Over-the-top slice | Draw or straight shot |
| Low Point Control | Difficult to control | Easier to control forward motion |
Step 1: Mastering the Takeaway for Proper Sequencing
You cannot fix a steep downswing if the backswing starts incorrectly. The inside takeaway sets the stage for everything that follows. If you take the club too far outside early, you force yourself into a steep recovery.
Focus on Width, Not Height
Many golfers lift the club too quickly. This immediately steepens the swing plane.
- Start with the Arms and Chest: Feel like your chest rotation moves the club away first. Keep your hands passive initially.
- One-Club Length Rule: For the first three feet of the takeaway, the clubhead should stay outside your hands. Think about moving the club around your body, not up above it.
- Mirror Check: If you watch yourself in a mirror, the shaft should point roughly down the target line when the club is parallel to the ground. If it points way outside the ball, it’s too far out.
This shallow takeaway naturally places the club on a better golf swing plane going back. It avoids the common trap of immediately setting up a steep downswing.
Step 2: The Transition: Where Shallowing Actually Happens
The transition—the moment you stop going back and start coming down—is the most critical phase for shallowing. This is where you initiate the crucial shallowing the downswing move.
Feel the Weight Shift First
Many amateurs try to start the downswing with their hands or shoulders. This almost always results in an over-the-top move. The body must lead.
- Lower Body Initiation: Feel a slight bump or shift of pressure toward the target with your lead foot (left foot for righties). This weight shift turns off the backswing muscles slightly.
- Hands Drop, Not Throw: As the lower body starts moving, your hands should feel like they briefly drop or lag behind. This drop is the shallowing action. The club shaft literally lays down relative to your spine angle.
- No Early Release: Resist the urge to fire your hands or unhinge your wrists early. This is what adds speed but kills direction. Let the body rotation pull the arms down on that flatter path.
Using the “Slot” Concept
Think of the area between your trail hip and your chest as a delivery slot. A shallow swing delivers the club through this slot into the ball. A steep swing tries to throw the club over the top of this slot.
Step 3: Drill Work for Consistent Shallowing
Learning a new motion requires repetition. These shallowing drills help build the right muscle memory away from the pressure of hitting a target.
The Towel Under the Trail Arm Drill
This classic drill forces you to keep your arms connected to your body rotation, preventing the steep, disconnected move.
- Place a small towel or headcover under your right armpit (for right-handers).
- Take your normal swing motion, but focus intensely on keeping the towel tucked throughout the backswing and transition.
- If you lift your arms steeply or throw them out early in the downswing, the towel will fall out immediately.
- The goal is to feel the upper body initiating the swing while the arms stay connected, naturally leading to a flatter plane.
The Pump Drill (Shallow Indicator)
This drill focuses purely on the feeling of shallowing during the transition phase.
- Take the club to the top of your backswing.
- Slowly start down. As your hands reach about waist height, stop.
- At this point, the club shaft should be significantly flatter than it was at the top. If it’s still steep, you didn’t shallow it.
- “Pump” the club back up to the top, feeling that laid-down position again.
- Repeat this pump 3-5 times, feeling the shallow move deep in your transition.
- Finally, swing through at 50% speed, trying to hold that shallow position until impact.
The Step Drill for Sequencing
To fix swing path correction, the golf swing sequence must be correct: lower body first, then torso, then arms, then club.
- Set up with your feet together, holding the club out in front of you.
- Start your swing by stepping your lead foot toward the target, just as you would in a normal transition.
- As your foot lands, begin rotating your upper body, letting the arms drop naturally into the shallow slot.
- Hit the ball (or a tee placed slightly ahead of where you would normally stand).
- This drill forces the ground forces and lower body to initiate the move before the arms fire, encouraging shallowing.
Common Mistakes That Prevent Shallowing
If you struggle to flatten the club, you are likely committing one of these common errors. Identifying these is key to moving past them.
Mistake 1: Early Extension
Early extension is when the hips push toward the ball during the downswing. This forces the upper body and arms out and away from the body, steepening the golf swing plane.
- Fix: Maintain your spine angle longer in the downswing. Feel like your chest rotates around your spine rather than pushing toward the ball. Keep your head relatively steady until well after impact.
Mistake 2: Trying to Hit “Up” on the Ball
Amateurs often think they need to lift the ball into the air. This causes them to hold the angle (casting or scooping) and often leads to a steep attack angle when they try to “catch up” with the club.
- Fix: Focus on shaft lean at impact. You want the feeling that your hands are ahead of the clubhead as you strike the ball. This is impossible if you are trying to hit up. Forward shaft lean requires a slight downward attack angle, which is naturally supported by a shallow approach.
Mistake 3: Over-Rotating the Shoulders Early
If the chest and shoulders spin open too fast before impact, the arms have nowhere to go but out and over the top to meet the ball. This is a classic sign of preventing over-the-top failure.
- Fix: Concentrate on keeping the chest facing slightly toward the ground until the hands have already passed the impact zone. Let the body unwind through impact, not to impact.
Achieving Great Low Point Control Through Shallowing
A major benefit of the shallow approach is drastically improved low point control. When the club comes in steep and outside-to-in, the low point (where the club bottoms out) is inconsistent. It often happens too far behind the ball, causing thin shots, or too far in front, causing heavy fat shots.
When you shallow the club, you encourage the clubhead to travel slightly more forward after hitting the ball. This means:
- Better Turf Interaction: You take a divot that starts slightly after where the ball was positioned.
- Consistency: Because the path is inside, you are less likely to get caught up on the inside or outside of the ball laterally.
To truly feel this, try to swing through a heavy patch of grass (like a fairway lie) instead of just hitting balls off a mat. Focus on hitting through the turf, not at the ball.
Advanced Concepts: Relating Shallowing to Shaft Lean at Impact
For power hitters, shaft lean at impact is crucial. This is the forward tilt of the shaft where the hands are ahead of the clubface at contact. This compresses the ball and maximizes energy transfer.
How does shallowing relate to this?
A proper shallow move sets up the ideal golf swing sequence. When the lower body leads, the arms lag. This lag naturally creates forward shaft lean without you having to manually press the hands forward.
If you try to create shaft lean while coming over the top (steeply), you often end up flipping the clubhead or topping the ball. Shallowing ensures that the lean is a result of good rotation and sequencing, not artificial manipulation.
Checklist for Impact:
- Is my weight forward on my left side? (Yes)
- Are my hands ahead of the clubhead? (Yes, lean is present)
- Is the club approaching from the inside? (Yes, due to shallowing)
If you answer yes to all three, your shallowing work is paying off.
Incorporating Shallowing into Your Driver Swing
While the concepts apply to irons, the driver requires a slightly different perspective because of the tee height.
For the driver, the goal is still to shallow the club, but your attack angle should be slightly positive (moving upward). How do you combine shallowing (often downward motion in irons) with an upward driver swing?
The key is maintaining the inside takeaway and the body-led transition.
- Tee Height: Tee the ball up high enough so that the bottom of your swing arc passes under the ball.
- The Transition is Key: Even with the driver, resist the urge to lift the club immediately. Let the lower body shift first. This initial shift creates the sensation of the club dropping slightly, even as the upward swing path begins later.
- Wide Finish: A shallow driver swing naturally leads to a much wider finish position, allowing you to use that full extension to drive the ball forward.
Deciphering Swing Plane Misalignments
If you film your swing, where is the club when your lead arm is parallel to the ground on the downswing?
| Shaft Position | Problem Indicated | Solution Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Shaft pointing way outside the ball | Severe over-the-top; steep entry | Focus on inside takeaway and weight shift |
| Shaft pointing parallel to the target line | Neutral, good plane | Maintain consistency |
| Shaft pointing significantly inside the target line | Too shallow, potentially flipping/mishitting | Ensure arms don’t drop too much; maintain spine angle |
The goal for most amateurs is to get the shaft pointing more toward the ball or slightly outside the ball at that mid-downswing checkpoint. This indicates successful shallowing the downswing.
Fathoming the Role of the Trail Elbow
The position of your trail elbow (right elbow for righties) is a major indicator of your swing plane.
In a steep vs shallow golf swing, the trail elbow acts differently:
- Steep Swing: The trail elbow often flies away from the body early in the downswing, pointing toward the ground or even slightly toward the target line. This forces the hands to throw from outside.
- Shallow Swing: The trail elbow feels like it stays tucked close to the body or points slightly down and slightly behind you as the hands drop. This keeps the club on that inside path.
Drill Idea: The Shelf Touch
Imagine a shelf running along your trail hip. During the downswing, your trail elbow should feel like it is brushing or “touching” that imaginary shelf before it moves forward toward impact. This keeps the elbow close and promotes the flattening of the shaft.
Final Thoughts on Path Correction and Practice
Correcting a steep swing is one of the hardest things to do in golf. It often feels completely unnatural at first. When you start shallowing the downswing, your initial shots might feel like hooks or pulls, or you might even miss the ball entirely because you are using muscles and angles you haven’t practiced.
Be patient. Commit to the drills. The feeling of “dropping” the club will eventually translate into a powerful, on-plane move that promotes distance, control, and consistent shaft lean at impact. Focus on the feeling of the lower body starting the move and letting the club fall into the slot. This is the key to true swing path correction.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How long does it take to shallow my swing?
A: This depends on how ingrained your old habits are. If you have a severe over-the-top habit, expect weeks or months of focused practice. Focus on quality repetitions with slow-motion swings first. Consistency is more important than speed initially.
Q: Does shallowing the swing require me to slow down?
A: No, the goal is to move efficiently, not slowly. Shallowing allows you to use your body rotation better. Once the path is correct, you can swing harder with less fear of losing control, often resulting in increased speed.
Q: Can I shallow the club with my irons but still come over the top with my driver?
A: Yes, this is common. The difference in ball position and setup causes players to revert to old habits. For the driver, focus intensely on the inside takeaway and feeling the lower body lead the transition to avoid steepness.
Q: What is the primary benefit of shallowing for high handicappers?
A: The biggest benefit is slice reduction and improved low point control. A consistent, slightly inside path leads to much more predictable ball flight, even if the strike isn’t perfect every time.