Forget Misguided Cliche Golf Advice... Just Do This With Your Hands For Better Ball Striking!

A cartoon of a golfer receiving misguided golf cliche golf advice, with a red line through to indicate its inaccuracy, with an inset image of expert Tom Motley demonstrating what amateurs should do with their hands to achieve better ball striking in golf.

I guarantee, at one time or another, many of you will have received some unsolicited or misguided advice from an unqualified 'expert' at the driving range or on the course - which unfortunately is typically derived from cliches and misinformation.

As far as I am concerned, giving tips to others without the proper credentials is one of the things you should never do at the driving range - but I love to hear the cringeworthy stories nonetheless. If you have any corkers, drop them in the comments box at the bottom of this page.

To avoid falling into the trap of being guided down the wrong path, I would always advise you to listen to the experts, of which we have many, starting with the best ball striking lessons for amateur golfers.

I'm aware that we don't all have the luxury of regular driving range sessions - so how can we expect to get any better without a significant investment of our time?

This quick tip could be the answer. Ensuring a centred strike is of paramount importance and this practical advice from Top 50 Coach Tom Motley can help you to strike it sweetly and shoot lower scores in the process...

Do This With Your Hands For Better Ball Striking In Golf

Sometimes, it's just a feeling created by a simple drill that helps everything to click into place. Better ball striking is something we can all achieve and there are a number of ways to do it.

Some like to invest in the best golf training aids on the market, while others prefer to set aside time each week for a lesson with a coach, but for many the solution is a practical piece of advice that you can use on the range and at home to drive progress.

Below, I share one such tip that is great for developing the necessary mechanics and feels to produce better ball striking.

Split The Hands

Splitting the hands can help to cure many common swing faults in amateurs (Image credit: Olly Curtis)

I call this a ball-striking drill as it helps to iron out many common swing faults, among them an over-the-top motion and the ‘handsy’/inside takeaway – errors that make it hard to strike it well.

Instead try this simple tip. Set your left hand on top of the grip and your right hand right down the bottom, with the thumb just touching the steel on the shaft.

This is a great drill for players who get 'armsy' in the golf swing (Image credit: Olly Curtis)

This is a useful connection drill. What we’re developing here is a more one-piece takeaway, with plenty of width and connection.

It’s a really good one for players who get very ‘armsy’ and static in the body. It’s also going to help those players who lift the arms up, which creates disconnection, with the clubhead way too far behind the hands and on a flat plane.

Note (above) how my arms haven’t lifted here. I’ve rotated my torso, keeping the connection between it and my arms.

This position demonstrates a full pivot and extension through my lead arm (Image credit: Olly Curtis)

Take the club to the top and feel the stretch through your lead arm.

Keep rehearsing this and you should begin to develop the feeling for that solid, stable position you ideally want at the top of the backswing.

Note (above) the good, full pivot and extension through my trail arm. If I were to now slide my right hand back down onto the grip, I could actually hit balls from here fairly comfortably.