How to Shallow the Golf Club

If you've spent any time on golf social media, you've heard the term 'shallowing the golf club,' often presented as the secret sauce for pure iron shots and effortless power. This guide will clear up the confusion and get straight to the point. We'll explain what shallowing actually is in simple terms, why the common over-the-top swing prevents it, and give you a series of practical drills you can use to start feeling this powerful move in your own swing.

What Does "Shallowing the Golf Club" Actually Mean?

Let's remove the mystery from this term right away. Shallowing is simply how the golf club changes its angle during the transition - the moment between the backswing and the downswing. Imagine drawing a line up the shaft of your club at address, this is your initial swing plane. A steep swing gets the club above this plane in the downswing, while a shallow swing gets it below this plane.

Think of it like this:

• A steep attack is like dropping a ball straight down from above. The club comes down on a very sharp, vertical angle, leading to deep divots, slices (from an outside-in path), or pulls. This is the classic "over-the-top" move that plagues millions of golfers.
• A shallow attack is like a plane coming in for a smooth landing. The club head approaches the ball from behind and from the inside, sweeping through impact on a much flatter, more rounded arc.

Shallowing isn’t a style of swing, it’s a necessary component of an efficient golf swing. It sets the club on the right path to attack the golf ball from the inside, which allows for powerful body rotation, a square clubface, and that compressed "thump" sound good players make at impact.

Why Your Swing is Probably Too Steep (The "Over the Top" Problem)

Before we can fix the problem, you have to understand why it’s happening. For close to 90% of amateur golfers, the root cause of a steep swing is an incorrect downswing sequence. The natural instinct when you get to the top of your swing is to hit the ball, and the easiest way to do that is to use your arms and shoulders first.

When you start your downswing by throwing your hands, arms, or right shoulder towards the ball, the club is C-ast" over the swing plane you established. This forces an ‘outside-to-in’ swing path. If the face is open to that path, you get a weak slice. If it's square to that path, you get a hard pull left. Neither is a recipe for consistency.

This ‘hit’ impulse comes from a misunderstanding of where power comes from. True power in the golf swing comes from the ground up: the turning of your hips and torso. When you rely on your arms, you're not just creating a steep, inefficient path, you're also robbing yourself of massive amounts of clubhead speed. Shallowing is the antidote to this lunge, allowing you to use your body as the engine of the swing.

How to *Feel* the Shallowing Move: The Proper Sequence

Here’s the biggest B you need to understand: You don't actively shallow the club. The shallowing motion is the result of a correct downswing sequence. Trying to consciously manipulate your wrists to "make" the club shallow often leads to more problems. Instead, focus on learning the sequence that allows it to happen naturally.

It’s all about the transition. The swing is a rotational action, and if you can get the sequence right, the club will fall into the perfect slot.

Step 1: The First Move Down is With the Lower Body

From the top of your backswing, your first thought should not be "hit the ball." It should be "turn my belt buckle." As you finish your backswing turn, the downswing begins with a slight weight shift to your lead foot and the unwinding of your hips. This lower body-led movement is what creates room for the arms to drop.

Step 2: Let Your Arms and Hands "Fall"

As your lower body begins to rotate towards the target, you must resist the urge to throw your hands at the ball. The feeling should be one of patience. As your hips turn, let your arms and the club simply drop or fall down behind you. It will feel like your hands are moving slightly downward toward the ground, not outward toward the ball. This "drop" is the club falling from a steep backswing position onto a shallower downswing plane. It only happens if you give it time by starting with your lower body.

This is the move that separates great ball-strikers from slicers. They finish their backswing, turn their hips, and create a momentary lag where the clubhead "waits" at the top before dropping into the slot and being pulled through impact by their body's rotation.

Practical Drills to Make Shallowing Second Nature

Knowledge is great, but feeling is what matters in golf. These drills are designed to take the concept of shallowing and turn it into a repeatable feel.

Drill 1: The Motorcycle Feel

This is a fantastic drill for feeling how your wrists should work during the transition. Forcing your wrists into the right position can do wonders for helping the club drop into the slot.

• Take a club and go to the top of your backswing. Now, pause there.
• From the top, feel like you are revving a motorcycle throttle with your lead hand (your left hand for a righty). This means your lead wrist will bow or flex slightly, flattening the shaft.
• Simultaneously, feel your trail wrist (right hand for a righty) bend back, or extend, almost like a waiter holding a tray.
• This combined wrist action will make the clubhead feel like it wants to drop significantly behind your hands. This is the shallowing move!
• Practice this move slowly without hitting a ball, just ingraining the feeling. Then, start hitting small shots with the simple thought: "rev the throttle" at the top before you start your downswing.

Drill 2: The Headcover Under the Arm

A major cause of the ‘over-the-top’ move is the trail arm (right arm for a righty) breaking away from the body in the downswing, pushing the club into a steep position. This drill builds connection and forces the club to take an inside path.

• Take your normal address.
• Tuck a headcover (or a small towel) snugly under your trail armpit (your right armpit).
• The goal is simple: make practice swings without letting that headcover fall out. Keep it pinned between your arm and your chest.
• To do this successfully, you cannot let your right elbow fly out and away from your body on the downswing. You'll be forced to keep it closer to your ribs and rotate your torso to get the club to the ball.
• This action restricts your ability to come over the top and promotes a 'tucked' feeling that helps the club drop onto a shallow plane from the inside. Start with half-swings and build up to full, smooth swings.

Drill 3: The Transition Pause

This is the ultimate drill for fixing a bad sequence. Golfers who rush the transition obliterate any chance of shallowing the club, so we need to slow everything down.

• Set up to a ball on a tee.
• Take a smooth, deliberate backswing and stop completely at the top for a two-second count: "one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand."
• From this dead stop, your *only* thought should be to start the downswing by turning your hips and letting your arms drop. Because you have no momentum, your body will be forced to learn the correct, patient downswing sequence.
• Hit the ball at about 50% power. Don't worry about where it goes, just focus on the sequence of Hips > Arms > Club.
• Doing this consistently is one of the most effective ways to reprogram your muscle memory and kill the impulse to swing from the top with yo--our arms.

Final Thoughts

Learning to shallow the golf club is more about improving your swing sequence than it is about forcing a complex hand position. By starting the downswing with your lower body and letting your arms drop naturally into "the slot," you set yourself up to deliver the club on the perfect inside path for powerful, consistent contact. Work through these drills slowly, and you'll soon trade that weak slice for a powerful, piercing ball flight.

Getting the hang of a new move like this is all about repetition and feedback. It's one thing to feel it on the range, but it's another to trust it on the course, especially when you are facing a difficult shot. That's where we designed Caddie AI to help. If you're stuck on how to handle a weird lie, just snap a photo of your ball and its surroundings. You'll get instant, smart advice on the best short-term strategy, giving you the clarity and confidence you need to commit to the swing you’ve been working so hard to build.