Why “Getting Steep” Is the Real Swing Killer
If your divots are deep, your contact feels inconsistent, or your shots start left and slice right — you’re swinging too steep. And steep swings don’t just cause slices… they cause tension, weak contact, and that frustrating “stabby” feeling through the ball.
Every golfer wants to swing more “from the inside.” They’ve heard the phrase a thousand times: “Shallow the club!” But here’s the thing — most players try to fix steepness by manipulating their hands, dropping the trail shoulder, or rerouting the club on purpose. And that makes it worse.
Why? Because shallowing doesn’t come from arms — it comes from sequence.
When your body moves correctly in transition, the club shallows itself. It’s a reaction, not a move.
You don’t have to force it. You just have to let the chain reaction — pressure shift, hip rotation, and gravity — take over.
In this article, we’ll walk through how real shallowing happens, what it should feel like, and the exact drills that train it naturally — without manipulation or confusion.
(Insert link to [Pillar: The Complete Guide to Building a Consistent Golf Swing])
What “Shallowing” Actually Means
Let’s simplify this once and for all.
Shallowing means the clubshaft’s angle flattens as you begin the downswing — so instead of coming down steeply across your body, it drops slightly behind you on plane.
That shallow motion allows the clubhead to approach the ball from the inside with a level strike — ball first, turf second — instead of chopping down steeply.
Here’s what happens in a great shallowing sequence:
- Your lower body shifts pressure forward.
- Your arms start dropping due to gravity — not pulling.
- Your lead hip opens slightly, creating space.
- Your trail elbow moves in front of your body, not behind it.
- The club naturally flattens behind you.
That’s it.
There’s no rerouting, no forced wrist angle, no “slinging” the club under plane.
When the sequence is right, the club shallows automatically — and the motion feels smooth, connected, and free.
That’s why tour pros look so calm in transition. They’re not working the club into position — their motion is doing it for them.
When you finally feel it for the first time, you’ll realize: shallow doesn’t mean “slow.” It means efficient.
How to Feel the Club Shallow Naturally
Most golfers never feel a true shallow motion because they’re too busy trying to make one. The harder you force it, the steeper you get. Why? Because manipulation creates tension — and tension kills sequence.
Shallowing isn’t a conscious move. It’s a reaction to how your lower body transitions.
Here’s how to finally feel it without overthinking mechanics:
1. The Lead Hip Creates Space
At the top, feel your lead hip rotate gently open — not slide forward. That small turn clears room for your hands to drop.
If your hips stay locked, your arms have nowhere to go but over the top. So instead of pulling down, feel your lead side turning out of the way while your arms fall.
2. Let Gravity Drop the Arms
This is the moment steep swings break down. The instinct to “hit” makes you pull the handle and yank the club down with your arms.
Instead, at the top, take a breath and feel your hands fall naturally as your weight shifts to your lead foot. Don’t do — allow.
You’ll notice the club automatically shallows when you stop forcing it.
3. Keep the Trail Elbow in Front
Your trail elbow shouldn’t jam behind your body — it should move in front of your hip as your torso rotates.
That keeps the club shallowing and connected, rather than getting “stuck.”
4. Maintain Side Bend Through Impact
As your chest rotates through the ball, feel your trail side stay slightly lower. This side bend keeps your swing on plane and your low point forward — the key to crisp, compressed strikes.
When all of this happens together, it doesn’t feel mechanical.
It feels like your body is unwinding naturally, and the club is just along for the ride.
That’s what shallowing should feel like — smooth, heavy, and effortless.
Drills That Train the Shallow Move Automatically
These drills are designed to train your body, not your brain. Each one creates the right sequence so you feel the shallowing effect instead of trying to force it.
1. The Towel Under Arm Drill
Place a towel or headcover under your trail arm and make half swings without dropping it.
This keeps your arm connected to your body rotation. When you rotate correctly, the towel stays in place — and the club shallows naturally.
2. The Baseball Drill
Hold the club waist-high like a baseball bat. Make slow, horizontal swings and feel how the club moves around your body instead of up and down.
Then slowly lower the plane to normal — same feel, just tilted. That’s your shallowing motion.
3. The Split-Grip Drill
Grip the club normally with your lead hand but slide your trail hand down the shaft about 6–8 inches.
Take slow swings and feel how the trail hand stays “under” the lead through the downswing — you’ll feel the club flatten automatically.
4. The Chair-Back Drill
Stand so your trail hip barely touches a chair behind you. As you swing down, feel your hip rotate around the chair, not into it.
If you bump the chair, you’re sliding — not rotating. Smooth rotation = space = shallow path.
The more you repeat these in slow motion, the more your body learns to shallow instinctively.
You won’t have to think about mechanics mid-swing — the sequence will just happen.
That’s when contact becomes flush, and the ball flight finally looks clean instead of chaotic.
(Insert link to [Article #14: The Real Secret to Transition — How Great Players Start the Downswing])
Common Shallowing Mistakes
Even when golfers understand what “shallowing” means, they often fall into traps that destroy the motion’s natural flow. The goal isn’t to exaggerate the move — it’s to make it effortless. Here are the most common errors to avoid:
Mistake #1: Forcing the Club Behind You
You see pros’ clubs drop behind them, so you try to manually drag yours inside. The problem? Now your path is too far from the inside, and you’ll block or hook everything.
Fix: Don’t manipulate the club. Let your lower body rotation and gravity drop it naturally. The shallowing happens because of sequence, not side motion.
Mistake #2: Flattening the Shoulders
In an attempt to shallow, many golfers tilt their shoulders flat through the downswing — and the club gets stuck.
Fix: Keep your trail shoulder moving down and under as you rotate. That’s how you stay on plane without losing posture.
Mistake #3: Over-Rotating Too Soon
If your chest spins open too early, the club stands up again — steep city.
Fix: Feel your chest stay closed for a moment as your hips begin turning. That split-second of separation is what keeps the club in the slot.
Mistake #4: Holding Wrist Angles
Trying to “keep lag” by holding your wrists tight only adds tension. The club can’t shallow under pressure.
Fix: Loosen the grip slightly. Feel your wrists soft and responsive, not locked. Let the clubhead trail and drop into position on its own.
When you avoid these errors, shallowing stops feeling forced — it becomes an automatic part of your motion. You’ll know you’ve got it when your swing feels heavier but faster, and the ball flight finally straightens out.
Why Shallow Training Is Built Into the Monthly Practice Program
The shallow move isn’t just a “nice to have” — it’s the foundation for consistent, tour-level ball striking. That’s why shallow sequencing is a central focus inside the Monthly Practice Program.
You’ll train it the way elite players do — through body motion, not arm manipulation:
- Transition drills that teach pressure shift and lead-hip rotation to shallow automatically.
- Tempo-based sequences that sync rhythm and timing without overthinking.
- Low-point feedback exercises to ensure you’re striking the ball from the inside, not chopping across.
- Video checkpoints to track your plane and path progress over time.
As your shallow motion improves, everything else in your swing gets easier — lag, impact, consistency, and control.
You stop trying to “manufacture” solid contact and start delivering it effortlessly, swing after swing.
Because great contact doesn’t come from forcing the club… it comes from letting it fall into place.
New Practice Routines Emailed Every Sunday
We’ve put together a practice plan that shows you what golf drills to practice to quickly improve your swing, chipping, and putting. Every Sunday we send out a new routine for the upcoming week as well as a video lesson of the week, plus you’ll be able to watch golf drill tutorials showing you how to do each drill in the plan.
These practice plans give you structure so you know what to spend time working on to improve. You can choose which days to follow based on your schedule, it’s flexible.
If you become a Pro Plan member, you’ll get 1 swing lesson per month to get feedback and coaching on your golf swing (or putting stroke / chipping stroke if you desire).
Get help understanding why your golf shots aren’t starting as straight as you’d like, plus how to make better contact, consistently, to see more balls flying high toward your target.
Learn More About the Practice Club Here
See you soon,
Coach Mike Foy, PGA
Owner of Mike’s Golf Center
