Speed Kills your golf swing
Paul Wilson
Would you say you have a fast looking swing or a slow swing? (If
you don’t have a fast swing show this article to a playing
partner who does). You would think that a recreational golfer’s
fast swing would hit a golf ball a long way wouldn’t you? After
all, it looks fast! Yet the ball doesn’t go as far as a slow
swinging pro’s ball. I wonder why...
If you think about your body for a minute, you know that it moves
much slower than your arms in real life. So if your body can’t
turn all that fast, how do you get a fast looking golf swing? You
get a fast looking golf swing when you try to hit the ball as
hard as you can with just your arms. This means that your arms
are moving independently from your body.
This fast looking swing can be understood by imagining a clock.
If you look at a clock, you will see that the little post in the
middle tells the minute hand how fast to swing. If the little
post moves slowly, the minute hand moves slowly. If the little
post moves faster, the arms move faster. The center post and the
minute hand are relative to one another. If you compare your golf
swing to the movement of a clock you will see your body as the
center post on the clock and your arms as the minute hand. Having
a fast looking swing would be like the little center post of the
clock turning slowly yet the minute hand is moving very fast.
This, of course, would never happen because they are connected to
one another.
What happens to your shots when your arms outpace your body?
First, won't make solid contact with the sweet spot on the
clubface because swinging with your arms alone will cause you to
manipulate the clubface as it swings through impact.
Secondly, the harder you swing, the tighter your wrists and arms
will be through impact. Tighter wrists release slower than looser
wrists and looser arms extend more than tighter arms (which
increase the width of your swing arc).
To slow down a fast looking golf swing, we first have to think
logically about it. Pros have a slow looking swing and they hit
the ball a long way and you have a fast swing that hits the ball
shorter. So why do you insist on hitting the ball harder than the
pros do? Unfortunately, human nature usually takes control of us
when we go to hit a golf ball. It says that the harder you swing
the further the ball will go. This does not allow us to see the
logic behind swinging slower. Swinging slower feels like you have
less power so you cannot see how you can actually hit the ball
better and farther by not using your arms. You must convince
yourself that you must swing slower to hit the ball better. Once
you slow down, you will make better contact in the middle of the
clubface, widen your arc and release the club faster. All of
these things add up to more distance with less effort.
I like my students to try this drill in order to take the arms
out of their swing. All you have to do is hold the club at about
waist high and feel your body swing the clubhead. Remember the
clock. If the post turns faster the arms swing faster. As you
swing, listen to the swishing sound the clubhead is making as it
swings through impact. Now, try to make the club swing faster by
shifting your body weight from the right leg to the left leg
allowing your body to turn at the same time. If you let your arms
swing freely you will hear the club swish faster as you increase
the speed of your body.
As you go to hit the actual golf ball, you must relate the same
new feeling of using your body to hit your shot. This means that
you cannot think of hitting the ball. If you think about hitting
the ball, it will speed up your arms up again. You have to now
think about turning and shifting your body weight. This will turn
your body and allow your arms to swing down because they are
connected to one another. If you feel your swing getting fast
again just step back, hold the club off the ground and do some
more practice swings feeling your body making the club swing. It
takes some practice and concentration but once you slow your
swing down you will not only gain a feeling of effortless power
but you will start to look like a pro when you swing.
Paul Wilson
www.paulwilsongolf.com
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