Why is Learning the Golf Swing So Tough?
By Paul Wilson
If you find learning the golf swing tough, you’re not alone.
There are millions of people who are in the same boat. If you
have been reading my golf tips you’ll probably know that at one
time, I also thought it was tough. I tried every tip and trick
in the book and hit thousands and thousands of golf balls in my
quest for the perfect golf swing. Here are 5 things that will
help you find the golf swing you've always wanted:
1. The Average Player's Swing Doesn't Look Like Pros
The reason why the average player's swing doesn't look like a
pros is because the average player is using their arms to hit
the ball as opposed to their body. The average player uses their
arms because this is natural. It's natural because there's an
object on the he ground in front of them. The natural instinct
is to hit the object and hit it hard. This leads to a swing that
is far too long and loose. Unfortunately, the golf swing is not
as easy as just hitting it with your arms. If it was, everyone
would have a great swing. In order to learn a great swing you
have to use your body.
So how do you use your body to hit the ball? Well ... you've
actually experienced using your body before when you hit that
one shot that went farther than other other shot you've ever
hit. With this incredible shot, you felt "nothing". If you felt
"nothing" you couldn't have used your arms because if you did,
you would have felt them. Unfortunately, this flash of
brilliance was short lived. This is because on the next shot,
you tried to hit the ball even harder. This caused your arms to
power the swing again and all of a sudden your poor shots
returned.
In the future, keep your arms turned off (feel "nothing"). Make
sure you base your swing on rotating your shoulders in the
backswing and your legs and hips in the downswing. This will
stop the arms from taking the club back too far.
If you don't get it at first, don't give up. Turning your arms
"off" to hit the ball feels like you have less power so it does
take time to get used to. Continue to hit easy shots using your
body rotation until you get the ball airborne. Then, simply turn
your body faster to hit longer shots as opposed to hitting
harder with your arms.
2. The Average Player Swings Way Too Fast
This also has a bearing on the look of your swing but I feel it
should be talked about separately. The erratic tempo is due to
hitting solely with your arms and trying to blast every shot as
hard as you can. In your golf swing, your arms move relatively
fast compared to your body rotation. The odds of you being able
to replicate the exact same hitting motion with your arms is
impossible. On the other hand, rotating your body the same rate
of speed is relatively easy because it only rotates approx. 3
mph. If you base your swing on the rotational speed of your body
and your body tells your arms how fast to swing, it is much
easier to make the same move every time thus giving you the
tempo you are after.
3. Lack of Knowledge
When I'm standing on the practice range all day it's amazing
what I hear people talk about. The first group of players are
the ones who are showing each other their new equipment.
Usually, these guys are trying to buy their game so they have
picked up the latest and greatest club which will make
absolutely no difference. It's almost like they have this
swagger about them thinking that they have solved the secret of
the golf swing. Two weeks later they aren't talking about it
anymore. Unfortunately, you cannot buy your game. Clubs are
important but if you have a golf swing that doesn't work,
nothing is going to help.
Next, you have the players that are talking about what they are
working on in their own swing. This is the talk that I find
interesting because as a pro, I know what works and what
doesn't. I find it interesting because it gives me the
perspective from the average player's point of view. It tells me
how people perceive certain tips and drills and how they try to
incorporate them. Instead of trying every tip or trick that
someone tells you, try to stick with one method and become an
expert about that one method.
Finally, the last group is the person who has no clue what they
are doing and here they are teaching a beginner how to play
golf. As a teacher, this is very frustrating because I know
they're going to give the person all sorts of bad habits. I
realize that this person means well but relating the golf swing
to someone in a way they understand is very difficult. This is a
critical point in time for a beginner. They have no bad habits
and no re conceived notions. The beginner would be much better
off learning from a qualified pro. Obviously, if anyone could
teach golf there would be a lot more pros out there.
4. Practice Habits & Patience
Obviously, you have to practice to get better. Unfortunately,
the average player never practices the way a pro would practice.
The pro is not out on the range to hit ever shot perfectly. They
are there to work on an aspect of their game. This means they
know exactly what it is they are working on for every shot and
they take there time trying to master it. They also know that
working on a certain position in their swing may take them
months to master. The next time you go to the range have a game
plan. Know exactly what you are going to be working on and take
your time.
5. Equipment
Pros have long been into matching the proper equipment for their
game. The average player is finally starting to realize the
importance of proper equipment. Make sure that you visit your
local club maker to have your clubs properly fitted to your
game. This is vital to becoming a better player.
Paul Wilson
Creator - Swing Machine Golf
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