Speed Kills Your Golf Swing
By 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.
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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
Creator - Swing Machine Golf