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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.
Until next time,
Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson teaches how to copy the perfect golf swing
of the Iron Byron swing machine. For more information please
visit: www.paulwilsongolf.com
Article Source:
http://www.articledashboard.com
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