The cornerstone for a consistent golf swing
The biggest (technical) hurdle to improvement for the once-a-week golfer is confusing cause and effect. How do we distinguish cause from effect? Common elements are causes – variations in technique are effects. Why do most golfers who play once a week struggle to break 90 on a consistent basis? The answer is simple: they try to change the effects without addressing the underlying cause.
Are you familiar with teaching the phrase “band-aid”?
Consistently solid contact is a byproduct of accurately recreating the three key positions outlined in the previous article. These basics are the foundation for analyzing any swing in slow motion. Everything else you hear or read about proper swing mechanics are byproducts of the three key positions.
Let’s dig a little deeper. Is there anything we can do before the swing starts to increase the odds of achieving all three positions automatically?
What is the basic element (ie, the cause) underlying each swing? A golfer’s balance at address. In my experience, most golfers who play once a week assume they are perfectly balanced at address, but struggle to maintain it once the swing begins.
Can you predict a golfer’s skill level by examining their posture at address? Any golfer, even a novice, can feel a player’s proficiency by looking at the shape of his body at address. If we can agree that posture affects balance, then poor posture is the ultimate cause underlying each recurrent oscillating fault.
Here is a guide to mastering the perfect pose: you want to stand as close to your natural height as possible.
How often do you see a golfer on the driving range “hunched” over the ball at address? Perhaps this is an unconscious habit developed over the years of being told to “keep your head down!”
Is there a simple technique that guarantees perfect posture (and balance) at all times? Of course. Each player in turn uses a modified version of this technique. As you develop an idea of the technique, the three elements (ie positions) mentioned above will quickly become second nature.
What is the secret of the perfect balance?
The key is to feel the weight of the club, from the moment you take it out of the bag to the end of the follow through. If you can’t feel the clubhead before you swing, then your chances of maintaining perfect balance at impact are slim.
There are two guidelines to creating the perfect balance in direction.
Number one: stand tall and allow the clubhead to naturally extend your arms so that the clubhead rises above the ground. Number two: Bend your knees enough to kiss the ground with the clubhead.
Watch closely and you’ll see how round players barely get the club down behind the ball (or if they do, the club rises slightly before the swing begins).
Focus on feeling the weight of the clubhead and prepare to hit the ball further with less effort.
Thank you for reading!
