Monthly Archives: December 2012

Down Swing Flaws

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How can a poor down flaw create bad shots?  I will explain various flaws in the down swing.

Bad Rhythm

Rhythm is the most important part of the golf swing.  When the rhythm is too fast, the result is always a poor golf shot.  The pause during the transition from back swing to down swing must be long enough to create a good golf shot.  If the pause is too short the rhythm will be too fast.  It is better to feel a longer pause than it is to feel a shorter pause.

Trying to Hit the Ball

This is the most common cause of a bad shot.  Golf is about making a motion towards a target and the ball gets in the way.  Any attempt to try to hit the ball or try to help the ball up into the air will always result in a poor golf shot.  The most natural thing to do is to try to hit the ball.  That is why golf is so challenging.  Very few golfers embrace the concept that golf is about developing a repeatable and efficient golf swing.  Golf is not about hitting the ball.

Doing Extra Motions with the Hand or Arms

This is what we are taught to do from the time we are young.  We are taught to do the extra credit problem in tests or to go the extra mile in all that we do.  In golf, the extra effort results in a poor golf shot.

My blog post, “Feel an Efficient Swing,” describes how critical the proper sequence of motions or Multiplication of Power is to making a good shot.  Good shots will result from a proper Multiplication of Power while poor shots will result from improper sequence of motions.

Finally, the Multiplication of Power should be the integral part of a rhythmic swing as I describe in my blog post, “How to Feel Rhythm.”

So the most common down swing flaws are a too short pause, trying to hit the ball, or trying to add extra motion.

 

Famous Golfers Swing Videos

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Here are some videos of great professional golfers.  I present these videos to show that even though their back swings look different from each other, they all have common motions in the down swing that must be incorporated to be consistent and efficient.

Common traits:

  1. Precise Setup
  2. Personal Rhythm
  3. Swing in Balance
  4. Efficient Swing Motion
    • Loading the right side with the snap down of the back inside of the ball of the right foot down
    • Snapping down of the top inside of the right latissimus dorsi
    • Snapping up of the front outside corner of the ball of the left foot
    • Snapping down of the right upper arm that results in circular and horizontal motion

Ben Hogan

Amy Yang

Mickey Wright

Jack Nicklaus

Lee Trevino

Sam Snead

Bobby Jones

Byron Nelson

Rory McIlroy

Lydia Ko

Inbee Park

Bryson DeChambeau

Jin Young Ko

Lorena Ochoa

Tiger Woods

Attitude: Do the Same

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Same is a word that is seldom used in describing the golf swing.  If you want to be a good golfer, you need to focus on doing the same. Same is not the goal of the poor player.  The obvious discrepancy occurs when comparing the practice swing and the swing used when the ball is present.  Most poor golfers have a much better practice swing.  When the ball is present, poor golfers use a different swing, not the same swing that was used for the practice swing.

Same starts with a consistent pre-shot routine.  The pre-shot routine should put you in the mind set of doing the same routine.  If you use a practice swing, focus on using the same swing when the golf ball is present.  Poor golfers have smooth swings for their practice swings but use a jerky swing when the golf ball is present.

Same is the focus in using the same rhythm during the golf swing.  Most poor golfers are not even aware of their rhythm or if they are, they are not using an effective rhythm.  Good golfers have an effective rhythm and they repeat the same rhythm with every swing.

Same is the focus when building and releasing energy during the golf swing.  A big trap is the driver swing.  Good golfers swing the driver using the same swing that they use to swing the wedge.  Poor golfers use a harder swing to swing the driver.

One way of focusing on the doing the same is to take the person out of the swing.  Poor golfers relate their swings to something very personal such as “I need to make a good swing”, “don’t hit it into the water”, “I need to make a par”, etc.  All of these thoughts and all other similar thoughts focus on what the golfer must do.  Good golfers have a different attitude.  Good golfers focus on executing the same swing.

Taking the person out of the swing is not easy.  You must look at yourself not as a person, but as a machine, platform, or robot that is built to swing the golf club.  A swing machine is expected to do what it is designed to do the same way every time: produce good golf shots.  Your focus is to only do the same thing and not let distracting thoughts make you to swing differently.

One tip that helps to take the person out of the swing is given by Ben Hogan in his book Five Lessons.   In his book, Ben Hogan says to visualize a pane of glass resting on your shoulders that slants from your shoulders to the ball.  The objective is to keep your back swing and down swing below this pane of glass.  If you lift your arms too soon you will break through the pane of glass.  The “engine” of the golf swing is the right side that controls the arms and hands.  On the down swing feel the right side, or “locomotive”, pull the arms and hands “the caboose” down and through the “tunnel” formed by the imaginary pane of glass.  Now you have an image of a tunnel formed by an imaginary pane of glass and a train locomotive pulling a caboose down and through a tunnel.  It is no longer about the person needing to accomplish a goal.  Your focus is about making that locomotive go through the tunnel using the same for each swing.  Ben Hogan called the movement of the hips, upper body, arms, and hands as “the machinery”.  Ben Hogan is telling you the secret on how to develop a repetitive swing.  Think of machinery swinging the club instead of a person swinging the club.

The best way to become a good golfer is to not get distracted and to do the same for each swing.  The best chance to not get distracted is to take the person out of the swing.  The best way to take the person out of the golf swing is to think of a machine swinging the club.  One way to take the person out of the golf swing is to use Ben Hogan’s tip to have the machine swing the club back and through while keeping the arms beneath the pane of glass.

If you are serious about improving your golf swing, develop one swing that you can focus on doing the same.