Golf is a game of misses. Ben Hogan said that in a round of golf where he had 36 full swings, he only hit two perfect shots. A perfect shot means the shot went the desired distance, direction, and trajectory. Two out of 36 shots is less than ten percent! More than ninety percent of Ben Hogan’s shots were misses. Similarly, Tiger Woods said that he had two to four perfect shots per round. Again, that is approximately ninety percent of his shots were misses. Of course, the misses of Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods are much better than our misses.
What causes a missed shot? The answer to that question is actually very easy. Here is the answer that you have been waiting for:
A missed golf shot is caused by a swing rhythm that is too quick.
That is it. It is not more complicated than that. Now when you hit a bad shot, you can be certain that your rhythm was too quick. What happens when the rhythm is too quick? The result is the incomplete gathering of energy. The body will react subconsciously to try to make up for the less energy by moving the body, the arms, and hands in a jerky motion.
A quick rhythm is caused by pause at the top of the back swing that is too short. A quick rhythm does not allow the upper body and the right upper arm to completely gather the energy that is required for a good shot. My blog article, “How to Feel Rhythm,” describes how to feel the correct pause. A rhythm that is too quick by even one millisecond will result in a bad shot.
If you have a rhythmic swing and still have a bad shot, the cause is allowing the right hand to try to hit the ball or to try to lift the ball in the air by using diagonal or horizontal motion. My blog post, “How to use the Fingers,” describes how to engage the fingers to prevent the right hand from trying to hit the ball or trying to lift the ball in the air.
My blog post, “Feel an Efficient Swing,” describes how to use vertical motion to snap the right upper arm down and feel the club snap down and up towards the target. Using diagonal or horizontal motion means the golfer is focused on hitting the ball which prevents the focus of executing a graceful golf swing.
Correcting a bad shot is not about focusing on what you did but instead about focusing what you did not do. When you hit a bad shot, ask yourself:
- Did I feel the pause?
- Did I feel vertical motion of the right upper arm?
- Did I feel the constant engagement of the fingers?
The answer will always be NO to one or more of the questions. Not doing any one of the above actions will cause the loss of synchronization between the right side and the right upper arm.
One of the good aspects of the game of golf is you will have a chance to create a good shot on the next swing if you can focus on feeling the pause, the engagement of the fingers, and feeling the vertical motion of the right upper arm.
Patience is the key to allow yourself the time to do the correct motions. My blog article, “Patience in the Golf Swing,” describes the patience required to execute a successful golf shot.
The cause of a bad shot is no longer a mystery.