For the once-a-week golfer, confusing cause and effect is the biggest (technical) barrier to improvement. How can we tell cause from effect? The causes are common components, and the effects are variations in execution. Why do most weekly golfers find it difficult to consistently break 90? The simple explanation is that they attempt to alter effects without addressing the underlying cause.
Are you familiar with the phrase “band-aid” teaching?
Accurately recreating the three key positions mentioned in the previous article will result in consistently solid contact. These fundamental concepts serve as the cornerstone for any slow motion swing analysis. Everything else you learn about good swing mechanics—whether from books or lectures—comes as a result of the three crucial positions.
Let’s delve a bit more deeply. Is there anything we can do before the swing starts to increase the likelihood of achieving the three positions naturally?
What is the essential component, i.e. cause) underlying every swing? At address, a golfer’s equilibrium My observations show that most once-weekly golfers believe they are perfectly balanced at address but struggle to keep it once the swing starts.
When a golfer stands at address, can you infer their skill level from their posture? Any golfer, even a beginner, can tell a player’s level of skill by looking at their body at address. If we can agree that posture affects balance, then poor posture is the ultimate cause underlying every recurring swing fault.
Here is a guideline for mastering perfect posture: you want to stand as close to your natural height as possible.
How often do you see a golfer on the practice range “hunched” over the ball at address? Perhaps this is an unconscious habit developed over years of being told to “keep your head down!”
Is there a straightforward method that ensures consistent perfect posture (and balance)? Every player on the tour employs a modified variation of this technique, of course. When you get a feel for the technique, the three components (i.e. positions) mentioned above will quickly become second nature.
What is the key to finding the ideal balance?
From the moment you take the club out of the bag until the end of the follow-through, it’s important to feel its weight. The likelihood of maintaining perfect balance at impact is extremely slim if you can’t feel the clubhead before you start to swing.
To achieve the ideal balance at address, follow these two rules.
One: to raise the clubhead above the ground, take a tall stance and let your arms naturally extend behind you. The second rule is to stoop so low that the clubhead barely touches the ground.
If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that professional golfers hardly ever ground the club behind the ball (or, if they do, they raise the club just a little bit before the swing).
Prepare to hit the ball farther with less effort by concentrating on feeling the weight of the clubhead.
Thanks for reading!