It is the correct movement of the body that creates
the power during the golf swing. However, transferring
this power to the ball is the role of the hands
and arms. Understanding the role of the hands
and arms during the swing is critical in maximizing
clubhead speed.
Many weekend and casual golfers are often confused
as to how the hands and arms are supposed to function
during the swing. Most tend to complicate or force
the movement, which inhibits the speed of the
club through the hitting area.
The correct technique is really a simple one
and needs to remain simple and uncomplicated to
allow you to implement the movement into your
own swing. When watching a good player, one of
the first things you will notice is how simple
and uncomplicated his swing appears to be.
One of the biggest mistakes many golfers make
is concentrating too much on the left arm/lead
arm (for right-handed golfers) in controlling
and delivering the club through the hitting area.
In particular, those golfers have tried to develop
a "late release" by pulling down with
the left arm or holding the angle/wrist cock just
before contact.
In order for you to release the club correctly,
there should be no holding of any angles during
the downswing. This holding creates tension and
tightness, which in turn slows down the hands
during the downswing, results in the club being
released too early and causes the unnecessary
loss of valuable distance.
To help understand the correct release of the
club, concentrate on the role of the right arm
(for right-handed golfers). As mentioned earlier,
this is a simple movement and a skill that most
of us have experienced before, as it is the same
motion used when throwing a ball. It should make
sense that we need to use our right arm to help
deliver power through the ball, as it is primarily
due to this reason that most of us play right-handed.
If the lead arm was dominant, most of us would
play left-handed.
A good drill for right-handed golfers is to
take your 5-iron in your right hand and grip it
on the shaft near the head so the club is upside
down. You will be swinging the grip end for this
drill.
Hold the club approximately 12 inches above
the ground and simply swing the club, making a
"whooshing" sound. Make sure the pitch
of the whoosh is past the point where the ball
would normally be positioned. The noise you hear
is clubhead speed, and the fact the pitch of the
whoosh is past the impact position illustrates
your "late release." The straightening
of your right arm and wrist creates this late
release, which is the same basic motion used to
throw a ball.
Now, try doing the same drill but grip the club
with both hands. Don’t be alarmed if you
create more whooshing noise when using only one
hand.
Next, do the same exercise with both hands,
but this time grip the club in the normal way.
You may find it necessary to use a longer club
in order to make the whoosing sound. Try experimenting
with longer and shorter clubs, as this will allow
you to experience one of the reasons why you can
hit the longer clubs farther.
After practicing these drills at home, take
them to the driving range and try to make the
same swing while aiming at a tee. You should try
hitting the top of the tee as you make your whooshing
swing. Remember to make the pitch of the whoosh
past the point where the tee is positioned.
Finally, to add discipline to your practice,
place a ball on the tee and make the same whooshing
swing by simply allowing the ball to get in the
way. Try to ignore the contact on the first few
shots and concentrate on the swinging motion alone.
This helps to cure another common mistake made
by recreational golfers, which is the attempt
to hit at the ball. The key point to remember
from this lesson is to swing the club and simply
allow the ball to get in the way of the swing
(whoosh).
