The thought of swinging too hard is enough to make even the best Golfer stop to take a deep breath. For as long as many of us can remember, it’s been beaten into our brains that swinging too hard is one of the 3 Golf Commandments never to betray.
And so it is that whenever you hit a bad drive – the first thing that pops out of the mouth of anybody within a half-wedge away is: ‘Man, you looked like you were really trying to kill that ball!’ And your reply is most likely: ‘Yeah, I tried to hit that one a mile.’
Yet, have you ever taken into consideration that the fear of swinging too hard could actually lead to more lost golf balls than the actual act of swinging too hard?
‘Huh? Marc, what are you talking about?’
As most Golfers are so worried about swinging too hard and hitting a bad golf shot – the best Players in the world are swinging close to 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour) faster than you. Yet, nobody is telling them that they’re swinging too hard – and by the looks of things – they’re hitting some pretty decent golf shots that are translating into some pretty good scores. Would you agree?
“Excuse me, excuse me – Mr. Woods, I think you’re swinging too hard with your Driver. I think you should try to slow your swing down a little.”
“I’ve just won 4 out of my last 5 events and 7 out of the 16 events I’ve played this year – I think my swing speed is just fine, thank you.”
>From the research that I’ve seen, the average Male is swinging his Driver at 85 miles per hour (137 kph) and the average Female is swinging her Driver at 75 miles per hour (121 kph). Yet, Ernie Els, who’s often envied for how smooth he can swing – swings his Driver at 118 miles per hour (190 kph). While Tiger swings his Driver upwards of 125 mph (201 kph).
So it’s funny to hear a Golfer that says – “I wish I could swing as smooth as Ernie Els. He swings so nice and slow. I wish I could swing as slow as he does.”
Ah hem, nice and slow? There’s nothing ‘nice and slow’ about 118 mph. Frankly, he’s swinging his butt off! And what’s funny is that when you’re trying to swing your hardest – you’re still more than 30 mph slower than what you might call a ‘slow’ Ernie Els swing!
Yet, the fear of you swinging too hard, even though you’re swinging 33 mph slower than Ernie – is most likely causing you to hit more bad shots than when you do actually swing too hard. Meaning – because of this fear of swinging too hard, you’re most likely decelerating with your Driver. Which could lead to such horrible effects such as slicing and loss of distance. Have you ever experienced either of those?
And the Golfer gasps – ‘Decelerating with my Driver? Are you kidding me? I’ve never decelerated with my Driver. I’ve might’ve picked up my head once-in-a-while, but I’ve never decelerated with my Driver!’
The next time you’re standing by the first tee waiting for your tee time – watch the group that’s teeing off. And I believe you’ll see most Golfers decelerating their golf swing to the point that they actually have most of their weight on their back foot at impact with the golf ball. Have you ever ended up with your weight on your back foot?
Meaning that because they’re (you’re) trying so hard not to swing too hard, that they (and possibly you) are using their (your) body to slow down their (your) swing by leaning back on your back foot. Again, have you ever caught yourself on your back foot after a Drive? Deceleration!
Believe me; on and around the greens aren’t the only places you’re decelerating. You’re also most likely doing the same with your Driver. Though, deceleration is often not blamed for the bad tee shot – it’s often mis-diagnosed by the ‘swing experts’ that you may be playing with as “picking up your head, swinging too hard, swinging over the top, bending your left elbow, not turning your shoulders, blah, blah, blah, blah.”
Yes, being able to swing smooth can help you to hit a better golf shot. Though, trying to swing slow will actually cause you to hit a bad golf shot just as frequently as when you’re trying to swing too hard.
The Frustrated Golfer is trying to swing slower and slower after each bad shot and then when they do hit a good shot – they complain about not hitting the golf ball far enough
The Player just makes a smooth “Tick Tock”
Go Ahead, Be A Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life