If you get a chance to go to a professional golf tournament, men's or women's, go to the practice ground and watch the golfers warm up. You will be stuck by the apparent ease with which they swing the club.
No one is pounding the ball. Everyone is just swinging the club. There is no hint of forcing the shot in any way. You could watch this all day.
Here’s the difference between us and them in a nutshell. We think the swing ends when the ball is struck. They think the swing ends when the club stops moving at the finish. That difference makes all the difference.
Golf swing instruction in almost any book you read, instructional videos and Internet videos you see, breaks down into four areas: pre-swing fundamentals, backswing, downswing, and impact. There is little, if any, instruction on the finish.
So, I’m going to give you some. It’s in the form of a drill that focuses on the finish.
Make shortened swings with your driver, no ball, in this way. Take the club halfway back and swing smoothly and slowly (emphasis on “slowly”) to a full finish, just like you see the pros do. When you get there, hold it for a few seconds to let your mind absorb the process of your swing leading you to this place.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. This drill makes you aware, perhaps for the first time, of the finish as a coequal part of the swing. If your full swing has to change to get you to this position, then change your swing.
Now when you play, and you’re visualizing your shot, instead of thinking about how you’re going to hit the ball, think that the goal of the swing is to get to this finish you’ve been practicing.
In a sense, it feels like you’re giving up control of the shot. What you’re doing is getting more control. Try it.
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