In golf, it's a swing, not a hit

The French have a saying that goes, Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, or, the more things change, the more they remain the same. The French also have a saying that goes, Vive la différence, to which many web sites are devoted, but not this one.

I would like to introduce to you Mr. Jim Barnes, who is writing today's guest post. He speaks to the important point that you have to swing the golf club, not clobber the ball.

Mr. Barnes:

"I would describe the swing as an effort in which a steadily increasing movement is achieved in response to the co-ordination of several sets of muscles working to produce the movement. The hit I conceive as a quick movement resulting from the sudden application of a single set of muscles. The one is a slow steady pull; the other is a sharp jerk.

"The beginner or unskilled player, on watching the experts, either amateur or professional, will usually be struck by the fact that they appear to hit and hit hard, and they do. But the point to be remembered is that they have first come to acquire the knack of timing the stroke properly. In other words, they can afford to apply plenty of force since they apply it correctly.

"The disposition to want to hit the ball as hard and as far as possible is entirely natural. For this reason, the effort is being made here to get it firmly impressed on the player, that while there is a good deal of "hitting" in the golf stroke, even for a full swing, it is of great importance to guard against overdoing it.

"Then there is another very important objection to making the stroke too much of a hitting effort. When this is done, there is an unconscious effort, more often than not, to stop the forward sweep of the hands as the ball is hit, if indeed not a fraction of a second before the hitting takes place.

"Long experience has proven that if the effort to drive the ball is allowed to stop immediately on contact between the clubhead and the ball, the result, generally speaking, will be poor. Instead of getting a picture of the stroke as a movement where the hands are practically stopped as the ball is hit, try to visualize them as sweeping right on through and out in front of you as far as the arms will permit them to go.

"In a short swing, the hands, wrists, and forearms supply nearly all the needed power, so that the stroke is distinctly a hit. The more full the swing the smaller the proportion contributed by them. For that reason, it is important to keep in mind that the chief consideration is the general sweeping or swinging movement with the hands and clubhead."

Some of you might have heard of Jim Barnes. He golfed professionally in the early 20th century, winning the PGA Championship in 1916 and 1919, the U.S. Open in 1921, and the Open Championship in 1925.

These excerpts are from his book, A Guide to Good Golf, published in 1927. Plus ça change, . . .


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