Why is it so Important to Take an Early Break in Golf?
When we attend a golf event and see a very talented golfer strike the ball, we are left with two distinct perceptions. The first is how far the ball travels with what seems to be minimal effort on the part of the player. Secondly, there is a regulated tempo to the club's upward and downward action. Both of these perceptions are correct.
Two more aspects will become apparent if we have the chance to be on the practice tee where we can see this guy hit shot after shot after shot. In the first place, he seems to hit all of his clubs at around the same pace; he does not appear to hit the 3 wood any harder than he hits the 7 iron. When we let our sight stray to other players practicing, the second thing we notice is that, although most of them are meticulous in their swinging, there are significant disparities in their swinging speeds.
The solution to the first accomplishment - getting a long hit with minimal effort - lies in the timing. The measured cadence of the club's upward and downward movement is produced by the rhythm of the action. And the variations in swinging speed that we see among other players are really changes in pace.
Soon enough, the hands will take over as a reflex motion, as if of their own accord. The challenge is to keep them out while still allowing them to move freely. Our time will be much improved if we can keep them out as our bodies push the club from the top.
Despite this, the ball continues to go considerably further than it should given the amount of work the player seems to be exerting. Those elegant players of lesser size, such as Gene Littler, the 1961 National Open winner, and Dow Finsterwald, the previous National PGA champion, are particularly notable examples of this.
Timing
What is time, and how does it relate to the effort-distance puzzle? What exactly is the timing? For starters, it is a term that has been used more loosely than any other in golf literature, possibly more so than any other. We've been told over and over again that we need to improve our timing, that our timing is wrong, and that we can't expect to play effectively until we improve our timing quickly. Nevertheless, after giving the word a once-over with a gentle touch, the oracles have departed from us. They have never given us a clear explanation of time or informed us of what we should do to improve our own performance. Our best assumption is that they aren't even aware of what they're talking about.
Timing, according to the dictionary, is defined as "the regulation of the pace of a motion, stroke, or blow, so that it achieves its maximum at the appropriate time." To do this, it would be necessary to regulate the speed of the club head in order to cause it to reach its maximum speed when it strikes the ball in golf.
"Regulating speed" is the most important term. Speed control has been shown to improve timing, yet weaker regulation has been shown to result in poorer timekeeping. This is the area where at least 95 percent of all golfers struggle the most.
Their ability to regulate their swing speed is due to the fact that it is not dependent on how the club head is moved by the hands, but on how and when other sections of the swinging system operate: the hips and shoulders, and the arms and hands. As long as they move in the proper direction and in the proper sequence, they will automatically control the speed of the club head so that it achieves its maximum as soon as it strikes the target. A chain reaction of movement occurs, with the club head being the last link in this chain reaction.
The great majority of golfers have such difficulty timing their shots because, whether unconsciously or deliberately, they attempt to manage the club head's pace directly with their hands, rather than through the use of intermediate links such as hips, shoulders, and arms. When they do this, the club head reacts quickly, but not in a very impressive manner in terms of speed. This is the classic adage of "striking too soon" or "hitting from the top" that everyone knows. When the intervening links are employed and the chain reaction is allowed to run its course, the club head reacts late, causing it to accelerate to tremendous speeds when it hits the ball at impact. "He waits on the club," is a common description of the player who uses the chain reaction. Although it is not grammatically correct, it is descriptive.
In the end, what it boils down to is that the late hit is the ultimate manifestation of excellent timing. The early impact is the physical manifestation of inadequate timing. In earlier chapters, we discussed how to generate the late hit and the early hit, as well as the maneuvers that cause them. When we talk about time, we will focus on one specific motion that will help us achieve excellent or enhanced timing. It goes like this: On the downswing, let the body, rather than the hands, begin moving the club.
Once you have mastered this skill, you will be well on your way to becoming a much better golfer. You will get the impression that you are beginning down with your arms and club close to your body and near the axis, which is exactly where they should be at this point.
Because so much has been written over the years about the significance of the hands in swinging the club, many of us are much too concerned with our hands while we are swinging the club. In his description of his swing when it reached the striking position, Bill Casper said, "At this time, my body is still swinging the club." A standing ovation is owed to Bill Casper. Many of us have been convinced of this for years, but Casper was, to our knowledge, the first of the top tournament professionals to express these views.
A competent player's sense of time and rhythm will be evident in almost every performance. This is especially true since the more elegant the performer, the more intense the impression. Sam Snead, among contemporary artists, is the ideal exemplar. For example, Bob Jones' swing was once referred to as "poetry in motion," while the late Macdonald Smith was widely regarded as the most effortless swinger to ever grace the game's court. The players of today hit the ball harder than their ancestors, resulting in a swinging movement that is more like a hitting action than a swinging action.