Hitting the ball easy but hard!

[rembrandt]

Doesn't look like a typo... just wasn't very concise. I think he meant, "Here's what you do when you swing too hard -- you tighten everything up and rob yourself of speed." He then says, "Slow it down, ease up on the tension, and it's all good."

Very good and I thank you for the post. Thats what I meant!

[rembrandt]

My handicap has dropped from 10.2 to 7.4 over the past year because of one thing..... I slowed down. It dawned on me one day that with a half swing, I was hitting a choked down sandwedge about 80 yards and controlling the flight and distance to hit close to the hole. It dawned on me that if I could do that with a sandwedge, why couldn't I do it with all my irons???

Very good post. We can all learn from what you just wrote.

[cdriver]

Very good post. We can all learn from what you just wrote.

Thanks, Rembrandt!

[rembrandt]

Thanks, Rembrandt!

Your welcome and you said it better than I did!

[SubPar]

Jack once said that when he wanted to crush a drive he would slow his swing down. "Slowing" the swing is not exactly the right description because the right tempo is a relationship between backswing and the timing of impacting the ball, but it is a description that makes sense to people. Obviously when your tempo is right you get everything in sync better and maximize club head speed.

I have been able to quantify the right tempo for me using the Tour Tempo book. The author illustrates that the perceived speed of a swing can be an illusion. He compares the swing tempo of golfers like Norman and Els and finds that while Els' swing looks easier and slower, it is actually quicker than Norman's swing. It is a great concept that has added 10-15 yards to my clubs and led to more accurate shots.

[cdriver]

Chris Di Marco said the same thing about slowing down his swing if he really had to get an extra 10 yards. I know for me, it seems the slower I go back and the more stable a position I get into at the top, the better I hit the ball. Those days when I am really hitting it tight, it feels like I am putting the club into a slot at the top of my backswing that was custom made for it. It feels like I just cannot miss that slot when I take the club back. I just wish it would last more than a day at a time.

[rembrandt]

Jack once said that when he wanted to crush a drive he would slow his swing down. "Slowing" the swing is not exactly the right description because the right tempo is a relationship between backswing and the timing of impacting the ball, but it is a description that makes sense to people. Obviously when your tempo is right you get everything in sync better and maximize club head speed.

Good post and "tempo" is really the key. I think slowing down the backswing allows you to get a feel for the right tempo.

Ernie Els does have a smooth tempo, doesn't he!

[wachesawgolfer]

Good post and "tempo" is really the key. I think slowing down the backswing allows you to get a feel for the right tempo.

That is exactly what Tour Tempo says is false. Their premise is people take the club back TOO slowly. Leadbetter agrees and says too slow a backswing causes all types of problems especially being laid off at the top and erratic tempo. If you buy Tour Tempo you will at first be amazed at how fast they want you to swing back to the beat, but after a little practice you will start to get it and your overall tempo will improve. What appears to be slow, is actually very fast, but the steady tempo give the false appearance of slowness, ala Ernie Els.

[iacas]

That is exactly what Tour Tempo says is false. Their premise is people take the club back TOO slowly. Leadbetter agrees and says too slow a backswing causes all types of problems especially being laid off at the top and erratic tempo. If you buy Tour Tempo you will at first be amazed at how fast they want you to swing back to the beat, but after a little practice you will start to get it and your overall tempo will improve. What appears to be slow, is actually very fast, but the steady tempo give the false appearance of slowness, ala Ernie Els.

Tour Tempo is 3:1. Put yourself on video and see how closely you match up. I'm not sure why anyone would buy it...

[SubPar]

Tour Tempo is 3:1. Put yourself on video and see how closely you match up. I'm not sure why anyone would buy it...

A consistent repeatable tempo is very helpful in getting everything in sync so the club head squares and you maximize club head speed. Knock it all you want, when I get right on the 3:1 tempo, I hit the ball straighter with more club head speed, and simply make better contact... while appearing and feeling as though I am swinging "easier" for lack of a better description.

The concept has done the same for every person I have exposed to the tempo track. What a lot of people do, as I did at one time, is slow down the take away, but often also pausing too long at the turn-around and/or swinging too slowly on the down swing. The 3:1 tempo sets the right timing my your head, or at least consistent timing.

[Finn07]

Im taking the Tour Tempo CD to the range tonite, well see how it goes. But getting a better tempo and relaxing when swinging, (meaning not clenching the shaft too tight etc...) definitely adds distance. I tend to have a faster tempo when things are going wrong, when I get into a better tempo things get alot better for me.

[SubPar]

Im taking the Tour Tempo CD to the range tonite, well see how it goes. But getting a better tempo and relaxing when swinging, (meaning not clenching the shaft too tight etc...) definitely adds distance. I tend to have a faster tempo when things are going wrong, when I get into a better tempo things get alot better for me.

Good luck with it. At first I thought the 27/9 was too fast for me, but after I started taking less back swing and syncing up with the tempo tones, I saw great results. Try that tempo with 35-40 yard pitch shots as well as mid irons to get comfortable with it.

[rembrandt]

A consistent repeatable tempo is very helpful in getting everything in sync so the club head squares and you maximize club head speed. Knock it all you want, when I get right on the 3:1 tempo, I hit the ball straighter with more club head speed, and simply make better contact... while appearing and feeling as though I am swinging "easier" for lack of a better description.

I have a tendency to hurry my downswing also , sorta like hitting from the top. I need to pull down with the butt of the club toward the ball and get the delayed hit.

Do you actually hit a 7.5 degree driver? That is really upright! I bought a 8 degree and I can't hit it.

[Finn07]

You may find that you will be better off with a 10.5 or 11 degree driver. The way they make golf balls these days maximize ball flight which will make your ball travel much farther and youll be able to control your drives much better.

[RickRevue]

Great thread guys and gals.

This is the meat of the whole game. We worry and talk about equipment and technique most of the time and the real key is the "attitude" that it takes to swing within yourself and trust your swing. Always easier said than done, but it's the "secret" that's worth 5-10 strokes a round.

I've read some good books on the subject. The Inner Game of Golf by Timothy Gallwey is a good one and Depak Chopra has a book called Golf for Enlightenment . There's a new website that I saw and the guy has some good ideas too. The site is Golf Mental Game Coach www.golf-mental-game-coach.com .

I'd love to hear any other keys or tools people have found for "playing within yourself." I still struggle with it after 30 years of playing.

[SubPar]

Do you actually hit a 7.5 degree driver? That is really upright! I bought a 8 degree and I can't hit it.

There is something about my swing and the characteristics of the Cobra club head and shaft that allow me to hit the 7.5 great. I demoed the 9 and the 10.5 and I hit all three abut the same distance in the air. But the higher lofted clubs produced a shot with very little roll.

I think the kick point of the shaft and the head design make it easy to "get up".

[rembrandt]

There is something about my swing and the characteristics of the Cobra club head and shaft that allow me to hit the 7.5 great. I demoed the 9 and the 10.5 and I hit all three abut the same distance in the air. But the higher lofted clubs produced a shot with very little roll.

Amazing that you can the ball airbourne with that degree. I can hit the 8 degree but I don't get the distance in the air I need to get optimum distance. You must have good clubhead speed!

[rembrandt]

Great thread guys and gals.

Good post.....I will check out the books. My son brought me a good book titled "The Encyclopedia Of Golf Techniques". It just about covers everything you need to know about the game. Good book! Now, if I could just knock off 5 to 10 strokes I'd be in the 70s.