Have you ever struggled w/swinging too hard? How do you fix it?

[bamagrad03]

So, I picked up golf 2 weeks ago. I'm 2 lessons in (first lesson didn't even swing a club), and easily my biggest problem is swinging wayyyyyy too fast, wayyyyy too hard. Even if, in my mind, I say swing 50%...what happens? WOOOOOSSSSHHHH hard swing and the ball gets 10 ft off the ground.

On the off chance I am able to slow down, I either hit a perfectly straight high lofted shot, 170 yds with my 7i (it is the only club I've swung so far) or my club head digs into the ground, a foot behind the ball.

Any guys here struggle with this? If you were able to fix it, what did you do that helped you out?

My grip, address, and takeaway feel very natural, but on the way down it's very rigid, stiff, with very little hip action.

[Elvisliveson]

Concentrate on establishing a smooth, consistent even tempo to your swing, regardless of speed. Some people naturally swing in a fast rhythm while others are slow.

If your downsing feels rigid you are probably initiating it with your hands/arms. You have to start the dowsnwing with either a lead hip bump or, if it feels more natural, moving your lead shoulder forward as soon as it touches your chin at the top of the backswing.

[tmf9]

Balance my good man.  I used to have the same problem. Ever since I thought about swinging to a finish I could hold until the ball landed I became a much better ball striker.

[bamagrad03]

Great tips in here for sure. I went back for a lesson last night, and things are really starting to come together. I found my hips (up until a few days ago I was all arms), and that helped slow things down a bit.

My instructor also got me to move my weight more to my left foot (I was over weight on my back foot), which speaks to your balance thought.

It's amazing how much changes once you decide to commit your hips. I was so gun shy about using my hips fully because I was terrified of where that might send the ball. But it is the only way to hit it right...

I still over swing every once in a while. But my goodness, slowing everything down and using my hips has made every difference in the world. It's like everything just clicked. Granted, my 'just clicked' is a tad different than everyone else's since I've only been swinging a club for 2 weeks - but it is amazing to see the difference.

[rustyredcab]

For me, it is almost always about the backswing. With a great backswing, I find I can swing pretty hard at the ball -- even though I do not want or need to. When I swing too hard or too fast I check to fix one or all of these things:

Am I making a nice shoulder turn and finishing my backswing?

Do I FEEL a pause at the top of my backswing?

Do I have enough club to believe I can get there with a controlled swing?

Am I swinging at a 110 yard PW swing? (I can hit my PW anywhere from 100-125 yards. A controlled swing with most clubs feels like that 110 PW swing.)

Am I concentrating on solid contact instead of getting the most distance?

[bamagrad03]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

For me, it is almost always about the backswing. With a great backswing, I find I can swing pretty hard at the ball -- even though I do not want or need to. When I swing too hard or too fast I check to fix one or all of these things:

Am I making a nice shoulder turn and finishing my backswing?

Do I FEEL a pause at the top of my backswing?

Do I have enough club to believe I can get there with a controlled swing?

Am I swinging at a 110 yard PW swing? (I can hit my PW anywhere from 100-125 yards. A controlled swing with most clubs feels like that 110 PW swing.)

Am I concentrating on solid contact instead of getting the most distance?

For me it sort of 'clicked' when I thought back to my lesson the day before. The pro kept telling me that, ultimately, my belt buckle needs to be aimed at the target. Now, to this point, I've only hacked at balls at the range - and was barely making contact. So the concept of aiming really didn't matter to me.

But then, I actually aimed a shot, and that forced me to rotate my hips through because I was trying to get my belt buckle to the target. This massively slowed my arms and hands down for some reason.

I'll certainly consider your points about club distance. Well, I will eventually. To this point I've only swung a 7i.