Rushing the downswing cause for poor ball striking?

[Bryan Kasper]

yes. Rushing the downswing is where my big misses come from. i get to the top of the backswing and instead of going through the arc, my thought is right at the ball and so i try to go right to the ball as fast as i can and this causes all sorts over problem (mostly over the top) My rememdy is a few swings of really letting my hands and arms "fall" to the ball on their own really letting gravity take its course on the swing and that puts me in much shape moving forward with my practice and with my rounds. 

[Blackjack Don]

I hit the ball better when I put a slight "beat" at the top of my swing. Perhaps this lets my hips begin to turn before my arms. Or it sequences the swing better. The timing seems to be better. For whatever reason, I get a better result. The ball goes straighter (as long as my left wrist is flat and everything else goes okay). 

[Sandhills Golfer]

On 12/28/2016 at 10:04 AM, Blackjack Don said:

Are you sure you're hitting the ball first, then the ground? Aiming point two inches in front of the ball and the bottom of the swing four inches in front of the ball helped me considerably. I'm becoming a much better ball-striker.

It's harder than it looks.

How did you move the low point forward?

[saevel25]

3 minutes ago, Sandhills Golfe said:

How did you move the low point forward?

Keep a steady head and get your weight forward at impact helps. Not doing this makes it nearly impossible not to chunk a ball from time to time. Heck even the best players in the world hit the ball fat once in a blue moon. 

[Buckeyebowman]

I've been a "jumper from the top" for years! I suppose this comes from the idea that you have to "slug your brains out" to hit the ball hard. Guess what? You can hit the ball harder by starting down slower! The downswing should start no faster than the backswing finished!

[gregsandiego]

14 hours ago, Bryan Kasper said:

yes. Rushing the downswing is where my big misses come from. i get to the top of the backswing and instead of going through the arc, my thought is right at the ball and so i try to go right to the ball as fast as i can and this causes all sorts over problem (mostly over the top) My rememdy is a few swings of really letting my hands and arms "fall" to the ball on their own really letting gravity take its course on the swing and that puts me in much shape moving forward with my practice and with my rounds. 

I agree with the points on falling and gravity. I don't think we're really just letting gravity take the swing down but relative to a rushed downswing it feels that way.

 

[Bryan Kasper]

6 hours ago, gregsandiego said:

I agree with the points on falling and gravity. I don't think we're really just letting gravity take the swing down but relative to a rushed downswing it feels that way.

 

Yeah its definitely not that extreme for the real swing but just to get that feel of the opposite side of the spectrum for a couple swings, before moving back into my normal swing has been the best remedy for myself and given me a better feel of my swing.

[RandallT]

19 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Not doing this makes it nearly impossible not to chunk a ball

Impressive triple negative. And I understood it the first time I read it! 

[Marty2019]

Rushing can certainly throw a lot of people off, but I am still wondering exactly why. 

In my case, since I am kind of light, about 150 pounds, I think rushing the down swing actually pulls me backwards, and I don't get my weight shifted.  Rushing the down swing also forces me to tighten my grip, which results in casting the club.   But of course, as @iacas just said, it's probably just exacerbating my swing faults.  Like, why does it take so long for me to shift my weight, and why does gripping the club tighter cause me to cast it. 

Henrik Stenson doesn't seem to have a problem with a quick down swing.   On the other hand, there's Hideki Matsuyama, who's probably taking a brief nap at the top of his down swing.   Who knows. 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2017 by Marty2019

[Buckeyebowman]

12 hours ago, Marty2019 said:

Rushing can certainly throw a lot of people off, but I am still wondering exactly why. 

In my case, since I am kind of light, about 150 pounds, I think rushing the down swing actually pulls me backwards, and I don't get my weight shifted.  Rushing the down swing also forces me to tighten my grip, which results in casting the club.   But of course, as @iacas just said, it's probably just exacerbating my swing faults.  Like, why does it take so long for me to shift my weight, and why does gripping the club tighter cause me to cast it. 

Henrik Stenson doesn't seem to have a problem with a quick down swing.   On the other hand, there's Hideki Matsuyama, who's probably taking a brief nap at the top of his down swing.   Who knows. 

 

 

To me, "rushing" means an abrupt change in tempo. It's what I call "jumping from the top". But, some people rush their downswing, others can rush their backswing.

In your case I get the idea that your "feel" might be "real". Sounds like you are throwing your arms and hands at the ball before your legs and body have a chance to become involved.

Don't worry about only going 150. I watched Chi Chi Rodriguez, who might have gone 140 soaking wet, bomb the ball out of sight!

And yes, Stenson has a quick downswing, but he also has a pretty quick backswing.