Playing golf well is really about only two things, distance and direction.
Of these, distance is king. Distance control, yes of course, but to play to your potential you must hit the ball a long way!
Golf Loopy spends a lot of time talking about how to generate “effortless” power, how a great swing gives you control, accuracy, and consistency. We stress that you need to be free of tension, have soft wrists, that you’re not trying to “muscle” the swing or to club the ball to death! We explain that you don’t need to swing “hard” to generate club head speed, that it’s inefficient and counterproductive. And many of our drills are about small movements, made in slow motion at first, because you can’t learn at full speed.
But none of this means that you need to swing easy on the course!
Golf is a sport, and the golf swing is one of the most explosive moves in any sport. You need to generate club head speed, and lots of it! You’re an athlete, so get out there and try to look like one!
Many students, when they first come to us, make slow, languid swings. They say they’ve been told to swing with “control”.
“You should see old Eric, marvellous golfer, never misses a fairway!” Sure, but he only drives the ball about as far as I hit my 8-iron, and I’d never miss a fairway with my 8-iron either!
Yes, striking the ball better will give you more control and distance, but great ball striking comes from having great technique, and not from trying to swing slowly, like an old man!
You’ll be a senior golfer soon enough, you’re in no rush to get there! And if you’re already the oldest golfer at your club, there’s no reason you should try to look like it!
Much golf instruction tells you to swing “within yourself”, at about 70% of your maximum.
Well, the elite golfers that we teach can drive the ball 300 yards plus. If they really let loose and bomb one, they might hit it 340. So their normal swing is 87% of their maximum, they’re not holding back very much at all!
How about Ernie Els, isn’t he the “Big Easy”? Ernie is a big guy, his tempo isn’t actually slower than most players, and he swings the driver at 118mph. No, his swing may look effortless, but he’s certainly not holding back!
Every golfer that we’ve ever taught gained at least 6mph of club head speed. Most mid-to-high handicappers gain over 20mph.
Let’s think about that.
Just that extra 6mph, with a good swing, is equivalent to about 15 extra yards on every full swing (more if you’re also improving your ball striking).
You make about 40 full swings per round, so that’s 600 yards extra per round (for 20mph, it’s 2,000 yards!)
You’re turning a 6,800 yard course into the equivalent of a 6,200 yard course. Which sounds easier to you?
And bigger hitters are turning a par 72 into a par 68 because they can reach par-5s in two.
Hitting the ball further makes you more accurate!
Yes, you did read that correctly.
You’ll be more accurate with every shot that you play, except the driver, because you’ll be using a shorter club. Shorter clubs spin the ball more, and so they’re more likely to stay on line.
If you hit driver 8 times per round, that’s 32 full swings per round that will be made with shorter clubs, for longer hitters.
It’s a lot easier to hit the green with an 8-iron than with a 5-iron.
Plus you’re less likely to need the driver off the tee, anyway. For many par-4s, a fairway wood or hybrid will now be the best play.
So, yes, you’ll miss a few more fairways, but you’ll hit more greens in regulation.
So, stop trying to slow your swing down for control.
Proper swing mechanics, learned using the Golf Loopy Swing like a Champion system, will give you great control, and a lot more club head speed.
Out on the course, let go. Make a full swing and let it rip!
Relaxed? Yes. Easy? No way!
The Swish Drill
We’re naming this one after the great John Jacobs, a wonderful golf coach (and a very good player!) who described the golf swing as “two turns and a swish”.
There’s nothing new about this simple drill, but it is a very powerful way to learn, and often neglected by golfers trying to find a “magic bullet” fix.
- Take a golf club outside and try to swing it as fast as you can. We said “fast”, not “hard”.
- Don’t hit golf balls, but set up to an imaginary ball and swing the club through the air.
- The club will make a “swishing” sound as it cuts through the air, try to make this sound as loud as you can.
- Make the club “swish” at the bottom of its swing arc, or slightly after, and never before it reaches the “impact zone”.
That’s it. Do this for about 15 minutes every day.
You can even do it in your home or office, just grip down on a short club and be careful not to kill the cat!
If you struggle to make a good “swish”, turn the club upside down and swing the butt-end.
As you start to perfect each new part of the swing movement, using the Golf Loopy Swing like a Champion system, go out and try to integrate it into this drill.
Learn to make a full turn, give yourself time at the top to complete your turn, don’t be in a rush to start back down.
Feel your swing start back down from the ground up.
Use plenty of wrist hinge, soft wrists, and try to move in a way that stops the club releasing too soon, and “swishing” too early.
Give it all you’ve got, swing fast! But it’s a “swish”, not a “Grrrrrr!”
Happy fairways!
» Play Like a Champion – Additional golf instruction.
