Article #39
Teacher: Mr. Vaughn
To meet this week's teacher, or to purchase a copy of MUNIE ~ The Jitterbug Collection, go to www.bobbysteiner.com
Like most teachers, I try to get my students into a good position at the top of the backswing. After all, there ain't but three things you need to square the face at impact: a good grip, a proper wrist cock (that is, a square face at the top of the backswing), and sound body rotation through the ball. It's as simple as that.
Of course, the first two are easy to teach because they're physical positions. If you have two arms, two hands, a head and a torso, I can teach you everything you need to know about grip and wrist cock in a matter of minutes. But, in the short term, it ain't gonna help nothin', 'cause working on backswing stuff steals qualities of flow from the third requirement, body rotation.
The difficulty with teaching proper body rotation is one of rhythm and sequence. Simply put, the golfer has to learn where in the downswing to step on the gas. For most, the gas gets stepped on too early, and early acceleration is the most common destroyer of good rhythm.
And, where do you suppose this disruptive pull-hard-in-the-early-part-of-the-downswing impulse originates? That's right, it comes from backswing thoughts. As long as you have position related backswing thoughts, you're gonna pull hard from the top of the backswing. It's a natural phenomenon that I can't explain, but it's what everybody with backswing thoughts does.
On the flip side, rhythmic players, players who observe and execute proper rotation, have through-swing thoughts. In other words, their mind is caught up in post-impact positions; their thoughts, feelings, and senses are on the target side of the ball.
So, you might ask, "If that's true, Mr. Vaughn, then why in the world would you encumber your students by emphasizing a good position at the top of the backswing?"
Simple. You have to drill and ingrain the correct top-of-the-backswing position until it's natural, and then get your mind completely off of it.
Think of your own experiences. Many of you I'm sure have worked with a golf instructor who tried to get you to change your position at the top, and darn near ruined your swing. But, what you might not know is that your instructor was correct in what he was teaching, but failed to communicate to you that backswing stuff ain't gonna help nothing until you've done it so much that you can do it without thinking about it.
In closing, I want you to remember this. We naturally accelerate near the area where we're most caught up in position related thoughts. If your mind is on the top of the backswing that's where you'll start your acceleration. If your mind, however, is focused on the position you'd like to be in some time after impact-and the later the better-you'll naturally wait longer to accelerate.