Article #65
To meet this week's teacher, or to purchase a copy of MUNIE ~ The Jitterbug Collection, go to www.oneputtpress.com
Dear Jitterbug:
Do you have any advice to help me stop jerking the club down from the top of the backswing?
J. R. Mottis
Jitterbug Gang Fan
Jitterbug:
The early pull from the top is where bad rhythm originates. Unfortunately, in the mind of most golfers is ingrained the false sense: The faster I pull on this club, the more club speed I'll have at impact.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. No matter what type of sprint, blast off, hit hard, or crack-the-whip motion you're trying to achieve, you only get one explosion. If you explode too early you have nothing to explode with when the time is actually right (in the case of the golf swing, we're talking about impact with the ball).
As far as advice to fix your disruptive pull from the top, let's back into this issue; go back to where it likely started.
Believe it or not, our minds are well tuned into the movement and positions of the body. You might say our brains are on stand-by, ready to apply extra physical effort to account for faulty, less than powerful positioning in the golf swing. So, when our mind detects a weak position-though unsure what it is-our instinct suggests that at desperate pull from the top is needed to offset the poor positioning.
The upshot, of course, is that you can't possibly fix the symptom (the early pull) without addressing first the cause (poor positioning in the swing).
My advice, J. R., is that you get a professional to look at your fundamentals-specifically your grip, wrist-cock and wrist angle retention-to find out what it is that's making you pull from the top.
Mr. Vaughn:
Like Jitterbug said, the best way to rid yourself of the early pull is to give your fundamentals a look through. But, in the mean time I recommend you adopt a philosophy with regard to the manner in which you rehearse your golf swing.
From this point on, if you want to ease out of the early pull, spend more time on the target side of the ball during your practice swing. Take the club only halfway back, but finish as full and flowing as you can. This will train your body to accelerate later in the swing and work wonders for your overall tempo and rhythm.
If you can't picture what I'm talking about, just watch Ernie Els take a practice swing, and then contrast it to your own.
Lord Berry:
Golfers frequently say, "If I could just hit the ball with my practice swing, I'd play brilliantly." For most, the only difference between one's practice and real swing is the absence of early pull from the top (in the former) and existence of early pull (in the latter).
Pardon me for believing it, but what one can do without a ball, so can he surely do with one.