Dave Ramsay - For Your Swing December 2010

With the winter season upon us, I'm getting to know the diehards on these blustery days.  You know - those people that will play and practice in conditions that will cause "normal" people to hesitate running out to get the newspaper.  I've had some great conversations with several of these diehards working on their game, and it seems that some have enjoyed reading about what typical golf advice NOT to listen to.  With that in mind, I'll keep 'em coming for a few more articles.
 
"Take the club back very slowly on the backswing" is one that I continue to hear.  This isn't exactly wrong per se - it's just that it often leads to a player developing a problem of going too slowly.  It can be difficult (though certainly not impossible) to control the backswing when making a fast move.  Whenever I think of a great player with a very fast swing, multiple-majors-winner (and all-around great guy) Nick Price immediately comes to mind.  Mr. Price has a very quick swing, but had grooved his excellent positions and mechanics so well that his timing and control did not suffer.  However, for most of us that take the club back quickly, it can be a real detriment.  Often the hands and arms out of sync with the body turn when moving excessively fast, and coming to the top of the swing to make a proper transistion into the downswing is very difficult.  Players that make a fast backswings often overswing to the top, sometimes creating problems with their arm leverage, the position and degree of their wrist hinge, and their balance.  When any of these are faulty, timing and leverage will suffer.  You can still hit decent shots, but the potential of your consistency and power will suffer.  So yes, I absolutely agree that a quick backswing may be a serious detriment.
 
I believe that most people need to make a backswing at a speed that allows them to keep arms and hands in front of the chest as they coil the body, and allows them to draw back and hinge the club on a proper plane, and allows them to come to a complete (but brief) pause at the top of the backswing without compromising correct positions.  Everyone can find a speed that will be slow enough to allow them to keep everything in sync properly - however, a player can go TOO slowly and lose their rythym and natural athletic timing.  That loss of rythym and timing can result in significant connection problems - beginning with the critical start to the downswing, and continuing all the way through to the swing's finish - forcing a player to continually search for compensations to make up for a backswing that is too slow.
 
Hope to see you at the course, and don't forget about the Boxing Day Bash tournament after Christmas!
 
Dave