I was a late starter into the game of golf, at the of 17, but when I experienced the complexity of the swing and the challenge of the game I was determined to "master" it, well at least try. I practiced and played as much as daylight would allow in my small town of Westport, Ontario. Although I progressed quickly with the game, my mastery of the sport was not coming as quickly as I had hoped being naive to the true complexity of the sport. To fast track my learning curve I decided to find a swing coach and start taking some lessons. From that time was I 18 until I turned professional I had worked with 6 different swing coaches with many different golf swing theories. All of the coaches were great at getting me into the technical positions that I needed to be in however, none of them asked me what my concepts of the swing were. If they had asked, they would have realized that I had few of the most common misconceptions about the golf swing.
Misconception #1 : the ball is scooped of the ground with the club sliding underneath the ball. This incorrect swing concept can cause:
Correct concept: The golfer should swing "through" the ball. This concept was described brilliantly, although graphically, by John Zumerchik author of Newton on the Tee. He equates hitting through the golf ball to a boxer wanting to punch through his target. The boxer would concentrate on a fictitious point within the target so that his punches terminate several inches inside the mark and not on the surface. In golf, think of hitting the grass just infront of the ball instead of the ball. This is how professional golfers take divots, they hit through the ball and then into the ground. In the below photos, notice in the first photo that the club has past the hands, in the second picture there is straight line through the club into the left arms.
Misconception #1 : the ball is scooped of the ground with the club sliding underneath the ball. This incorrect swing concept can cause:
- Topped shots because the golfer is trying to lift the ball in the air causing the arm to pull the club up or the body to lift.
- Early release or casting of the club which can cause "fat" (the ground to be hit before the ball) shots
- Loss of power in the swing from the release of stored energy before ball contact.
Correct concept: The golfer should swing "through" the ball. This concept was described brilliantly, although graphically, by John Zumerchik author of Newton on the Tee. He equates hitting through the golf ball to a boxer wanting to punch through his target. The boxer would concentrate on a fictitious point within the target so that his punches terminate several inches inside the mark and not on the surface. In golf, think of hitting the grass just infront of the ball instead of the ball. This is how professional golfers take divots, they hit through the ball and then into the ground. In the below photos, notice in the first photo that the club has past the hands, in the second picture there is straight line through the club into the left arms.
