| There are two prominent strains of thought in golf | | | | head is now flailing around instead of continuing on a |
| swing theory. One is that you swing the clubhead. | | | | directed path. |
| The other is that you swing the handle. But what | | | | How do you put this idea into your golf swing? Swing |
| you really want to do is swing the whole club, not | | | | the club back so that the club doesn't pivot at any |
| just a part of it. Doing that irons out swings flaws | | | | time. Breaking your wrists deliberately will do that. |
| almost instantly and leads to better shots in the | | | | Take the club back as a unit and let your wrists |
| same amount of time. | | | | break when they have to. Not sooner, not later. |
| Have you ever chopped wood? You swing the axe in | | | | On the downswing, do the opposite. Swing the club |
| the exact way that you should swing the golf club. | | | | down as a unit and hold onto your wrist break until |
| You swing the whole axe. Both ends of the axe, the | | | | the momentum of your swing makes you release it. |
| handle and the head, are traveling in the same | | | | If your wrist break releases too early, this is called |
| direction at any moment. That might sound obvious, | | | | casting, a short name for the two ends of the club |
| but it's a more subtle point than it appears. | | | | moving in opposite directions. |
| Hold a golf club in front of you, with one hand in the | | | | To see how this really works, hold the club with your |
| middle of the shaft. With the club hanging vertically, | | | | right hand (left hand, for left-handed golfers) in the |
| move your hand to the right. The grip end and the | | | | middle of the shaft. Slowly swing the club back so |
| clubhead both move in the same direction. This is | | | | both ends move in the same direction, i.e., there is no |
| how the axe is moving when you bring it down on | | | | pivoting around your hand. Now swing the club slowly |
| the wood. You know that's how you get maximum | | | | back down, again watching the entire club move as a |
| power, so that's what you do. | | | | unit. There's no pivoting around your hand as the |
| Now with the club hanging vertically in front of you | | | | clubhead comes into the ball, not handle going |
| again, push the grip end to the right and, with your | | | | backward as the clubhead goes forward. |
| hand as a pivot, let the clubhead react to the left. | | | | Once you understand this idea, start taking slow |
| The two ends of the club are moving in opposite | | | | practice swings so the club moves exactly like this. |
| directions. If you swing the axe this way, not only | | | | When you can put this movement into your swing at |
| would you lose power by slowing down the axe | | | | normal speed, better ball striking is assured. |
| head, you would well miss the wood because the | | | | |