I’m in a car… driving at 90 miles per hour… I’m not wearing my seatbelt.
I hit a wall… the car stops to zero miles per hour immediately… My body flies through the windshield at 90 miles per hour. UGH!
How does this relate to golf? This illustration shows the “transfer of energy” as it pertains to your golf swing and how power is transmitted to your golf ball.
The “wall” in the golf swing is the target-side leg (Left leg for right-handed golfers). Perhaps you’ve heard the expression of “hitting past your left side.”
My “body” in the illustration represents the clubhead.
My body separating from the car and flying through the windshield at 90 miles per hour represents the release of the clubhead through the hitting zone (impact and follow-through).
My point is, that when we speak of “releasing” the clubhead through the hitting zone… it’s simply a RESULT of the arms and hands abruptly slowing down as they approach impact… transferring the energy they’ve accumulated through the clubshaft to the clubhead… which eventually transfers the energy to the golf ball sending it on its way.
In a good golf swing… for this chain reaction to happen… the hands must be PASSIVE… holding the club lightly… ALLOWING the clubhead to release its energy into the ball. Any effort to manipulate the clubhead using the hands will result in deceleration and most likely mishit shots. When the hands try to manipulate a clubhead that’s traveling 90 miles per hour… to hit a golf ball that’s 1.68 inches in diameter… timing will be too much of a factor. And some days you’ll have it… but on most days you won’t.
Here’s a quote from Ben Hogan:
“The main thing for the average golfer is to keep any conscious hand action out of his swing. The correct swing is founded on a chain action. If you used the hands when you should not, you prevent the chain action.”
Read that again… and then say, “Amen.”
Correctly “transferring” energy to the ball (translated: POWER), should occur without effort. It’s part of the chain action Mr. Hogan speaks of. You don’t DO the release… you ALLOW it to happen.
Oh yeah… and ALWAYS wear your seatbelt!
Peace… Love… Golf!
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