What does it mean to “stay in front of the club” and how can this help you build a more consistent and efficient golf swing? These are some important questions so let’s go over couple examples because this might be tip you need.
A common tendency for amateurs is to swing the club back without turning the shoulders enough. The hands and arms dominate the backswing. The golfer ends up swinging around his or her body and forgets about turning the body. The top of the swing is reached mostly with the hands and arms, which is the same way the club gets delivered back down to the ball. The major power source of the swing, the body, was completely neglected.
You want to maintain a relationship between your chest and hands throughout the swing. This will keep your club in front of your chest. Anytime the club swings across the chest it sets up very difficult delivery back down to the ball. The result is getting stuck on the downswing. Your body turns back towards the ball with the arms trailing too far behind. This type of action creates a swing path from outside to inside, a very common tendency for amateurs that slice the ball.
We all know the importance of timing. It has the power to lower your score and even make up for bad fundamentals. It’s the number one priority for consistent performance. When you maintain the relationship between your chest and hands you on the way to a well timed golf swing. This can be your gauge. Anytime the club gets away from your chest should be a signal that you’ve lost a connection between your body and arms. You are making the swing more complicated and putting more pressure on proper timing.
The only solution is get back to the first move off the ball. Rehears the takeaway over and over again until you feel the relationship between your chest and hands. The result will put the club in front of your chest throughout the swing. Your consistency, efficiency, and timing will improve dramatically.
So, next time you go out for practice, don’t get stuck – stay in front.
Long and Straight,
Adam
