Why is everybody so focused on the golf swing? I have even heard the advice to swing the club and let the ball get in the way.
Has anyone ever seriously thought about this? Why is there so much focus on swinging the club and practically nothing at all is ever said about the real objective of making the swing in the first place?
I also frequently hear respected authorities tell people how they have to overcome the hit impulse to make a good golf swing. Something just isn't right when you are told to fight the very instinct you are trying to use.
The fact is, by focusing your attention on the swinging motion of the club and the positions of your body, you sacrifice your hand eye coordination because your mind strays from the main task of hitting the ball.
Try it with any sport and you will see that it is futile to focus on technique. Do you think that Michael Jordon was at all concerned about the position of his elbow when he was shooting a game winning three pointer?
Of course not. He was trying to make a ball go into a basket and that is all that was on his mind. Any good player in any game is always focused on the objective of the game rather than the technique required to accomplish it.
Don't think of the act of striking a golf ball as a swing. Think of it as a hitting action, not a backswing and downswing. The goal stays the same whether you are taking the club back in preparation or moving it towards the ball to hit it.
You shouldn't care about anything but putting a good solid hit on the ball with your hands and arms. Just whip the clubhead into the ball as solidly as possible without regard for where it goes.
You have probably never even tried to actually hit a golf ball because you were too busy trying to make a good looking swing at it. You are told from the very first shot to swing at the ball, so why not?
First of all, because you remove the natural instincts that come into play when you attempt to hit a stationary object. Your hands and eyes will work together to make sure you accomplish your goal if you let them.
Secondly, the thoughts of shoulder turns and the like cause the average player to swing back well past the point they can control.
Even thinking of a smooth tempo distracts your mind from the job at hand.
Practice hitting the ball with your hands and arms and forget about the rest of the swing for a while.
The better you are able to hit the ball using nothing but your hands and arms, the better you will hit the ball when you introduce the other muscles to the swing.
