THE PAUSE…THAT REFRESHES

You’ve seen it on a number of players. Their golf swings seem to have a momentary PAUSE as they transition from their backswing to the downswing. Go search their swings on YouTube… Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa to name a few. Why does it seem that at the top of their swings, the club seems to stop, momentarily? Is something else moving? (YES!) Consider adding this pause to your swing motion. Here’s why and how.

Sue Kaffenburgh, PGA/LPGA Bayberry Hills Golf Course, Yarmouth, MA.

508-364-GOLF (4653)

By Sue Kaffenburg

Most likely, instinct takes over after you make your backswing, and you heave the club to the ball while your lower body sits back and does nothing! One could categorize this move as casting the club. But the truth is your lower body has received NO message to do anything first. It’s time to send your hips and lower body a specific message. The pause gives you time to do that. Think of any throwing sport like Football or Baseball. Before the throwing arm moves forward, there is movement of the lower body in the direction of the throw…FIRST! You WOULD NOT see the arm thrusting forward releasing the ball and then see the athlete move their weight towards the target.

The old school of golf instruction asked you to turn your hips as the first move of the downswing.

Evidence today is that the HIPS SLIDE FIRST, LATERALLY towards your target before they turn! It’s challenging to try to remember to do this in the whirlwind of your motion lasting less than 2 seconds. SO…build in a PAUSE. Build in that moment of time where your club and hands seem stationary at the end of your backswing. Direct your thoughts to have only 1 intention: INITIATE THE LATERAL SLIDE of your HIPS to START your downswing.

To get to experience the “feel” of this, take two irons like your 7 and 8 iron. Hold them together with any grip you can so that the heads are even and make full swings (no ball). The clubs will respond awkwardly if you pull on them.

Notice in the first video the clubs get thrown to the ball first while the body seems still and then actually moves away from the target! STOP doing this! In the second video, notice the hips slide first and the clubs follow that move. The heaviness of the double clubs creates time and opportunity to slide those hips toward the target, FIRST.

On the range, work on this as a drill. Then you can decide if you want to keep this pause in your “real” swing. On the first tee, take practice swings with two clubs. Take that feeling as your new approach to the sense of proper sequencing. Backswing…Pause… THINK and INITIATE hip slide movement. Right handers will feel your left hip move laterally toward the target. Make it happen and you will feel that HIP engine creates faster clubhead speed.

Bigger muscles = better engine = longer golf shots. That would be refreshing!!!