38. A good swing is an artistic expression, not a physical confrontation

Possibly the most common cause of many swing faults is too much aggression. Slicing, pushing, pull hooking hitting heavy, hitting thin and topped shots are just a few of the unwanted shots encountered because of this problem. Lack of distance is another frustrating by- product caused by flexing too much muscle, which is particularly annoying because it prompts the player to then try and hit the ball even harder. Result; even less distance and so it goes on.

However, there are also a lot of players who do not try and hit the ball aggressively enough. You usually find these people are quite analytical by which I mean they have studied the ins and outs of swing theory and are able to construct a swing piece by piece. The problem is however that they pursue this routine every shot, on the course as well as the practice ground, giving conscious commands to the body as the swing progresses. What we end up with is a swing that contains lots of correct detailed movement, but also a swing that does not produce results. Why? Because it is totally devoid of energy or life. It simply slaps the ball along.

These golfers seldom lose golf balls because they do not hit it far enough to find the trouble. Their swing is golf’s equivalent to painting by numbers. It may look like the desired image but it is not the real thing; it is not a dynamic artistic expression. What do I mean by Artistic expression in the golfing sense of the term? Quite simply, a good golfer’s swing is a seemingly carefree, flowing, rhythmical, well balanced, choreographed expression of a basic set of technical movements performed with a dynamic commitment to swing a club-head upon an arc around us, the pivotal point the action.

Key words here are balanced, rhythmical, flowing and most importantly as far as the analytical player is concerned,..... carefree. Thinking golfers are too careful, they are fearful of failure so much so that they swing in a mental straightjacket secured by anxiety. They are so racked with a fear of failure and all the “ego” bashing baggage that comes with it that they become ultra cautious. They do not let go and as a consequence of this, the ball does not fly.