Deceleration Through Impact
What is actually happening
Somewhere along the way you learned to steer the ball, and steering means braking. Your swing hits top speed before the ball, or your body stalls right at it. Either way, the club is slowing down through the one spot where it should be at its fastest. You're guiding the shot instead of hitting it.
What it costs you
A slowing club is an unstable club. The face turns on its own schedule and the strike falls apart with it. Deceleration also kills more chips and pitches than anything else. The short ones come up short, or get chunked, because the club died before it reached the ball.
The loudest part of the swing happens after the ball. Swing to the finish, not to impact. The ball is just in the way.
Whoosh Drill
Flip a club upside down and grip it just below the head, so the light grip end swings through the air. Now make swings and listen. The whoosh is the club at maximum speed, and where you hear it is a precise diagnosis. Whoosh before the ball position means you released everything too early. Whoosh right at the bottom means you're close. What you want is the whoosh on the target side, out past your lead leg, which means the club was still gaining speed when the ball would have been struck. Make ten swings chasing the late whoosh. Then flip the club over and hit five balls with one goal: reach a full finish and hold it like you're posing. The strike takes care of itself when the speed shows up in the right place.
Is this the one costing you shots?
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