Tiger’s former teacher
Butch Harmon, taught me unique drills for smoothing out an
extra-fast swing tempo. Any one of these is ideal for curing a
student’s speedy swing problem.
One of the greatest pleasures of my long career
in golf was getting the chance to work with Tiger’s former coach
Butch Harmon on the bestselling book, The Four Cornerstones of
Winning Golf. What better way to “research” a book and “work” than
to converse with Butch about golf swing technique and play golf with
him at my former golf club, Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida.
Butch is a true teaching guru, namely because he
has a great eye for spotting faults and helps amateur and pro
players get back on track by teaching them extraordinary drills.
Let me share with you several of Butch’s drills
for curing a fast swing, which I recommend you try out on students
who share the speedy swing problem common among millions of country
club golfers. What follows is the actual advice Butch gave me that,
again, I think you should share with fast-swinging students,
particularly those who are tired of hearing only of the
feet-together drill remedy recommended by a multitude of teachers.
Drill: “Chip” The Driver
Tee up the ball on the practice tee and, with your driver, make a
nice, leisurely “chip” swing. Just try to tap the ball out there
about 75 yards. Hit a half-dozen chip shots like this with your
driver.
Next, hit some slightly longer “chips” about 100
yards, using the same slow, leisurely quarter-to-half swing. After
several more of these, extend the swing slightly farther, to
pitching distance, still using the driver, and hit some nice easy
shots that travel a total of 150 yards. Hit about eight or ten balls
this way.
Finally, let’s assume that your normal,
respectable drive travels something over 200 yards. It doesn’t
matter if it’s 220 yards, 240 yards, whatever. Continuing to make a
smooth, leisurely pass at the ball, just try to hit some soft drives
out there about 180 yards. Hit as
many balls as you like.
I think you’ll be surprised that two things
happen. First, when you try to smooth it out there about 180, you’ll
strike the ball very solidly and hit it a lot farther than 180
yards. You’ll probably hit the ball just about as far as your best
with your normal swing and a lot more consistently. Second, this
entire exercise will ingrain a slower, more even tempo into your
swing, namely because you have eliminated what brings the speed into
the swing in the first place: the need to hit the ball hard urge.
Drill: Swing at
Imaginary Practice Balls
Take a middle iron and tee up the ball. Then, step a few feet to the
left of the teed-up ball, and make a leisurely practice swing at an
imaginary ball. Repeat this swing at an imaginary ball five times,
each time stepping forward a few inches toward the actual ball, as
if each of the imaginary balls had been set up in a line. Finally,
set your clubhead down behind the real ball and simply make your
sixth smooth, leisurely swing in this sequence. Just let the ball
get in the way of that nice smooth swing. I think you’ll agree that
the feeling of the swing at the real ball is a lot slower and
smoother than the swings you’ve been making out on the course.
Drill: Hum a Tune
This is more of a mental tip drill, but one that many golfers find
helpful. Simply hum a musical tune as you make your practice swing,
step up to the ball, and hit the shot. This should set you into a
relaxed frame of mind to start with as you prepare for the shot. It
should also give you a better chance to stay relaxed and to produce
a smooth tempo during the actual swing.
Make sure that as you execute the shot, you keep
humming your tune at its normal pace and with a normal amount of
effort in your voice. At first you might notice as you start the
swing that the sound of your voice tightens or intensifies. This
indicates tension that usually transfers into tightness and/or
quickness during the swing, so it’s a good indicator that you need
to stay mentally and physically relaxed throughout the swinging
process.
Bring this smooth, musical hum-swing to the
course and feel the sense of effortless power at work.
(What I like most about Butch’s drills is their
unique quality. Butch is one of golf’s most creative teachers, and,
of course, what he did not teach himself through trial and error, he
learned from his father, Claude Harmon, Sr., the 1948 Masters
champion and one of the all-time best teachers of amateurs who made
his home at two of the world’s top ranked clubs, Winged Foot in New
York and Seminole in Florida. Drills were a big part of Sr.’s
teaching routine, as is the case with Butch.)
Drill: Make Your Backswing and Downswing Speeds
Match A lot of golfers who swing too fast may not be too quick
taking the club back, but are blindingly fast coming down. In other
words, their backswing and downswing speeds don’t match. You can’t
make a downswing that fully utilizes your body if the downswing is
only slightly slower than the speed of light!
Make a conscious effort to make your backswing
and downswing speeds identical. Count to yourself as you make the
swing: “one-and-two,” with “one” being for the backswing, “and”
representing the top to the swing, and “two” representing your
downswing. Try to swing your arms down and through the ball at
exactly the same speed with which you brought them back. Don’t worry
about how far you’ll hit the ball. Even though you’re swinging your
arms back in what feels like a leisurely fashion, the centrifugal
force built up in the shaft and clubhead will be releasing in the
impact zone. You’ll be surprised how solidly and how far you hit it
when you even out the tempo between your backswing and downswing.
Drill: Swing with Your
Eyes Closed
Tee up the ball. Grip a driver, then, after going through your
normal pre-swing routine, simply close your eyes and swing. Give
yourself a few tries to get over the anxiety that this sightless
swing actually causes. I think you’ll find that your instincts for
where the ball is will kick into play and you’ll start meeting the
ball surprisingly well.
More importantly, though, I guarantee that when
you swing at the ball with your eyes closed, you’ll swing the club
slowly and smoothly. It’s as though, without the benefit of sight,
your subconscious realizes that you have to rely on clubhead control
and good tempo to meet the ball well, and that’s what you’ll create
as you swing the club.
