Pause at the top

[snake]

Working hard to shorten and tighten my backswing.
Here's my latest thoughts; I would appreciate any comments as to whether I am moving in the right direction.

I am working to try to take away the club by rotation of torso then lifting of the arms.
Previously I simply lifted the arms and then try to shift my weight resulting in my swing getting sooooooo long and bending the left arm.

Now when I get to the top I seem to have an inconsistant pause before I start the DS.
To counteract this I am shifting my weight to the left and really initiating the DS with my lower body prior to completion of the backswing.

Is this good or counter-productive ?
What should I be doing if not this ?
What problems could this cause ?

[BrianW]

Re: Pause at the top

Hi Snake,

Try taking the club away by tracing a natural arc with your left arm and rotating your arms and shoulders only. Imagine the club is following it's initial plane as if it is resting on an inclined hoop. When the club but end is pointing at the target you should start turning your hips and torso while creating coil against your braced right leg. When you have completed a full shoulder turn you can allow the arms to complete the move to the top.

I tend to start unwinding my left knee just before reaching the top, this creates additional body coil and creates a trigger for the downswing.

Regarding the downswing:

Nick Bradley has a great drill "The Step In Drill" for creating the right feel and understanding for weight transfer :

Set up with a narrow stance and the ball just forward of the left foot. Make a smooth back swing and just as you are about to reach the top of the back swing take a step to the left with the left foot so that it moves forward of the ball, continue with the downswing allowing the right side to hit through to a balanced finish. It gives the correct feel of the weight transferring to the left side then the right side hitting through. Repeat this until you get the correct wave like feeling in the transition. Then repeat the feeling with your normal swing.


Hope this of some assistance?