Golf Swing Mechanics – Timing is Everything!

All golfers are taught the fundamentals of golf swing mechanics – that is the easy part.

The harder task, for the student golfer, is learning to put all the swing components together in a beautifully choreographed and precisely timed movement. A smoothly timed movement is essential to creating that powerful and seamless swing pattern and expression.

Golfer’s who possess the very best golf swing mechanics but lack the necessary swing rhythm and coordination will never play golf to their true potential. How frustrating is that?!

How do golfers develop this timing which pieces all the golf swing mechanics together? Take a tip from author Joe Novak.

In his book, “Golf Can Be an Easy Game”, Novak shares his perspective on the importance of timing and its affect on golf swing mechanics.

Novak writes;

“The formula reads as follows:

Ultimate results depend on post factor efficiency.

These seven words succinctly describe the artistry of a golf swing; there are things to do, but there is a certain time to do them.

First the golfer must handle their weight; but shifting the weight from one foot to the other does nothing of itself, it only places the player in a position where they can use and utilize their body correctly.

Secondly, only when the golfer has the basic or prior footwork so that they are in a position to use their body to swing the club, are the hands free to exert over the club the proper sense of position and control, and the ability to apply the club correctly to the ball. In other words, a golf shot only flies as the club makes it fly, and how the ball flies is a direct result of the club position. The club position is a direct result of what the hands are doing, and what the hands are doing is the post factor that determines ultimate efficiency.

No wonder so much time and effort is concentrated on the correct grip in golf.

I have often said that a runner runs with their feet, but a golfer golf’s with their hands. Of course, for the runner to get their feet in action, there is a lot of arm and shoulder work, and for a golfer to get their hands working, there is a lot of footwork and body action.

To repeat, there are three basic factors in golf:

1. Footwork, for balance
2. Body action, for power
3. Hand action, for club control

But to these three factors there is an order of importance, a delicate sense of timing that so many golfers miss. They fail to get the knack of properly coordinating these three factors into a working arrangement.

As there is a certain order of importance, so likewise there is a certain order of performance in these three basic operations of a golf swing. In other words, in the properly executed golf shot the player moves smoothly from one operation to the other, but all operations function collectively towards the final goal of applying the club to the ball. So there is in the golf shot an order of importance and an order of performance which precludes any such thing as a one-piece swing. Be prepared to reach your ultimate goal of a smooth, flowing performance through a natural step-by-step procedure rather than through any short cut.

The other comment I wish to make is that if there is error in the performance of any operation in the swing, then such an error would multiply and increase as it would be carried on into the next operation. So there must be sure performance in the execution of each of the three factors”.

Professional instructors know golf swing mechanics alone are not sufficient enough to create a winning golf swing – timing is necessary.

Implement Novak’s professional advice into your practice routine!

Check back soon for more tips and posts on golf swing mechanics!