Commitment

I've recently been dabbling, if that's the right word, with 'staying down' and 'pausing', neither of which are really fundamental in the true sense of the word. In other words, there are plenty of good golfers who do neither of these things, just as there are plenty who do.

I've previously stated my fundamentals as not trying to hit too hard, staying balanced and playing off the front foot. All have merit in my view, depending on the level at which the golfer finds themselves. Better players can get away with hitting harder, even swaying, provided their timing is 'on'. Poorer players need to take account of all of these fundamentals, in my view.

There is one other fundamental that I'm starting to consider, partly in the context of the above mentioned dabbles and partly in relation to a previous post on deceleration. This element of golf can I think be called 'commitment to the shot'.

It sounds too obvious to say one needs commitment, but I find that the only shots I hit really well are when I concentrate on completing the shot with a full follow through, without steering, without any kind of manipulation of the shot, and without hurrying (or hesitating and decelerating) for that matter.

It's a difficult thing to define, but it is essentially about putting a good swing on a shot. Techniques will vary, but as many pro caddies say to their players: 'commit to the shot', and I'm starting to realise what they mean.

Over-committing or tensing up might be biggest danger here, which is why 'commitment' is a slightly difficult concept to explain or get right. I think it's a bit like concentrating (something and uncle suggested is the key to golf), so it's not as if it's a completely foreign idea. The main problem is getting the balance right - commitment versus trying too hard.

It has been said that 'trying fails', but I don't think that's the case with 'commitment' - at least that's my latest fundamental belief.

Reflecting on the pause

In May 2013, I wrote about 'the pause that refreshes', the one at the top of the backswing. It was a pretty good post, if I say so myself, covering most of the issues about this swing thought.

Recently, I've had cause to revisit the pause in my swing, mainly because I've had some short pitch shot issues and found that a pause encouraged me to accelerate the club head, as is critical for these short shots (where deceleration is a fatal flaw).

There are those who say a pause is a bad idea in that it will interfere with the fluidity or flow of the golf swing, but fluidity is one thing, rushing is another. Rushing is precisely that problem that confounds many a weekend golfer, who wonders why the pros swing so easily, yet hit so far.

What the average golfer doesn't really comprehend is that pros, who have grooved their swings over many years, have learned to correctly sequence their body movements, their timing if you like, to maximise their club head speed, with a minimum of effort.

The average once or twice a week golfer doesn't have the time or probably the athletic ability to develop their golf swings in this way. The compromise, in my view, is to maximise ones chances to set up the correct sequencing of the golf swing by introducing a small pause at transition from backswing to downswing to try to prevent the club head racing the body down to the ball.

By pausing for a split second, for example by putting an 'and' between a one-two count, the average golfer should have more opportunity to begin the golf swing with the lower body, as is crucial, rather than beginning the downswing by throwing the hands at the ball.

This pause is not or should not be thought of as bringing the golf swing to a complete stop. The hands and arms will stop for a split second, but by the time they do this, the lower body will or should have already begun to turn back towards the target. This is the sequencing that was mentioned above.

The pause can probably be overdone, much in the way some golfers stand too long over the ball before starting their swing, which causes a rigidity of muscles and mind. It needs to be practised on or off the course until it feels more natural. And the results need to be analysed carefully.

Speaking of practise, the pause is probably best first practised in the short game, before being tried out with the full swing. It's not a particularly difficult thing to do, but some practise is definitely needed.

I think the rewards of the pause can be considerable for some golfers. Anyway, I'm going to reflect on the pause and take it to the course for a trial run.

Postscript on 'staying or keeping ones head down': I recently wrote about this. My research so far indicates that it is not a swing thought that has anywhere near as much merit as some of my key thoughts, including 'don't sway' and 'play all shots of the front foot'. My other one-time fundamental 'don't try to hit too hard' is also still relevant, but if one has the correct technique, hitting hard is not such a major problem.