As it pertains to guidance with the swing, it would seem everyone is an expert, even if they don't know what they're talking about. Well-intentioned folks pick up something they think they heard from another "expert" and will be more than eager to pass it along as fact. If you are taking the erroneous assistance and try to use it, obviously it is going to send your game backwards. The following are a few among the things that we've heard to do but ought to never do. 1. Slow down your swing. We generate distance out of club head speed, so to slow down our golf swing means less club head speed, and less yardage. Proper coordination of the swing is essential for optimum efficiency for generating club head velocity, but that doesn't imply slow the whole swing down. Good golf swing rhythm sometimes calls for slowing down certain parts of the body to maintain correct timing with other parts. For many golfers this usually equates to slowing down the arms, which is what you don't wish to do. 2. Keep a rigid left arm. Even with professional golfers, the straightness with the left arm varies. But it shouldn't be a rule for any player. Issues start with most amateur golfers due to rigidity within the swing. By relaxing everything they would create additional club head speed as well as a more consistent golf swing, but a rigid body throws everything out of coordination. And often that is the result of attempting to keep a rigid left arm. Clearly one can't bend your elbow too much in the course of the swing. But try to maintain the left arm softer and more relaxed, and when a little bend happens, it is not going to cause any trouble. 3. Keep the head down. This is often most likely confused with maintaining your eye concentration with your golf ball; however one of the true golf swing killers is keeping your head down. A person's head is pretty heavy, weighing between 8 - 12 pounds, and if it remains down in the course of the swing it can make a person top heavy and ruin the whole movement in the golf swing. To keep a proper turning movement in your swing, it will be necessary to keep the head more upright, but at all times maintain eye contact with your ball. This is why those with bifocal glasses often can't see the ball properly unless they angle their head too far down. But keeping your head down would be swing error that will throw you out of balance. The golf swing is quite personal, which means one tip will not work for everybody equally. But when you hear advice like that listed above, remember that it must apply to your swing, and all-encompassing advice very seldom applies to every person. The tempo of you swing is an important aspect of having a sound, consistent swing. It all is part of maintaining fluidity in the back swing, and not being too fast or too slow. Jim O'Connell is a writer and avid golfer now living in Chicago.
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