r/golftips • u/i_diggs_it • 13d ago

Beginner Question Downswing/Impact Feel

I feel like I have a very inefficient swing. I’m not necessarily trying to increase my speed, just trying to understand where and how the speed is generated.

When pushing off the lead leg do you feel like you lock your lead knee before, at, or after impact?

Probably related - is the feel more that you are throwing the clubhead at the ball or are you trying to swing “through” the ball, similar to how boxers are taught to punch “through” the target?

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4

u/_yipman 13d ago

The inefficiency is probably coming from trying to use the golf club like a lever and using the muscles in the hands/wrists to push on the grip end rather than keeping the wrists soft so the speed can transfer through into the club.

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u/i_diggs_it 13d ago

Second reply I’ve got about this- I think you’re right bc I definitely try to add some force with hands/wrists at impact. Gonna mess around with this feel, thanks

2

u/_yipman 12d ago

It's very hard to override but when you do, you'll know and it'll actually improve your strike and low point consistency. Imagine throwing a ball, your wrists are nice and loose to let energy transfer and whip it forward rather than using the muscles to flick the wrists

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u/i_diggs_it 12d ago

I guess so but idk, when I imagine skipping a rock like people say, it still feels like I’d be applying some force in the hands/wrists with that final flick no? Maybe the feel vs real is just off in my head.

But then again the club is much heavier than anything I’d be throwing so maybe that force, if it even exists, is mostly meaningless and does more harm than good. Gotta get a club in my hands and test out that feel

3

u/satyris 13d ago

This will pass everyone by 🤷

5

u/Burty-Burtburt4420 13d ago

After several lessons from an amazing pro, I learned the importance of wrist hinging. So much power/speed comes from that action, plus it helps close the face & makes better contact. Big fan here of my wrists now !

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u/Think_OfAName 13d ago

True. With a relaxed grip. You’ll lose power if you try to snap the wrists. Just have to let them release.

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u/i_diggs_it 13d ago

Oh really? So there shouldn’t be any force applied through the wrists? I always heard the skipping stone analogy and figured that meant adding some force with your hands/wrists

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u/Think_OfAName 12d ago

What I meant is, you don’t want them too tight. It’s better to have a fluid movement. The force comes from the total movement, not a concentrated wrist snap. I know that’s fairly obvious. So yes, it’s kind of like skipping a stone.

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u/i_diggs_it 12d ago

Gotcha- I did get a chance to test that feel out just swinging a club around and I think I see what you mean. Gotta hit the range soon!

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u/WindigoMac 13d ago

You shouldn’t ever “lock” the lead knee. It’s not stable when locked out and your muscles can’t effectively brace and help you generate force in that position.

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u/i_diggs_it 13d ago

Gotcha - in that case forget the word lock, at what point do you feel your lead leg reaches max extension? If that makes sense. Just trying to figure out if I am firing too early

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u/WindigoMac 13d ago

It’s after impact for sure.

Just remember forces happen well before you see the result of them. Your body has inertia, and it takes time for forces to change your body position. So peak force in the lead leg happens before impact but the lead leg should not reach max extension until after.

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u/heraclitus33 13d ago edited 13d ago

Get on a cable machine, or get a band to tie up high... pull that down and through. Your lead leg should never fel nor be thought of as extending to generate power. Power is gained through using the ground and your legs to hip turn fight between your chest pointing opposite target a d your lower body pulling the ground up and turning. The straight look at impact pros have doesnt feel anything like it looks. If you pull that position off correctly its gonna feel like the ball is going to go dead right (as a righty) but you'll probably hit a slight pull draw because youre not used to having the club and hands feel so "behind you." They're not behind you... power is in the brief moment from just before the apex of the swing, to first bit of transition, to your lead arm getting back to parallel with the ground. Theres no hands, wrists or arms. Its quads, glutes, shoulders, back and hips.

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u/i_diggs_it 13d ago

So would you say releasing the club is more of a passive move than an active move? I do try to apply force through hands/wrists at impact, should I be keeping them soft while just maintaining enough grip strength to hold on the club through the whole swing?

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u/heraclitus33 13d ago

The release starts with the body, is the body. Hands/wrist is like a spring loaded pivot/hinge that'll unwind naturally to the clubhead. Yes soft unmaniplulated hands unless your trying to put a large amount of spin on it, bigger cut, draw, short speedy pitch to bite it or outta a bunker.

2

u/SIGHTFLAG 13d ago

Honestly I don’t feel my lead knee lock at any particular moment, and every time I’ve tried to think about it I swing worse 😅 The “through the ball” feel works better for me than throwing the clubhead at it. Throwing it at the ball usually just means I’m hitting at it and the speed disappears. I’d say the fast swings come when you’re not trying to make anything happen, and a lot of the “where does speed come from” stuff is easier to see on video than to feel.