Sign up for the newsletter and get our free 30-page eBook on course strategy!
Swing Transition: To Pause, or Not to Pause?
There is no right way to swing a golf club. Every golfer is unique, and I’ve always believed that each swing is like a fingerprint. That being said, there are certain fundamentals that can be met in order to make it easier to hit more golf shots in the direction you are aimed. Golf swing transition is one of those topics.
One part of the golf swing that I’ve seen many players struggle with (including myself) is their transition. The small amount of time that separates your backswing from your downswing can be crucial in determining the success of your shot.
A common flaw I’ve noticed is that many recreational golfers will have a tremendous difference in the rhythm of their backswing versus their downswing. If I had to take a stab at it, most players generally have very slow backswings, and then once they get to the transition things get hurried and they just can’t wait to get their club to the ball.
It’s similar to a roller coaster. You get this slow buildup as you reach the top, and then once you pass the highest point all hell breaks loose and you are speeding towards the bottom with reckless abandon.
Something is going wrong in the transition. It’s not smooth, it’s not balanced, and it’s certainly not consistent.
“I Got Quick”
Many people just refer to this as getting quick. It’s one of the defacto swing phrases often muttered at municipal golf courses.
While this phrase is certainly overused, I do believe there is more than a bit of truth to the idea that a golfer getting too quick at their transition can throw off the sequence of their swing, resulting in many positional errors that prevent them from success at impact.
There are always exceptions to any rule, especially when it comes to golf swings, but having a smooth, balanced swing certainly makes it easier to be a successful golfer.
It doesn’t guarantee success because there are plenty of golfers out there who can shoot great scores with wild looking swings. However, if you’re looking to improve I don’t think you can go wrong trying to improve these core issues.
What is the Right Golf Swing Transition?
Let’s get back to the idea of golf swing transition. If you watch many professional golfers you’ll notice that they have beautiful timing in their swing, and some of them will have a brief pause at the top. Some players’ pauses are extremely quick, and others seem to take forever, but it’s there.
Byron Nelson was one of the best examples of the distinct pause in the golf swing. Take a look, it’s a thing of beauty. You can see the club floating for a very brief moment.
If you go out to any golf course over the weekend you will notice that the swings have what I would describe as a “violent” transition.
Many players don’t even finish their backswing, which can be the result of nerves and a desire to smash the ball.
As stated earlier, there are always exceptions, but I believe you’ll have a much harder time hitting consistently good golf shots with a swing that has inconsistent timing.
While I can’t guarantee improvement for everyone, if you introduce a slight pause, it just might help those of you reading this that are struggling at the top of your swing.
Some Experimentation
The pause can feel like the fraction of a second when you reach the top of a swing at the playground. It’s like taking a bucket full of water and trying to swing it back and forth without letting any spill out.
Things are balanced, timed well, and in sync. I like all of those feelings in a golf swing transition.
If you feel that you are someone who struggles with these issues, an easy drill you can try on the range is simply to exaggerate a pause. You can start with short shots with your wedges and work your way up to a full swing.
Start to feel like you aren’t rushing as much to get your club back to the ball. Let your backswing happen, and resist the urge to be on that roller coaster speeding towards the bottom.
Another Great Tool
I have struggled with the transition of my swing, and it’s mostly on tee shots because like you, I fall victim to wanting to kill the ball. It results in wildly inconsistent shots that make golf just a bit harder.
One tool that has been invaluable to constantly making me feel a smooth golf swing transition has been The Orange Whip. The second I began using it I started to feel the brief pause, and it quickly improved the quality of my driver swings (not to mention other clubs).
It’s very difficult to explain how to fix concepts like these, which is why drills and certain training aids can help golfers actually feel the fix. I don’t think you’ll find a better tool for getting that feel, and it’s why the best teachers and players in the world use this product.
To Pause or Not to Pause?
I can’t tell you if a distinct pause will fix your swing or not. And I certainly can’t tell you how long the pause should be, but to me it feels like the club is briefly floating in the air before I start my downswing. This is a topic that has been debated many times in the golf world, and of course you’ll have people taking both sides.
That’s why the practice range is a great place to experiment and try new things in your swing (rather than just doing the same thing over and over again).
Give the drill a shot, and certainly look into the Orange Whip for even more help.
This is a swing thought that has helped my game out tremendously, and some of the best golfers of all time have benefitted as well from it. It might be a nice addition to your game.
Hi Jon, first let me say, I love all the great articles you pass on to us. I really enjoyed this article. As you said, this is a topic that has caused lots of debate. First let me say, I am reasonably new to the game of golf, even though I am old (57). Probably won’t get to the point where I am good at the game, but I love golf. i love reading about it, watching videos, and anything else that has to do with it. I have noticed that people sometimes have problems separating information. What I mean is for example, my friend tells me about an article he read. He goes on and on about the authors remedy for slicing the ball and how he doesn’t see how it could work, etc. I ask him, why are you studying this article so intently, especially being that you do not slice the ball. I mean, read, watch, absorb as much as you can about golf. But not every article, video, tip, is for you (me). Some are directed to specific problems that others are having.
I have to commend you on the perfect choice of video for this article. There are loads of videos from great golfers all over the world. This Byron Nelson video was the perfect choice to coincide with your article. I could be wrong as I’m still learning, but it seems that just the word pause, causes all types of issues. Golfers take the word and all of a sudden all they concentrate is pausing at the top. Of course this causes all kinds of issues with the rest of their swing. They forget to start the lower body, they are locked in to swinging down as hard and fast as they can (throwing off timing). I could go on. But as your article and video clearly shows, it is more of a temporary suspension (reaching the end of the back swing), than a pause. Your swing example is perfect. It’s not really a pause or stop, it’s more of a switch of forces (momentum). The video showed this perfectly (in slow motion). Yes, when Byron reaches the end of his back swing, it certainly looks like the club has stopped (pauses). But in reality (I don’t know the physics terms) the club is going from momentum in one direction to another. And also, while the club looks like it’s pausing, look at how it is ever so slightly dropping and his body is moving to the lead leg. While the club looks paused, it is really suspended as his body builds (helps) the momentum to get to impact. So if this makes any sense, it almost seems as though the momentum of the body going towards the target is actually what is causing the club to look like it’s pausing or stopping. Even in slow motion, you can see that at any time in Byron’s swing, there is something moving and it all adds up the overall swing. Besides your example of the swing, your example of the water bucket was also right on. Again I’m not a scientist, but if you truly stopped (paused) the bucket at the top, wouldn’t the water spill out? But if the bucket is swinging back down (momentum) at the same time the momentum is finishing going up, the water will not spill. I think a perfect example of this in today’s player is, Hidecki Matsuyama. He has a simply beautiful swing.
Sorry for the long comments. I loved the article.
Regards,
Steve
Thanks Steve! Writing about the golf swing can become complicated, and while it’s not one of the focal parts of Practical Golf there are certain ideas that I think can help golfers. My goal is to give people new thoughts that will point them in different directions (hopefully a better one). While this swing thought might not work for every single golfer who reads the article, I hope that some will take it to heart and start experimenting on the range.
Thanks for reading.
One thing I have heard:from the top of the swing,throw your hands at the ball rather than your club head.I have tried but it is not easy to do.That way the shaft and club head will remain behind the hands.
I also heard or read that you throw hands toward the target,Ball goes where the hands go.
Any comment on that.