Has “it” ever happened to you? Whether it was an important tournament round, or one with a few guys that made you nervous, or a special day when you were on track to have your best round ever, and then, “it” hit you. You started playing scared.
A dangerous symptom of playing scared is something I call “quitting hands.” By this, I’m referring to the slowing or stopping of the hands before you get to impact. It is nothing more than a semi -conscious maneuver to steer the ball down the fairway. When the hands stop, centrifugal force takes over too early and the biggest fault of all rears its ugly head, The Bent Left Wrist! Say hello to fat, thin and crooked shots.
This unwanted golfing beast can be tamed by directing your hands forward of the position they were in at address while maintaining continuous rhythm through the impact zone. Monitor the hands at all times and always make sure you keep rhythm with the hands (feel your left arm and the club moving together).
A good drill is to set up balls in a line and just walk down the line hitting them continuously walking and taking the club back and through. Never stop because then you destroy the rhythm! Just like a music writer has to keep the beats in time, a golfer has to keep the hands in time.
Recently, I played a round with a member of the club where I teach. I had given a brief lesson to this gentleman the day before and he was striking the ball quite well. And then it happened. His hands quit. He struggled on and around the greens and scored well above what his ball striking would have indicated.
Pressure situations tend to bring out our “quitting hands.” So, the next time you are faced with a pressure situation, go to the first fault, quitting hands. Just remember to drive your hands, not the clubhead, down the line. You’ll sustain the lag and hit the ball where you are looking.
Written by: Impact Zone Golf Certified Instructor Wayne Watts
