In the ‘A Perfect Swing’ method, the tempo of the swing is controlled by the speed of the lower body as it first slides laterally to shift the weight to the front post and then rotates as the legs rotate the pelvis on top of this post.
Due to this, ‘A Perfect Swing’ players have very little trouble with tempo although with the longer clubs and especially with the driver, the timing of the pivot can be too quick for the arms and hands to keep up with.
This situation is a sign that the legs are working well but the arms are too weak to keep up with them. This is a common problem since we use our legs much more in modern life than we do the arms. If the arms and forearms do not have the strength to make the clubhead catch up with the left arm at impact, the swing will suffer with pushed shots. These shots start out to the right of the intended target, are generally short and have a slight tail to the right that occurs as the ball falls.
If you are hitting shots like these, look at the timing of your arms with the pivot; these shots occur due to the clubhead having not been given enough energy to catch the left arm. Until the hands, forearms, and hands acquire enough strength, the speed of the pivot must be reduced.
Try making a very slow pivot while at the same time trying to speed up the twirl of clubhead; you may be surprised to find out how much you need to slow down the hips to make the clubhead catch up. To do this properly, it is vital that the chest must not unwind from the hips; you must be striking the ball alongside the right pants pocket. Any unwinding causes the player to arrive at the impact position out of time so that the flick of the hips which is vital to driving the left hand through impact becomes mistimed.
At impact, the left arm and club will be in a straight line as seen from an observer facing the player at address. Seen from behind, the left arm and club will still have the original arm shaft angle; however, the right arm will still have some bend at the elbow and the right hand will still have a cup at the back of the wrist.
The above-described impact position will find the right elbow in the act of straightening and the right hand in the act of throwing through. In simpler terms, the right arm and hand are reacting exactly as they would in a sidearm throw; they are moving through the described positions not frozen in them. Slow down your shift and turn as you twirl the club through the conical release when you get the above-described timing of the release actions down the ball will leap off the club. After you are doing this for a while, simply speed up both the pivot and the twirl. Gradually as your strength increases (don’t worry, it will, and quite quickly), you will be able to hit the ball hard with both your pivot and your twirl. A little time spent getting the timing right will be well rewarded.
