Swing the Clubhead. Chapter 13. Page 118
Only form will produce consistency. The better your form, the more consistent will be your golf. And imitation of others cannot possibly help you discover the feel of the action yourself.
Do not, however, go to the opposite extreme and shun watching the expert because you think this will only harm your golf. If done correctly, the expert will help you. Watch him in practice at every opportunity.
In teaching, I sometimes demonstrate the successive stages of the stroke as made by Ben Hogan. I have the pictures in a small booklet, and produce the effect of an actual motion picture of the stroke by flipping the pages between thumb and forefinger.
I make my pupils concentrate only on the movement of the clubhead. They almost immediately notice that the clubhead moves almost as though it were a weight on a string. Within practical limits, that movement is a near-perfect swing action from first to last.
There is the value in watching the stars. Notice the steady, rhythmic movement of the clubhead. Notice the action of the hands. Forget everything else, the legs, the head, the body. The hands control the club which they hold. Their movement is directed by the central idea of swinging the clubhead. Succeeding movements of the body, the legs, etc., must be responsive that one idea.
That’s a simple idea, which makes good golf possible.
But-remember-the Hogans, the Sneads and all the other great players practice hour after hour, in spite of the fact that they play much more golf than you or I can ever expect to.
