I’ve done something like this before, thinking about setting the club off and then letting it move with its own momentum…
…but this way of envisioning that process seems to work really well.
Working with rhythm and balance in the takeaway
During my second range session, as well as all the work on my grip, I started to think about rhythm in my takeaway. I’ve seen the two ball drill before somewhere, but it was listening to Harley and Andy discussing the forces in golf that can’t be seen by observers that made me realise how useful the idea was to me, searching for natural rhythm in the swing.
The image at the top of the post shows some stills from the video. Note that Harley is left-handed. The images show the initial setup, with the two balls; then two stills of the takeaway where Harley sweeps the back ball out of the way; with a final image towards the top of the backswing (it’s all happening fast, so difficult to get stills at particular points).
When I was at the range there was no way I was using two balls and hitting one back up the slope behind me (too risky with other people around and noone watching me), but even just visualising that process was helpful. The last time I thought of setting the club off and then just letting it swing up to the top I was less decisive and committed. This time I was thinking about sweeping the invisible back ball away and that was really helpful.
I found I needed to watch I didn’t sway off my ball, by sweeping back too hard, but I did need to put more energy in than I had been before. It’s all a question of remaining in dynamic balance, but when you get it to flow it works really well. The club swings up, stops and swings back down with a lovely rhythm. If you’ve kept your balance, countering the forces on the way back and then after the strike with your body, the swing feels effortless, the strike is solid and the ball moves really well.
On course results
In the competition after trying this I found it was difficult to execute the idea on course. It seemed easier to get the feel with a practice swing, not so easy when taking a shot.
It’s ok. I know these things take time. I’m going to need to work for a while with this drill and my grip setup, but it feels like it’s worth the effort because when it comes together it feels great! I hit some cracking shots in the competition (even as I scored poorly), so I’m totally committed to the process now.
