Especially for beginners but useful for golfers of all degrees of skill

One fault I notice in a good many golfers is a misunderstanding of when to turn on the power in their swing—or, to say it another way, when to concentrate on the speed of the club head. These golfers expend unnecessary speed at the wrong times, either on the backswing or at the beginning of the swing down from the top of the backswing. By the time they are actually ready to hit the ball, they have used up most of their energy and too little speed is left for the moment when it really does the job—from the point of contact on through. This is an extremely common error and it is observable in the swings of many fairly experienced players as well as beginners.

A golfer should take the club back slowly and he should start the downswing slowly. When his club head enters the hitting area, then he should turn it on. If he concentrates on applying club-head speed from the point of contact on through, he will find that it will reduce the tension and increase the flexibility of his whole swing.

The golfer who is able to pace his swing properly will develop into an altogether better player, a straighter hitter and a much longer one.

from RIP ARNOLD, pro at the Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver, Col.

TWO ILLUSTRATIONS

Left, Rip Arnold demonstrates how the club head moves at only moderate speed from the top of the backswing till the beginning of the hitting area. Below, the section of the swing where club-head speed gains results.

TWO PHOTOS

NEXT WEEK'S GUEST PRO: JULIUS BOROS, ON ACHIEVING BACKSPIN