Grooving the swing

Despite its lethal appearance, the blunt instrument below is no policeman's cudgel. It is, rather, something of a paradox—a golf club without a clubhead, and a club, moreover, that was designed expressly to hit nothing. Yet if you use it correctly, you can learn how to groove your swing and therefore improve your timing and power.

The club was invented by RAF Wing Commander M. V. Blake and is called the "Swing-rite." It is fitted with a heavy steel head and a sliding ring. Its weight and balance give it the feel of a regular club, and if you swing it the right way, it will produce a sharp and gratifying thwack at the point where the ball ordinarily is. Figuratively speaking, you will have hit the ball when the clubhead has reached its maximum speed. If you do not hear the crack, or if it comes before the imagined point of impact, you have uncocked your wrists too soon (hit from the top). A late click reveals that your swing has been taken with a forward lunge or that the hit was delayed too long.

The club, to be marketed soon in the U.S. for about $15, can be adjusted for soft pitches and chip shots.

Steel head is attached to regular golf club grip, short shaft. It can be adjusted to fit weak, average or powerful swings.

Centrifugal force created by the swing jams weight (1) against the tightly coiled spring (2), which can be regulated by setting the steel head (3) at any desired degree: high numbers for a powerful swing, middle numbers for an average swing, low numbers for an easy swing. The moving weight draws in the triggers (4), thus releasing the metal ring (5). The ring then slides down the shaft and strikes the steel head with a loud crack.

TWO PHOTOS

THREE DIAGRAMS

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