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Most of the power in a good golf swing is applied just before the club hits the ball, and comes from vigorous hip and shoulder turn - and not from the arms. The very speed of the clubhead will force a long follow-through. But if you apply force too early, or mainly with your arms, the club will not reach maximimum speed and you will notice reduced distance, short follow-through, and imbalance. Ironically your muscles will be working to slow the club down!
Kevin Solway (173)
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Keep your left arm straight, but not tense. Your arms must be relaxed to have spring. If your arms are too tense, energy will be absorbed by your arms and won't be transferred into clubhead speed.
[guest]
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On the downswing, the clubhead should feel extremely heavy, especially just inches before you contact with the ball. If it doesn't feel very heavy on the downswing then you are losing clubhead speed. Make sure you feel like you are pausing momentarily at the top of the swing so you can reposition your hips ready for a powerful downswing.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Maximum extension: On the backswing, keep the club extended as far away from you as possible, so that you feel "taught" and extended. This will take-up any "slack" or looseness that will drain power from your shot. The club will naturally want to come springing back down. At the very top of the backswing you should feel the club quite strongly tugging your arms towards the hole, which stretches you. If you don't feel this "tug" then you are losing a significant amount of power.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Open your shoulders fully before impact to whip the club through the hitting area. Your right shoulder should end up underneath your left shoulder (if you are right-handed).
Kevin Solway (173)
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Most of the power in a golf swing should not come from the arms, but from shoulder and hip turn, and the legs. So much power should be coming from these alone that your arms will be strained just to hold on to the club! Full arm extension is required for this to work, otherwise there will be slack in the system.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Don't start your downswing too soon: At the top of the backswing, allow time for your backswing to extend fully and "stretch out", allowing for good transfer of power when you start the downswing. The club should feel very heavy at the top of the backswing, for maximum power.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Keeping loose cannot be stressed enough. This looseness in the arms, shoulders and trunk, provides a great deal of the spring and power in a golf swing. Think of your arms as being like strings as opposed to tree trunks. Don't think you need to keep your arms stiff in order to keep them extended: if your arms are loose, the speed of the clubhead, and the centrifugal force, will keep your arms stretched out.
The muscles in your arms should only come into play as you contact with the ball, releasing all the energy stored in your arms.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Late wrist release: The later you can keep your wrists from releasing on the downswing, the more clubhead speed you will generate. Top players keep their wrists cocked till the very last moment before contact with the ball.
thesource (378)
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Stretching the rubber band: On the backswing, allow your arms and shoulders to be stretched outwards and upwards, like a rubber band being stretched out. The energy stored in this rubber band is released on the downswing. If your shoulders and arms are too taught, or not relaxed enough, they will not be able to stretch.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Swinging an axe: It can help to visualize how one swings an axe, like when chopping firewood, to understand how one can effectively swing a golf club. One holds the axe high above one's head, and then, with the help of gravity, one pulls the club down with one's body (not so much with the arms), generating maximum power at the point where the axe head meets the wood. And so it is with the golf club. The work done by the arms is relatively little compared to the work done by gravity and ones body, shoulders, and hips.
thesource (378)
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Loose shoulders: For extra distance, make sure that your shoulders are very loose on the backswing. Firstly, this will allow full extension of the clubhead, allowing for a longer swing arc, and therefore more clubhead speed. And secondly, it allows more energy to be stored in your shoulders — particularly your left shoulder. A lot of the power in a swing is delivered as the energy stored in your left shoulder during the backswing is released. If your shoulders are tight, it is like trying to wind up a spring that is too tight, and will not wind. It can be useful to think "lazy left shoulder" until just before you impact the ball.
thesource (378)
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