Imagine this. You’re five years old, and you get your first two-wheeler bicycle. Your mom tells your dad to put safety training wheels on the bike. She loves you and wants you safe. Your dad thinks he has a better idea. He loves you too but thinks, “My kid can handle this.” He takes you and the new bike to the steepest hill, sits you on the bike, and gives you a shove downhill. How well is that going to work out? Mom is not going to be happy.
You Must Start Slow
Training wheels and level ground is a much better learning environment for a kid just starting out. It gives the conscious mind time to program the subconscious. See Zombies and Professors elsewhere on this site!
How Does This Apply to My Golf?
It might not be a perfect analogy, but most amateur and beginning golfers follow Dad’s logic. They go to the range, pull out the driver and start pounding away; this is a recipe for disaster. I guarantee you will only be successful with the driver once you can hit a seven-iron solid virtually every time. Mom (as usual) was right. Start slow and work your way up.
Really, Really, Slow
By slow, I mean painfully slow. I’ve read that the great Ben Hogan would practice his swing in slow-motion. His normal swing would take approximately one second from start to finish—his slow-motion swing would take almost 10 seconds. The ball would go maybe twelve inches! But he could feel every movement at that speed and drill what he wanted into his subconscious, his muscle memory if you like that phrase.
Your Conscious Mind Can’t Keep Up
The golf swing takes approximately one second. Your conscious mind can’t think fast enough to be effective in that short period. Your subconscious can, but as a beginner or even an experienced higher handicapper, it has only a vague idea of what to do. You must slow down so the conscious mind can control your movements and “teach” your subconscious what you want it to do. It may seem counter-intuitive, but executing drills slowly is the fastest way to a good golf swing.
Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is Fast
Golf is a learned skill. As with riding a bike, not something innate to human DNA. You can only ride a bike down a steep hill or in traffic after you’re ready. Likewise, you can’t learn golf by pounding drivers at the range. You need to prepare; properly.
What is Proper?
The tricky part is finding what’s proper for you. We are all individuals with different skills and abilities. The correct drill for one person might be the worst thing for someone else. Get a lesson from a certified instructor (like me!), take it slow, and improve fast.