Is Pausing At The End Of My Swing That Beneficial??

When a student first learns how to play golf, I will often have them pause at the end of their swing. I do this as I want them to analyse where they are at the completion of the swing so they can learn whether they've finished correctly. Installing the correct finish position is an important first step when learning golf as how you finish will often tell the story of the shot.

The correct finish position is defined as having 100% of weight on the front as well having the body including your hips, chest, and back foot facing the target. This position is combining correct weight transfer as well rotation through the ball. As a drill I will often have people hold a club behind their shoulders and form their posture. I will have them rotate the body on the backswing and then transfer their weight onto their front foot, pointing their body at the target. To ensure they've secured this position, I will often have them lift their back foot to see if they stay balanced on their front foot. If they can, it means they've transferred correctly onto their front foot. If they fall backwards, it means they haven't transferred fully onto their front foot.

Now as mentioned I will always have them pause at the end of their swing to check if they've mastered the finish because if the ball has gone left for example, it may mean one part of the body may be pointing that way. Also, if the person 'tops' the ball, it most likely means that the weight was too much on the back foot. Once you can identify your issue by noticing how you finish, just make a practice swing on your next attempt and correct the swing. Over time you will be very good at finishing the correct way each time.

Also, I always stress that you may start mastering your finish position and the ball still goes left or right or may go along the ground. That's okay you still need to master finishing in this position, particularly if you're a beginner because this is the important first step in installing correct muscle memory. This is also where in golf, you need to have the patience game and view improvement as a marathon and not a sprint. Once you've mastered the finish position and the ball is still not going in its intended direction or trajectory, the coach will then work on another area that may be causing the issue.

If you'd like help in improving your ball striking, just send me a message.