The Follow Through and Finish

Left hand in line - “K" shape action of the legs -
 Resistance in the small of the back - The carpet-beater
action - Club-line through the ball - The poised Finish

  The follow-through and finish I regard as integral parts of the swing which do not entirely look after themselves even though the backswing and downswing have been well carried out.

  Remember that the ball at impact spreads on the face of the club as it is compressed by the momentum of the club at and after impact.  Therefore any deviation or impediment of the club head in the follow-through must affect the flight of the ball, when it does part company with the club-face.

  It is frequently claimed that the follow-through and finish reflect what has taken place in the earlier stages of the swing.  True enough up to a point, but many a shot has been ruined by a fault being allowed to creep in after impact.

  We often hear even an experienced and competent player remark after a shot has been mis-hit: "I wasn't sure I'd clubbed myself right.  I quit on the stroke for fear of going through the green."

  In his case the backswing and the downswing may well have been perfectly executed.  The stroke fell below one hundred per cent solely because he slightly broke the power, and with it the control, as the club head went through with the ball - or even before.  You see, the club head flies through the hitting area (that part of the arc a few feet each side of the ball) in a fractionally split second, and any irresolution or subconscious inclination to ease off on the shot frequently begins to take effect before the player realizes it.

  It is equally wrong to concentrate the mind too far ahead of the hands and club head at any stage of the movement.  To fix the mind purely on the achievement of a classical finish only throws out the timing at and through the ball.

  Hence my insistence on the pupil acquiring a mental picture of the SHAPE OF THE SWING AS A WHOLE, without over-concentration on one particular phase.

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