Swinging with bigger muscles

Question
Hi Rick,

How are you doing?
As you probably recall, I am still working on my downswing. After spending lots of time getting the clubface square and pointing to the target at the top of the upswing, and then enough spine angle and shoulder turning, I am back at my downswing problem again.
According to my coach, my downswing is plagued with too much hand and arms action. This is a problem as I have no way to hit my approach clubs at a consistent and exact distance. He wants to get my approach clubs (within 155 yards, 8 iron and down) to be precise.
My long irons, drivers, and woods are good when speed and power are desired.

Now, I am practicing the drill with a rubber ball in between my arms. This really stops all my arms action and focus solely on my shoulders and hips. Suddenly, I am beginning to lose my balance again, and my whole swing just feels awkward. Although my distance is more exact, my accuracy has suffered. I just have no clue on swinging smoothly with those parts of my body. I feel like a right hander trying to write with the left hand.

What does the motion suppose to feel like? Exactly which muscles I should focus on? What are my arms and hands doing when I make them passive on the downswing, ie are they suppose to be molded like straight iron rods connecting to the shoulder?
I am all confused and frustrated.

Thanks for your time in answering my question.

Yours truly,
MY Chooi  

Answer
MY, good day!

I am trying to picture your swing in my mind.....you have so many thoughts going thru your head right now, I am getting confused!

Let's remember that the golf swing is all about motion and balance.  It's a shift and turn away from the ball, as your arms swing upward, and then a reverse of that to swing the club thru.

Do you practice any sort of meditation?  Yoga?  Zen ideas?   This may be a good thing for you.  "Trying" and "doing" are very different things, and right now it seems like you are "trying" way too hard.  Think of developing your swing as a total discover process.  Each day brings a new adventure, with some success and some failure.  Use these things to your advantage.  Take notes on what works, what doesn't.  Take notes on what kind of feelings you get (good or bad).  Bring your senses into play a little more.  If possible, practice bare foot...that really gives you great feedback on balance.  Make this stuff more tangible by letting your mind be more abstract!

Got any of that?  I am rambling, but it would be a lot of fun to sit down with you and talk about the swing.  I feel that it is just so much more than "positions".  It's feel, it's rythm, it's balance.  

My advice is to stop using the ball between your arms.  It is destroying any "feel" and "balance" you have.  If you want to know what it feels like to be "connected", take a medicine ball in your hands, make a small movement back, and use your "core" (midsection) to swing your arms thru to throw the ball into a wall or to a person in front of you.  This is a great abdominal workout, plus it gives you the feeling of what your body and arms do in the swing.

Let me know if these ideas are helpful.  I am pulling for you, and admire the fact that you have the motivation and committment to your game!

Sincerely,

Rick Williams