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The Follow-through - How Important is it for Your Swing?

From a purely physics perspective, the follow-through does nothing. You're swinging at air and the ball is long gone. But from an athletic standpoint, it keeps you the golfer accelerating and balanced through the shot. Boxers don't throw at their opponent's nose, they throw past it. Baseball players don't hit at the ball, unless they're bunting or something, they hit through it. Golf's the same way.

If we could somehow make a Tiger Woods golf robot (like he isn't one already? lol), we could hit the off switch and freeze him right after contact, and he'd still nuke 300 yard stingers. But us meat dummies can't just lock up our muscles and stop our momentum instantly like a servo motor. Once we accelerate to a 90 MPH swing, we've got to keep moving through it.

I have a bad habit of hitting at balls. I'm really inflexible and have a hard time turning in the finish, so I tend to hack at the ball and then stop rather than turning my torso through. Then I get deceleration, an open face, thin iron contact, driver slices, and my usual triple digit scorecard. I've been working on it weekly at the range, but changes like that practice and time. Golf is hard, man!
 
JonMA1 said:
This is where I'm hoping my swing will develop into while on the course... "top of the backswing - follow through" without a lot of thought in between. Hopefully, it will make a difference come March.

What my follow through is seems to matter to some degree, but the idea that I'm performing it the same way matters more.
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Yes. Back when I played better golf my main swing thought was that from the top of the backswing to the finish of the follow through was one move! All the way through! And like TxAggie above, as I've gotten older and more inflexible, I find myself hitting "at" the ball more and more. Thus, I lose both distance and accuracy. My intent, is to use my Silver Sneakers membership to get into the local YMCA, work on a little muscle toning and flexibility. And I'll do that as soon as the damned snow machine shuts off! Look like I'm shoveling again tomorrow! (n)
 
Carolina Golfer said:
How important is it to start the swing from the ground up might be a better question.
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That's a big area that needs improvement in my world as well. It seems to be tied together with what's considered the top of the backswing. It's one of the many thoughts I'm trying hard to eliminate. The weight shift (for me) has to start before the hands get to the top. If it does, I need only continue through to the followthrough. Of course, the work/challenge is getting all this to happen without thought. The pitfall (again, just for me) is to not unconsciously shift back on my trail leg. That's a killer.

Buckeyegolfnut said:
Yes. Back when I played better golf my main swing thought was that from the top of the backswing to the finish of the follow through was one move! All the way through! And like TxAggie above, as I've gotten older and more inflexible, I find myself hitting "at" the ball more and more. Thus, I lose both distance and accuracy. My intent, is to use my Silver Sneakers membership to get into the local YMCA, work on a little muscle toning and flexibility. And I'll do that as soon as the damned snow machine shuts off! Look like I'm shoveling again tomorrow! (n)
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Yuck! Shoveling snow. If only someone could convince me it's an exercise that will help me gain distance. Haha.

Seriously, I hope it goes well at the YMCA for you @Buckeyegolfnut. That's great you're doing something about it. All we can do is try to slow down the effects of old age. Better to put up a fight than just let it happen, IMO.

It's nice to hear better players have the same backswing to followthrough thought. Gives it some credibility. All I know is that I have to stop thinking so much throughout the swing. That's gotten me nowhere.
 
It's something I'm trying to focus on. When I do it properly, it means my swing path is much better. Basically, I want my right arm to point straight at the target when parallel to the ground in the follow through. I have a tendency to swing too much around myself so my right arm would be pointing left of target at that point, and my swing path would likely result in a pull.

To clarify, there are 4 main points I'm focusing on during my swing, and this is the 4th point.
 
Could you imagine a baseball player basically stopping his swing after contact? I think the same thing applies to your golf swing follow through.

I have left knee issues which has prevented me from having a full follow through....I have noticed a definite loss in distance and accuracy.
 
brian7770 said:
It's something I'm trying to focus on. When I do it properly, it means my swing path is much better. Basically, I want my right arm to point straight at the target when parallel to the ground in the follow through. I have a tendency to swing too much around myself so my right arm would be pointing left of target at that point, and my swing path would likely result in a pull.

To clarify, there are 4 main points I'm focusing on during my swing, and this is the 4th point.
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Just to clarify - glad that helps.

And that's one method of swinging ...

But my lead hips have moved and are moving deep left and upwards after contact... and I am keeping arm width so club head is out, grip is in, so arms may be a little left after impact and ball goes where the club face is pointing at impact.

I have had the problem of not finishing the swing for years. Speed - down, path off, etc.

Agree that finishing the swing for almost all of us is vital to good golf. Now my club almost bounces off my back at times and one can feel the kick of the shaft. Lovely feeling.
 
Desmond said:
ball goes where the club face is pointing at impact.
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The ball starts where the face is pointing at impact (for the most part). Where it ends up is a combination of club face angle and swing path. Both can be pointing/traveling right of the target line at impact and the ball may still draw back and hit the target - as long as the face angle is less than the swing path angle. (I know you know the ball flight laws @Desmond but wanted to clarify for anyone who does not).

As far as where the arms and club are pointing at a certain time in the followthrough, it can probably vary by individual and is happening so fast that it becomes a feel - at least for me. My thoughts are a little different but it seems very important that my arms feel like they are extending towards the right - like 1 o'clock after impact. But you know, that's a feel and may not be what's really going on.
 
The finish is huge. A controlled finish is created only by a controlled swing.
 
JonMA1 said:
That's a big area that needs improvement in my world as well. It seems to be tied together with what's considered the top of the backswing. It's one of the many thoughts I'm trying hard to eliminate. The weight shift (for me) has to start before the hands get to the top. If it does, I need only continue through to the followthrough. Of course, the work/challenge is getting all this to happen without thought. The pitfall (again, just for me) is to not unconsciously shift back on my trail leg. That's a killer.


Yuck! Shoveling snow. If only someone could convince me it's an exercise that will help me gain distance. Haha.

Seriously, I hope it goes well at the YMCA for you @Buckeyegolfnut. That's great you're doing something about it. All we can do is try to slow down the effects of old age. Better to put up a fight than just let it happen, IMO.

It's nice to hear better players have the same backswing to followthrough thought. Gives it some credibility. All I know is that I have to stop thinking so much throughout the swing. That's gotten me nowhere.
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Yep! Besides, it costs me nothing, and the Youngstown Y is really nice! Why would I not take advantage of this opportunity? I really, honestly gave very little effort to the quality of my game last year. Or the quality of my life overall! That must change! I am reminded of Neil Young's album Rust Never Sleeps. "It's better to burn out, than it is to rust!"

 
AS Nancy Lopez's father said, who was her coach and her father...."The ball doesn't care what you do after you hit it...."

I also believe that a smooth follow thru follows a smooth strike
 
If you don't follow through you won't hit the ball very well. So while it may be the result of a good swing a golfer better plan to finish what they started also.
 
Like some of the others, I feel the follow thru is a result of your swing.
I you have a smooth flowing swing, your follow thru will reflect that.
Specialty shots will also affect how the follow thru is accomplished.
 
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