stopping a swing

[Capella]

We've probably all been there: you can feel that a swing is going to be crap as soon as you take the club away. And if you say so, somebody is guaranteed to say: "Well, why didn't you stop and step away?"

And most of us normally don't, I guess. I know I never do, don't even know if I could, to be honest, because the movement is so automatic. But that brings me to my question: is it even allowed to stop your swing once you have started it? And if so, up to what point?

 

[Dasit]

We've probably all been there: you can feel that a swing is going to be crap as soon as you take the club away. And if you say so, somebody is guaranteed to say: "Well, why didn't you stop and step away?"

And most of us normally don't, I guess. I know I never do, don't even know if I could, to be honest, because the movement is so automatic. But that brings me to my question: is it even allowed to stop your swing once you have started it? And if so, up to what point?

Plenty of pros stop during a swing. Usually because there is a disturbance and they want to do their PSR again.


I just accept and commit to the swing, sometimes when it feels horrible I make small adjustments and hit better shots than usual.

 

[Dibby]

A "stroke" is the forward movement of the club made with the intention of striking at and moving the ball, but if a player checks his downswing voluntarily before the clubhead reaches the ball he has not made a stroke.

Source - https://www.randa.org/RulesEquipment/Rules/Rules-Of-Golf-Definitions/#stroke

 

[r0wly86]

As the others have said, you can.

It's bloomin difficult though, I've never managed to do it

 

[cliveb]

A "stroke" is the forward movement of the club made with the intention of striking at and moving the ball, but if a player checks his downswing voluntarily before the clubhead reaches the ball he has not made a stroke.

I seem to recall an incident a few years ago when Tiger Woods was in his downswing and the shadow of a bird went across the ball. He didn't stop, but he did deliberately change the swing plane so as to miss the ball, and it didn't count as a stroke. So this seems to be a case where the player did not stop before reaching the ball but it still wasn't a stroke.

(If he hadn't been a pro, it would surely count as an air shot. Presumably he got the benefit of the doubt because the powers that be would deem that a pro would never completely miss the ball).

 

[Curls]

Yep, he's done it a couple of times - this is the one you've mentioned

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKANS5rnrqI

 

[Capella]

Source - https://www.randa.org/RulesEquipment/Rules/Rules-Of-Golf-Definitions/#stroke

Thanks, that was the info I was looking for. I had a feeling it must be in the rules somewhere, I just did not think to look in the definitions.

 

[cliveb]

Yep, he's done it a couple of times - this is the one you've mentioned

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKANS5rnrqI

Yes, that's the one. And on looking at it again, the bird's shadow was WAY behind the ball.

If it had been me, I wouldn't even have seen it. Maybe Tiger doesn't need to keep his eye on the ball during his swing like us mere mortals.

 

[TreeSeeker]

I likely stop during my swing on the backswing 2-3 times a round, but once in a while I stop during the downswing, my advice on that one is don't try to, its not comfortable and really makes the next swing a bit of a hard one mentally.

To note it's not really a choice to stop I agree, I just happen to do that. The choice is walking away before the backswing, then thinking about the shot, then starting again.

 

[Orikoru]

I can't do it, and I'm jealous of those that can. Sometimes I take the club back and it even catches a tuft of grass or something, but I still complete the swing regardless, make a mess of it of course, and wonder why the hell I couldn't have just started again.

 

[jim8flog]

Or you could do what Kevin Na does and deliberately miss the ball completely

 

[Reemul]

Or you could do what Kevin Na does and deliberately miss the ball completely

I think Na's issue is by the time he went for the swing the ball had rolled away with boredom..

 

[doublebogey7]

I seem to recall an incident a few years ago when Tiger Woods was in his downswing and the shadow of a bird went across the ball. He didn't stop, but he did deliberately change the swing plane so as to miss the ball, and it didn't count as a stroke. So this seems to be a case where the player did not stop before reaching the ball but it still wasn't a stroke.

(If he hadn't been a pro, it would surely count as an air shot. Presumably he got the benefit of the doubt because the powers that be would deem that a pro would never completely miss the ball).

Not sure wehat you are trying to say here. Tiger clearly did not intend to either strike or move the ball so it did not meet the definition of a stroke. If I somehow managed to do the same in a club competetion I would not expect to be penalised and nor should I.

 

[Khamelion]

There's been many occasion where I've said to myself after a crap shot, that I should've stopped and reset, but I just can't, sometimes even during the swing my inner voice and brain is saying step back, walk away, reset, yet the arms and body keep the swing going.

I think the only time I did mange it, was when someone had driven their cart onto our fairway and a playing partner shouted to stop when I was mid swing, which got my attention.

 

[cliveb]

Not sure wehat you are trying to say here. Tiger clearly did not intend to either strike or move the ball so it did not meet the definition of a stroke. If I somehow managed to do the same in a club competetion I would not expect to be penalised and nor should I.

What I mean is that good and elite players can be expected never to miss the ball, but mid or high handicap club golfers might find it very difficult to convince their FCs that what they've just done wasn't an air shot.

Of course, golf is a game of honesty and if someone says they deliberately changed their swing plane in order to pull out of the shot, then we should take it on trust. But I bet a lot of club golfers would be somewhat suspicious! For my part, once I've initiated the downswing I honesty don't think I could consciously alter its path.

 

[Slime]

A bit like this guy ......................... except that this is his normal swing!!!!

[video=youtube_share;Q-_Oji3mLV4]https://youtu.be/Q-_Oji3mLV4[/video]

 

[Orikoru]

A bit like this guy ......................... except that this is his normal swing!!!!

[video=youtube_share;Q-_Oji3mLV4]https://youtu.be/Q-_Oji3mLV4[/video]

Sorry but what on god's green earth is he doing??

 

[r0wly86]

For such a talented athlete I don't know why he's doing that with a golf club in his hand

 

[Capella]

Sorry but what on god's green earth is he doing??

I think he is consciously or unconsciously mimicking the tempo of throwing a basketball. It's what he knows best and what he has been doing on a daily basis for most of his life. Seems to be working for him as well, the outcome of the shots did not look to bad.

 

[dufferman]

I'm sure I also saw Kevin Na once go to hit the ball and shout something like "Airshot" on the downswing then intentionally miss. Again, spectator movement / noise was to blame. Didn't get a penalty because he called it in his swing.

Edit: Looks like it was at the 2011 Shriners Hospital event in the US. No videos though, only sites talking about it!