If you’ve ever watched Bryson DeChambeau play golf, you may have noticed that he does something interesting with his driver.
Right before he starts his golf swing, the two-time U.S. Open winner lifts his driver head up off the ground, hovers it there for a second or so, and then starts his swing.
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When I shared his swing on my Instagram the other day, a surprisng number of people reached out to me asking: Why does he do that? I dedicated our most recent episode of the Golf IQ podcast to answering that question, which you can listen to below (and subscribe to right here).
The inevitable question is, should I hover the club, like Bryson, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, and others.
Well, to help you decide, here are what I outline as the three main reasons why golfers decide to hover the club.
1. The Tension Reason
When the clubhead is resting on the ground, your grip’s pretty light, for obvious reasons: You don’t have to support it.
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But the more and more coaches are finding based on studies that the you grip the club firmer, you’re more likely to hit the ball far and be a better golfer. The old hold it like a baby bird advice? That may have been what Sam Snead thought was happening, but it wasn’t actually what was happening.
When you have the club just sitting down with barely any grip, then suddenly have to get it moving as quick as you can, all this tension shoots up through your arms and shoulders. Bryson found that hovering forced him to engage his muscles earlier.
Instead of going from zero to 100 miles per hour, hovering activates the muscles in his fingers, wrists, and forearms. It’s like easing into an acceleration rather than flooring the pedal.
2. The Tempo Reason
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When you’re trying to get the club moving, which requires squeezing and moving the club around relatively quickly, that can also feel contradictory for golfers who are trying to feel a slower, smoother tempo.
But hovering the club before you swing can switch on the muscles in your hands, which is what Jack Nicklaus talked a lot about. When it was time to start his swing, everything was already switched on. There was no sudden jerk of movement that would disrupt his tempo.
Nick Faldo, who wasn’t a long hitter but was known for incredibly silky tempo, said hovering the club allowed him to smooth out his swing, especially under pressure. Think of hovering as an ultra slow start to your golf swing. You’re not shifting the car into drive, you’re just getting it rolling before building up speed.
3. The Leveling Reason
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When Bryson first came on tour, he was intent on making himself into a machine, with bag of single-length clubs and an incredibly technical approach.
What does that have to do with hovering the driver?
Well, with a driver, the ball is teed up because you want to hit up on the ball slightly. For Bryson, hovering helped him feel like he was leveling the clubhead to the golf ball. It allowed him to adjust his body to the level where he’d be swinging at. The machine is calibrated. It’s a subtle feel but for some golfers, a confidence-boosting one.
Should You Try It?
Go to the range and try hovering the club with your driver. Some golfers feel more tense when hovering because they’re thinking about stopping the club from shaking. If that’s you, it’s probably not a good fit. But you may find the opposite: that you can ease into your takeaway better and your backswing smooths out. If backswing tempo is a big priority for you, give hovering a try. A lot of great players do it.
Read the full article here
