Here’s what Billy Horschel can teach you about speed

Billy Horschel has one of those ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ type swings. I understand the irony here but bear with me.

First, let’s talk about his pre-swing routine. Horschel uses a waggle to give him the feeling of where he would like the club to be as soon as he starts his backswing (slightly outside the hands, with the face square). 

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If you’re working on a particular position in your swing, you should consider incorporating that into your pre-shot routine. It’s a reminder of what you’re trying to do, and serves as a great trigger when you’re on the course. A waggle triggers the “I’m ready to hit, commit!” part of the pysche, which can often be tricky to find.

And that’s exactly what Horschel does. 

As you can see, below, the club is set where he wants it. He completes his backswing by turning his shoulders, stopping before the club goes past parallel. 

There’s nothing wrong with a swing that goes past parallel, as long as you don’t get there by breaking your wrists. To maintain control, you need to complete the swing with your shoulders. 

Horschel then rips into the ball with incredible speed. His extension of the arms, below, is textbook. He leaves absolutely nothing behind.

But the true talent of the 2014 FedEx cup champ cannot be demonstrated with pictures. It’s his brisk, one-two swing tempo that I’m a huge fan of.

Too many amateurs get wrapped up in how fast or slow they’re swinging
the club. But the chances are your tempo has nothing to do with your
bad shots.

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