A step-by-step guide
— October 28, 2026 | Text Scott Cranfield
How would you describe a great golf swing? You might use words such as ‘flowing’, ‘effortless’, ‘balanced’, and ‘powerful’. Yet when you think about your own swing, it may feel very different: tight, awkward, inconsistent, or rushed. So why is something that looks effortless when a good player does it often so difficult to reproduce? Two of the biggest factors are tension and timing.
Here, I will show you how to reset both by letting go of unnecessary swing thoughts, so you can move more freely and produce more consistent, powerful shots.
Understanding timing
A golf swing involves different parts of you travelling very different distances. Your clubhead travels the furthest. Your hands travel considerably less, while your chest and shoulders move through a relatively small distance.
For all three to work in the correct sequence, they cannot travel at the same speed. The clubhead needs to move fastest, the hands and arms somewhat slower, and the body slowest.
Yet the effort to swing properly and create power often leads to tension. This disrupts those different speeds and the timing of your swing, giving you the opposite of what you want: more effort, less power, and less consistency. In this state, your swing starts to lock up and move as a block rather than a sequence, and the freedom and momentum of the club are lost.
Free your trail arm
Here is a simple way to experience something different and reset your swing.
Take your golf set-up, but without a club. Let your trail arm hang naturally in front of you. Hinge comfortably from your hips rather than bending through your back, and feel your feet relaxed, balanced, and connected to the ground (see image 1).
Now allow your trail arm to swing backwards and forwards from the shoulder joint. Initially, do not try to turn your body.
Simply experience the arm moving freely while your chest remains relatively quiet. Keep the movement just below waist height on both sides (see images 2 and 3).
As the arm begins to swing freely, notice the new relationship: the arm moves more and the body moves less.
The momentum of your arm should make it feel as though it is swinging past your body. This is the beginning of better sequencing and timing. The aim is not to keep your body still, but to let it respond in proportion to the freer motion you create.
Now throw a ball
Take a ball in the fingers of your trail hand and return to your golf set-up (see image 4).
Begin with the same relaxed motion, gradually making it longer and allowing your body to respond naturally to the momentum created by your arm. With enough momentum, rather than effort, the ball should simply leave your hand.
Do not force the throw or release the ball deliberately. Your weight shifts, your body responds, and the ball flies towards the target as a consequence of the movement (see image 5).
Use the ball flight as feedback. As your timing improves, its arc and direction should become increasingly consistent. You have not tried to control the result; better movement and timing have created a better result.
Put the club back
Now take a golf club and retain that same sensation. Let your trail shoulder and arm create the movement and allow the club to swing. Rather than trying to make your body turn, notice how naturally it responds.
When this works well, the club should feel as though it swings past your body. Instead of fighting it or trying to place it in specific positions, allow momentum to move it. The arm leads, the body responds, and the clubhead develops the speed it needs. Once you have the feeling, put both hands on the club and let your body move in the same way.
Perhaps that is the real reset many golf swings need: not another position to remember or technical thought to add, but an opportunity to remove tension and rediscover the timing that allows you to move more freely.
Scott Cranfield is a PGA Master Professional, coach, and founder of Intuitive Golf. Over a career spanning more than 35 years, he has coached golfers of all levels, from beginners to DP World Tour winners, trained more than 200 golf coaches, and worked as a golf expert for Sky Sports. His Intuitive Golf approach helps golfers move more naturally, reduce tension and interference, and discover better performance through greater awareness rather than more technical instruction. Scott now hosts transformational Intuitive Golf retreats, including at Ombria Algarve, where golfers can explore a different way to learn, practise, and experience the game. Want to explore a more natural way to play? Scott’s 7-Day Intuitive Golf Reset is free at scottcranfield.com