Do some golfers try too hard?

[bobmac]

It's the start of winter and you've just bought a slo mo camera to film your swing and your sitting at home analysing the results of your first practice session on video.
You thought you swung like Rory McIlroy, it turns out to be more like Rory McGrath.

After you stop crying. you set about fixing all the things that are wrong.
By next spring, you will be awesome.
The truth is you will have spent 4 months trying to fix all your swing 'problems' and at the end of it, you will have a swing that feels horrible, doesn't look a whole lot different to your swing at the start and your scores are going up.
Why?
Because golfers look at their swing and try and fix the things that look wrong.
Instead, they should only fix something that is causing problems.

For example
1. Golfer has a backswing that is too much inside and below plane. In the transition he has a slight throw at the top which actually puts the club back on plane.
Should he change the backswing?

2. Golfer has a little fade but is happy as most of his home course sets up for left to right shots
Should he change his swing path?

3. Golfer hits it very straight but not very far but his course is short and tight.
Should he try and hit it farther?

Filming your golf swing is great to see what you actually do (real and feel) but dont dive in and change everything because it doesnt look right.

A wonky swing that does the job is better than a good looking swing that doesn't.

If it works don't fix it.

 

[needmoreclub]

Great advice as usual Bob, i spent the best part of 20 yrs striving for perfection and then the penny dropped that what i had worked and i just needed to relax and enjoy what i had, bingo, handicap down and scoring well and enjoying my golf again.

 

[bobmac]

Great advice as usual Bob, i spent the best part of 20 yrs striving for perfection and then the penny dropped that what i had worked and i just needed to relax and enjoy what i had, bingo, handicap down and scoring well and enjoying my golf again.

Don't get me wrong, some golfers just like to fiddle with their swing and there's nothing wrong with that.
And not just amateurs.
The pros do it as well.
All I am saying is, if you have a problem in your game, get help from someone who knows what they are talking about, practice the drills that will help fix the problem and use the camera to monitor your changes.

Don't just film your swing and head off to Youtube blindly looking for a fix that will cure a problem that didnt need fixing in the first place.

 

[ManinBlack]

Spot on from the OP! What many experienced players don't understand is what the swingpath & clubface are doing at impact. I believe that the nearer you can stay to your natural swing the more likely it is to repeat & the more reliable it will be under pressure. If there is a recurring fault, make an adjustment on the backswing or downswing & make that your key swing thought. I think you have time for one thought on the backswing & one on the downswing, any more & you confuse yourself.

I'm a follower of Jim Hardy & in his book "Solid Contact" he lists all the types of misses and details the adjustments necessary in the backswing or downswing likely to correct the fault. It's a unique kind of golf swing reference book, but you need to understand the mechanics of the golf swing to get the best out of it. It starts with the ball flight, tells you what the swingpath & clubface are doing & gives you the moves to put this right. Well worth a read.

 

[needmoreclub]

Don't get me wrong, some golfers just like to fiddle with their swing and there's nothing wrong with that.
And not just amateurs.
The pros do it as well.
All I am saying is, if you have a problem in your game, get help from someone who knows what they are talking about, practice the drills that will help fix the problem and use the camera to monitor your changes.

Don't just film your swing and head off to Youtube blindly looking for a fix that will cure a problem that didnt need fixing in the first place.

Agree again Bob, i've always fiddled with my swing until recently, but i wouldn't dream of going down the 'self fix' route as this can lead to further problems as you attempt to fix what you think is the problem and that can send you down a totally different road to what the problem actually is. I usually go to my pro for a start of season tune up, for grip, posture etc.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

All valid points Bob but they seem to be based around a golfer playing his home course. A 'good' golfer will be able to shoot low scores round any course whether it be long or short, tight or open, a faders or drawers course etc etc.

But yes, the only part of the swing that matters is a couple of inches either side of the ball around impact. It's nice to have a good looking swing but there are plenty of exceptions to prove it isn't vital. Jim Furyk and Eamon Darcy are 2 good examples, even Arnold Palmer's swing wasn't a thing of beauty.

 

[bobmac]

All valid points Bob but they seem to be based around a golfer playing his home course. .

Monty has managed to do quite well with his fade
Gary Wolstenholme did quite well being short off the tee and Furyk won a few bob with his swing.

I think a good golfer can play well on any course if he* is confident with his* swing and he* knows where the ball is going.

* or she

 

[DaveL]

On the other hand, it also be a great aid. As a complete beginner I don't know much about swing path and the like, and would not know if there was a fault or not, never mind how to fix it. I've been playing 3 months and had a lesson, which mainly consisted of grip and posture. After seeing my swing played back it was all to apparent that I had a huge cupping problem, which is something I've been working on, and which I thought I had sorted but after viewing it yesterday, although better still not getting in the right impact position.

 

[bobmac]

On the other hand, it also be a great aid.

I agree, it is good for monitoring any changes you are making.
Real and feel are often miles apart.

although better still not getting in the right impact position.

Be careful you dont get bogged down with trying to get it perfect.
If you're happy with the height, dont fix it because it isn't 'right'

 

[DaveL]

My shots tell me it's not right

When I get it somewhere near, I will be booking a block of lessons and will prob use video analysis to make sure I'm on the right track between lessons

 

[One Planer]

This is/was me

Consistent tinkerer. Not because of how the swing looked, but because of the results I got.

I didn't do it myself either as, frankly, I wouldn't have a clue where to start. I took a piece of advice often banded on here:

GO AND SEE A PGA PROFESSIONAL

My pro (Chris Long) has made all the changes to my swing over the last 18 (... or so) months.

I'm at that point now where I'm happy with how my swing works, and to a point, looks.

I'm now leaving well alone.

My focus now has moved to my short game which, to be fair, needs a lot of work. One lesson in and my pro has changed, pretty much everything about my set-up.

This is now where my focus is going to be as I'm happy with the flight, shape, contact, look D ) and most importantly the Results of my current swing.

 

[MadAdey]

I've stopped filming my swing now, as it does not look too good on the backswing. But the impact position is good and the ball flies where I want it. I'll always stick with what I was told when I started to play by the pro that taught me, he said to just hit it, then learn how to hit it straight. I heard Butch Harmon saying that the most important thing in the swing is getting the club into a good impact position. He doesn't think that you should worry too much about how you swing it, just make sure you get into a good impact position.

 

[Deleted member 15717]

I have a general idea as to my swing, and it problems. It is very much reliant on timing, otherwise all sorts can go wrong. I am having lessons over the winter to tweak little bits and pieces, and to ensure I have a more consistent swing, with a lot less effort.

In answer though, Yes, some golfers do try too hard!

 

[Roops]

I've stopped filming my swing now, as it does not look too good on the backswing. But the impact position is good and the ball flies where I want it. I'll always stick with what I was told when I started to play by the pro that taught me, he said to just hit it, then learn how to hit it straight. I heard Butch Harmon saying that the most important thing in the swing is getting the club into a good impact position. He doesn't think that you should worry too much about how you swing it, just make sure you get into a good impact position.

I'm with you on the ball strike thing. I have had a load of lessons this year, fixing poor back swing and take away positions that were getting compensated for. However, there was never any discussion about ball strike, in fact a couple of online tips I found sorted those out and now I am hitting it more solid than ever. I am sure the improved back swing has helped, but I feel a bit cheated that ball strike was never mentioned, it was more like get into these swing positions and it will all be perfect, which is pure fantasy for most mortals.

 

[MadAdey]

I never actually answered the question. Yes too many do try too hard IMO and it is that makes them struggle even more. It's this constant striving for perfection that makes them loose their head on the course when something doesn't go to plan.

I just don't really see what benefit anyone gets from taking a camera to the range to film themself. So you think you see a problem in the backswing. You try to change it and you hit 10 more balls and watch the video back, it still doesn't look right. So you hit 10 more and video it, your still not happy. So an hour at the range and 100 balls hit and all you've now done is taken your own swing to pieces and started hitting the ball worse for it. If anyone wants to make a swing change they need a skilled eye watching them to make the change then keep making sure they stay with it.

I've never heard of a tour pro taking himself away to make a swing change by himself, they always have their coach there to assist with something like this, so why do club golfers believe they can do it by themself?

 

[MadAdey]

I'm with you on the ball strike thing. I have had a load of lessons this year, fixing poor back swing and take away positions that were getting compensated for. However, there was never any discussion about ball strike, in fact a couple of online tips I found sorted those out and now I am hitting it more solid than ever. I am sure the improved back swing has helped, but I feel a bit cheated that ball strike was never mentioned, it was more like get into these swing positions and it will all be perfect, which is pure fantasy for most mortals.

Who knows what the perfect swing positions are? All the pros swing it differently, so unless you find a Tour Pro with the same body characteristics and flexibility as yourself, who you going to copy? One thing they all have in common though is they transfer their weight through impact and release the club head along their intended swing path.

 

[AmandaJR]

Don't get me wrong, some golfers just like to fiddle with their swing and there's nothing wrong with that.
And not just amateurs.
The pros do it as well.
All I am saying is, if you have a problem in your game, get help from someone who knows what they are talking about, practice the drills that will help fix the problem and use the camera to monitor your changes.

Don't just film your swing and head off to Youtube blindly looking for a fix that will cure a problem that didnt need fixing in the first place.

Great advice Bob and that's the key for me. Get advice (ideally with a video lesson - feel v real and all that), work on implementing the changes and intermittently video my swing to check progress (feel v real and all that)!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Yes some golfers try too hard , put too much pressure on themselves and treat it all too seriously

 

[Roops]

Who knows what the perfect swing positions are? All the pros swing it differently, so unless you find a Tour Pro with the same body characteristics and flexibility as yourself, who you going to copy? One thing they all have in common though is they transfer their weight through impact and release the club head along their intended swing path.

You've hit the nail on the head there. "One thing they all have in common though is they transfer their weight through impact.." That for me is/was the "thing" that made the biggest difference to improved golf. Just getting into the left side and the weight transferring resulted in ball then ground solid contacts pretty much all of the time, coupled with straight or slightly drawing ball flight. It's now a pleasure to walk up to the ball on the fairway with an iron in hand and see and feel what a proper golf shot is like.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Very happy with the work the teaching pro I go to has done (apart from the difficulty actually getting a time to see him). He's not going to take what's a quirky and unorthodox swing and make it textbook but he's worked hard with me over the last couple of years to give me something that I understand how it works, why it goes wrong, and is something far more stable and reliable than the swing I had at the start of the process

There are still a couple of things he wants to tweak a little further to make it more robust, but for the most part, what I have now gets me around most courses in a playable fashion. With the progress in chipping and putting, scores are slowly improving an dbecoming more consistent.

Do I try too hard? Possiblly. I still have an unfaltering belief I can get to single figures and why wouldn't I try and get there. I'm enjoying the process and the journey