Driving range practice drills

[bobmac]

I know exactly what affects ball flight and what doesn’t. No pictures on a scorecard etc I’ve had coaching off of some top top coaches. There’s members at my club and other local clubs who ask me for advice before they would go to a pro

So you'll agree that swing path and clubface are important in determining the ball's direction/flight?

 

[Parsaregood]

you can’t change swing path by 20 yards, if someone has to offset their aim by such an amount the swing path is likely between 5-10 degrees from a zero path. Simple changes and commitment to the change is going to remedy the problem. Changes would be variable from player to player because there could be 20 different reasons for the path.

 

[Parsaregood]

See the player you tell to aim right and pull the ball to target. What if they start pulling it more do they just aim further right ? Didn’t quite pull it enough, I’ll just aim less right, oh no wait still didn’t pull it enough, I’ve aimed right and it’s starting right and slicing. Dear oh dear

 

[bobmac]

you can’t change swing path by 20 yards, if someone has to offset their aim by such an amount the swing path is likely between 5-10 degrees from a zero path. Simple changes and commitment to the change is going to remedy the problem. Changes would be variable from player to player because there could be 20 different reasons for the path.

So no simple change then?

See the player you tell to aim right and pull the ball to target. What if they start pulling it more do they just aim further right ? Didn’t quite pull it enough, I’ll just aim less right, oh no wait still didn’t pull it enough, I’ve aimed right and it’s starting right and slicing. Dear oh dear

I thought you said amateurs were good at controlling their swing path.

 

[Parsaregood]

Well it is a simple change but obviously that change will be different player to player.
Even bad players will consistently repeat the bad swing path with much higher degree or repeatability than face angle.

Most amateur golfers who have a path out to in usually stand too close, don’t rotate very well in the backswing which results in a very narrow downswing. Fix the backswing and set up and naturally the downswing starts to look a lot better. However everyone is different

 

[bobmac]

Well it is a simple change but obviously that change will be different player to player.
Even bad players will consistently repeat the bad swing path with much higher degree or repeatability than face angle.

And still you bang on about face angle.
The only control you have on the face angle is the grip which in my experience is a simple fix which is done at address.
And still no mention of the simple fix that will stop golfers from taking it back on the inside, looping at the top and swinging out to in on the way down.
Standing further away would just make the backswing flatter and wont stop the loop.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Totally (I think) 100% with @bobmac on this.

I have changed my swing path from very strong and destructive In2Out to one that keeps me away from shanking it. I don't know whether my new swing path is now Out2In or just less In2Out - but I frankly don't much care as I no longer shank it - and though I no longer hit what used to be my trademark and much admired strong low draw, these are very good things.

But it's taken me 3yrs and a LOT of practice and a fair few lessons/MOTs along the way. Core to what I do now is setting the clubface to back of my left hand and taking my grip whilst maintaining that 'setting'. I then take my stance with club face aligned behind ball to direction of strike - keeping the correlation between grip and clubface..and key to working changing the swing path was that I MUST NOT try to manipulate/control the club face through the swing - that was the old me and was core to my bad old swing and my shank.

Now I have no swing thoughts at all other than occasionally think dead hands - everything is in my shot prep. As my coach tells me...my golf ball knows NOTHING about my backswing or follow through - I still have a lot of work to do to build a bit of consistency and better ball striking...but as I told him just this morning...I can now stand on the tee with a driver and on the fairway with shorter irons, and decide to fade or draw the ball - and most of the time actually do it - the only thing I do is tweak my stance - this is recent but it feels as if its properly there and not just coincidence.

 

[bobmac]

Totally 100% with @bobmac on this.

I have changed my swing path from very strong and destructive In2Out to one that keeps me away from shanking it. I don't know whether my new swing path is In2Out - but I don't shank it now - and I no longer hit what used to be my trademark and much admired strong low draw. And these are very good things.

But it's taken me 3yrs and a LOT of practice and a fair few lessons/MOTs along the way. Core to what I do now is setting the clubface to back of my left hand and taking my grip whilst maintaining that 'setting'. I then take my stance with club face aligned behind ball to direction of strike - keeping the correlation between grip and clubface..and key to working changing the swing path was that I MUST NOT try to manipulate/control the club face through the swing - that was the old me and was core to my bad old swing and my shank.

Now I have no swing thoughts at all other than occasionally think dead hands - everything is in my shot prep. As my coach tells me...my golf ball knows NOTHING about my backswing or follow through - I focus simply on delivering the clubhead back to the ball as I set it at the outset. I still have a lot of work to do to build a bit of consistency and better ball striking...but as I told him just this morning...I can now stand on the tee with a driver and on the fairway with shorter irons, and decide to fade or draw the ball - and most of the time actually do it - the only thing I do is tweak my stance - this is recent but it feels as if its properly there and not just coincidence.

Two questions if I may.....
1. If you had known the change was going to take this long, would you have still made the change?
2. Even after 3 years, does the old fault still try and sneak back in if you're not watching?
Glad you're happy though

 

[Parsaregood]

And still you bang on about face angle.
The only control you have on the face angle is the grip which in my experience is a simple fix which is done at address.
And still no mention of the simple fix that will stop golfers from taking it back on the inside, looping at the top and swinging out to in on the way down.
Standing further away would just make the backswing flatter and wont stop the loop.

Swing path majorly affects face angle as the orientation of your hands,arms, shoulders, all matters as much as the grip. There is no golf coach who is making any real money offering the advice you seem to be putting forward. There is so much technology and knowledge available today, and still there is lots of bad advice out there unfortunately. Force plates and launch monitors for coaches should be a must

 

[bobmac]

Swing path majorly affects face angle as the orientation of your hands,arms, shoulders, all matters as much as the grip. There is no golf coach who is making any real money offering the advice you seem to be putting forward. There is so much technology and knowledge available today, and still there is lots of bad advice out there unfortunately.

You mean like telling people there is a simple fix to change the swing path?

And yet, still no mention of the simple fix that will stop golfers from taking it back on the inside, looping at the top and swinging out to in on the way down.

Force plates and launch monitors for coaches should be a must

Absolute rubbish

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Two questions if I may.....
1. If you had known the change was going to take this long, would you have still made the change?
2. Even after 3 years, does the old fault still try and sneak back in if you're not watching?
Glad you're happy though

1. Yes. The swing path fault was so strong with me relying so much on my very fast hands to bring the club head back ‘on line’ that all tweaks and changes I tried with my coach to accommodate my grooved swing path, they all failed. My shanking was built in to my swing path and fast hands.

All the years the old swing worked I thought I had a well grooved swing…when in fact I had become a world class tightrope walker. I fell off and couldn’t get back on. Golf was miserable. If I wanted to get enjoyment out of the game I just had to change. My coach was also adopting a new coaching philosophy (for him at least) and he himself was keen to see if he could get it to work for a senior, to change things for someone who’d played the game the same way since a kid, so for nearly 50yrs…more seriously for nearly 40. He was using it with new juniors, new and improving adult players - but a ‘grooved’ senior?

2. Yes. I have to be careful to not manipulate the club, and I must not think about my swing. If I do either, usually if I am trying a shot I might not normally take on, I can revert and I can still, and do, very occasionally (nearly) shank it…but I can now feel when the strike is getting too close to the hosel for comfort, and now know why. Plus a mix of new and old does not work either.

I am only now feeling that the change is pretty much there and so may be able to work on other aspects of my game. But that is not for me to decide. My coach will tell me if I have actually achieved what we set out to do, and what I think I have managed to do.

I’ll add. My coach has all the technology a golf coach might need - including our indoor facility. But other than him using it at the outset to show me my swing path - and once to show me the change we’d brought about - we have not used it at all. His philosophy is pretty much around helping the student find and then develop his or her natural and intuitive swing.

 

[Parsaregood]

You mean like telling people there is a simple fix to change the swing path?

And yet, still no mention of the simple fix that will stop golfers from taking it back on the inside, looping at the top and swinging out to in on the way down.


Absolute rubbish

Well the simple fixes would be a split hand drill and better body rotation. Using a tour striker smart ball would also be an option. Would be seriously looking at setup as well. These are easily achievable.

It is you who speaks rubbish my friend. Golfers taking advice of just aim 20 yards right from a supposedly professional are just as daft. I’m sure their playing partners could enlighten them with such professional advice

 

[bobmac]

I am only now feeling that the change is pretty much there and so may be able to work on other aspects of my game. But that is not for me to decide.

That's the danger of a major swing change, for the first year or so it needs 100% concentration. If you think you have cracked it and try to work on something else, that's when it bites back.

 

[bobmac]

Well the simple fixes would be a split hand drill and better body rotation. Using a tour striker smart ball would also be an option. Would be seriously looking at setup as well. These are easily achievable.

It is you who speaks rubbish my friend. Golfers taking advice of just aim 20 yards right from a supposedly professional are just as daft. I’m sure their playing partners could enlighten them with such professional advice

1. I'm not your friend
2. I'm not a supposed professional.
I played Cat I golf for over 30 years, then turned pro in 2004 and got my degree in golf in 2007. I then spent 15 years teaching, not to make a fortune but to help people play better golf like I've been doing on here for almost 16 years.

And as for your (rubbish) comment...how much would I need to spend on a decent launch monitor and set of force plates that you say I must have?

 

[Parsaregood]

1. I'm not your friend
2. I'm not a supposed professional.
I played Cat I golf for over 30 years, then turned pro in 2004 and got my degree in golf in 2007. I then spent 15 years teaching, not to make a fortune but to help people play better golf like I've been doing on here for almost 16 years.

And as for your (rubbish) comment...how much would I need to spend on a decent launch monitor and set of force plates that you say I must have?

Within 6 months of having my first handicap I was a cat 1 player, my highest handicap in the last 15 years has been scratch. It’s not exactly an unheard of achievement to play cat 1 golf.

Anybody teaching the game is doing themselves and students a disservice by not using technology to provide definitive information which can be used to quickly and accurately pinpoint faults and areas to target. I have built up a huge amount of knowledge by receiving coaching and also studying golf literature although I make enough doing what I do and have no intention of making my hobby my job

 

[bobmac]

And as for your (rubbish) comment...how much would I need to spend on a decent launch monitor and set of force plates that you say I must have?

Anybody teaching the game is doing themselves and students a disservice by not using technology to provide definitive information which can be used to quickly and accurately pinpoint faults and areas to target. I have built up a huge amount of knowledge by receiving coaching and also studying golf literature although I make enough doing what I do and have no intention of making my hobby my job

You should be a politician