Horrible swing, yet low handicap.

iku

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I've been playing for almost two years now and since I started I must have taken at least 30 lessons. As a result I managed to go down from 22 to 12 but playing once a week now I don't seem able to go any lower.

Probably because of the lesson my swing looks ok, I had it filmed, analyzed, shown in slow motion and even tough there are obviously some minor flaws the pro says it LOOKS good.

At my club though there are at least 10 people with the most horrible swing but a hc lower than mine and better player than me all together. The other side of the coin is that I see people with good looking swings being stuck on 20 or so.

I played with this guy yesterday who probably does all the things your are told not to do, out of plane back swing, collapses on downswing, putts with the ball in driver position, chips with the feet 90 degress to the shoulders and still he plays off 9 and shot a 77 (par 71) gross yesterday. He's an extreme but I see many very similar cases.

So what is that? Natural talent? Then if this chap takes a couple of lesson he'll probably be on telly in 6 months...
 

Imurg

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The swings may look good but if they don't return the clubhead to the ball in the correct position then they wont be able to hit the ball where they want to and as a result they don't score well.
A bad looking swing might just return to the perfect position and produce results.
Look at Jim Furyk.........
 

ScienceBoy

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Timing... It may look bad but natural timing means they get the club to the ball as needed. Don't worry about other peoples games, they have their own agenda! I know myself what timing can do but its not something to be relied on under pressure.


One thing is everyones swing is different but all rely on gettint the club to the ball square etc. If they do that in a different way that's fine. As most of the game is played in those last 120 yards or so then there is no reason why even the least conventional swings can get players to single figures as long as the player can get the ball into the hole within that range.
 

Mattyboy

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I would wager that they have mustard short games.

Consider where your game has most to improve and work on that.

Those that swing like axe murderers and are shooting decent scores suggests that they are playing to the most of what they have (i.e. I doubt they will get much lower).
 

Foxholer

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Then if this chap takes a couple of lesson he'll probably be on telly in 6 months...
Would seriously doubt it. He'd more likely end up heading towards 22!

Probably doesn't hit if far enough to get into trouble, course manages properly and chips and putts extremely well - if not classically,

Tempo, timing and short-game are the key in handicap golf. Completely different story for a Pro though - quite a few additional things have to be spot on as well!
 

ash01

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If its clean and present from elbow to elbow then it doesn't really matter what the rest of it looks like.

In my opinion their potential will be more limited than someone with a neat and tidy swing, but there are many many exceptions to the rule out there - Jim Furyk the classic example.

Best thing is not to worry about these "swingers" and if you are drawn or play with them don't watch them hit the ball out on the course. Obviously don't be critical if you think their swing is naff as that isn't polite, but keep your head on your own game and swing and forget theirs.

Ash!!
 

CrapHacker

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So what is that? Natural talent? Then if this chap takes a couple of lesson he'll probably be on telly in 6 months...

Probably lessons would ruin his swing and he'd be a 20 handicapper in no time.

As far as your game is concerned I reckon 2 years is no time at all to be worried about reaching a plateau.

From here on in, it's 30% practising your long game, and 70% the short game.

You'll be cat 1 in no time.

GL
 

Oddsocks

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I would wager that they have mustard short games.
.

This, you can have a dire long game and still scramble good scores. Look at Rory's round a couple of weeks ago, he was missing most greens but still scrambling pars with good up and down saves

If my short game was sharper I'd knock atleast 4 shots off my hc
 

Mungoscorner

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The only thing that matters is where the clubhead is at impact,every club i've been a member of has plenty of golfers with text book swings,that have cost them £££'s in lessons and equipment,yet they couldn't hit a barn door with a shovel !!!
If somebody is shooting consistently low scores with what some people perceive to be a "horrible" swing,it's obviously not horrible,its "effective" !!!
Furyk,Jimenez,Perry,Lehman etc etc,are there swings horrible,or effective ?
 
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USER1999

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Loads of practice will give predictable results, which will enable any swing to nudge it round pretty well. A technically good swing has to have the potential to get a lower handicap than an ugly one. Good golf is about how good the bad shots are, and a good swing should have less margin for disaster.

Anyway, shooting 77 isn't actually that good! Any idiot should be able to do this. Heck, even I can.
 

Oddsocks

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Anyway, shooting 77 isn't actually that good! Any idiot should be able to do this. Heck, even I can.

Suppose it does depend on course par and SSS

Take my gaff, par 68 but SSS of 66, not that long.
Then take the addington, par 69 but SSS of 70/71, alot longer!

The best I've nudged around my gaff is a 75 off the whites, the best I've done the add is 81 off the yellows.
 

GreiginFife

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For me, it's not about how good your swing looks, it's how effective it is. Substance over style.
If you find a swing that works for you and you play good overall (I can't drive particularly well but my short game makes up for this) then why would you want to go take lessons to make it look better?
Personally, my swing is god awful, but as I have problems with my knee and have to spare my left side I have adapted my body shape to get the club face in the right position, does it look good? NO, does it work? Arguable, but for me it does :D
 

DaveM

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Interesting thread. But it does give credence to the saying. The ball does not care what the swing is like. Only the impact.
 

Robobum

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Love this thread!!!

Too many people get bogged down with how their swing looks and swing paths, push draws, face angles and all the rest.

Tommy Cooper would give the best piece of simple advice.......ball, club, ball, hole. ;)

Don't think that short game "mustardness"will get decent scores all the time either. These guys may not hit all the greens but they don't miss them by much, lots of fringes and near misses. Doesn't take much of a short game to get up & down from these misses.
 

garyinderry

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i am one of these non-textbook swingers. only had one lesson and that was the grip after playing for 3 years. i am an average driver, decent iron player and good at the short game. ill be playing off single figures before long. shot +6 yesterday with a stinking hangover.

as i told my mate whos getting lessons and grooving a nice swing. "dont get too wrapped up in trying to find a perfect swing as sometimes it can flatter to decieve"
 

JustOne

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In my opinion their potential will be more limited than someone with a neat and tidy swing,.......

^
^
^
This.

Swings based on timing a heap of moving parts are harder to master, doesn't mean that you can't knob it round in under 80 fairly regularly though.
 

FairwayDodger

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This was me exactly. Came back to golf after a few years away and never quite got "my" swing back. Instead it was something very shonky but effective when I was playing well and timing it right. Trouble was my bad shots were truly awful and on any given day I could play well or terribly.

I recognised that I'd progressed about as much as I could swinging like that so have had lessons over the winter to basically refresh my memory of what a conventional golf swing was and to rebuild mine. My pro's kindest assessment of my swing was that it was "all your own". He made that point that with practice my general sporting ability meant I could play OK with that swing but that I would always struggle when my timing was off.

After lots of practice I'm definitely striking the ball better and more consistently with the new swing. I'm optimistic the handicap will come down further this season..... time will tell though.
 
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