Is the difference between a bad round and a great round mostly Gear Effect?

[John_Findlay]

Ok chaps. I think I'm having a bit of an epiphany here. Bit of a long post.

Now, I've been playing golf nearly 35 years now and in that time I've played some rubbish, a lot of mediocre and a little great golf. I can score low 70's on a good day but I can also throw in the odd 90 here and there.

So, question is? Is the difference between a bad shot/round and a great shot/round mostly about Gear Effect if the swings are actually fairly consistent from shot to shot?

I think my swing's reasonably consistent from shot to shot but like most of us I'll "tinker" during the round depending upon the quality of the previous shot. How many times have you asked yourself "where the hell did that shot come from?" You think you've had a great swing but it's gone in a direction that makes no sense whatsoever. You "change" your swing accordingly on the next shot to compensate... when actually it is probably more to do with where on the clubface the ball was struck.

I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on the subject lately, mostly those on the trackman channel, and there's a huge amount of evidence there to suggest that the difference between a perfectly straight booming drive 280 down the middle and a sclaffy duck-hook 160 in to the bushes might actually be less to do with my swing than it is to do with hitting the ball off the sweetspot or off-centre. Probably only 2cm off the toe difference, for example.

These two great videos, in particular, have got me thinking:-

Vertical gear Effect
http://youtu.be/Wj6Rx1ar6Yc
Horizontal Gear Effect
http://youtu.be/MD_ePkeykbs

Have a look. They've certainly made my mind up to stop tinkering with my swing so much; accept (and understand the reason for) my bad shots and realise that the quality of the strike (off the middle of off-centre)) is probably the main difference between a bad round and a great round. You'll not hit the correct spot on the clubface every time but at least you'll have a better understanding of "where it all went wrong".

Thoughts, anyone?

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Personally I think you're looking for excuses. Playing off of 6 your swing must be fairly consistent so your bad shots are caused by bad swings, nothing more, nothing less.

As for "tinkering" after a bad shot, that's is asking for trouble IMHO. If I hit a bad shot, and it's a one off bad shot, I just forget it and swing as normal on the next one. Every now and then I hit a shank, but I don't go into tinker-mode for the next shot, there's no need.

The only time I look to change swing is if I notice over a couple of rounds that the same bad shot is coming out.

 

[John_Findlay]

...so your bad shots are caused by bad swings, nothing more, nothing less.

I think I'm probably looking for an understanding of the shot rather than excuses for it. The point I'm trying to make is that, yes, bad swings usually cause bad shots ...but even a good swing that's only a couple of centimetres off-centre on the club face can cause surprisingly bad shots too. The trick is in realising this and avoiding over-tinkering with the swing so much. Just try to hit the centre of the club more often.

 

[tsped83]

You're over thinking it. You hit bad shots, largely because of bad swings, leading to not hitting the centre of the club. Who tinkers from shot to shot? Not I.

 

[duncan mackie]

fortunately I know that my swing differs wildly from shot to shot and accept that that's why I have the handicap I do

I am entirely capable of hitting 3 shots from the dead centre off my driver (or 6 iron) and managing the full range of results and 100yds of variation with the driver!

 

[chrisd]

I think that the answer is that if you hit "off centre" the gear effect is likely to cause the shot to deviate from the intended path, after all, a poor shot is only a poor shot because something isn't right at the point of impact.

Trying to change things after they've happened, to me, is a bit counter productive. The reason for a poor shot has happened, it's in the past, it doesn't necessarily follow that the next shot is going to result in the same cause and effect, so, why would you change from your known grip, stance, swing in the assumption that you are going to make the same mistake that you think you did before. Surely, off your handicap, you would only fiddle with the swing after a pattern of similar bad shots?

 

[USER1999]

How many times has gear effect bailed you out of a bad swing though? It's a necessary evil, and we forget how often it helps in favour of the few shots it doesn't.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

How many times has gear effect bailed you out of a bad swing though? It's a necessary evil, and we forget how often it helps in favour of the few shots it doesn't.

Of course it helps, but it isn't responsible for bad shots. I hit driver 9 times yesterday, hit 7 fairways, missed one by a matter of yards and the other was a massive hook. Can I blame the hook on my driver?

 

[3565]

Think your looking for something that you shouldn't be. It's good to know how a ball reacts the way it does and understanding why it's happened but after all we are amateurs who hit poor shots more often then not. But it could be a multitude of things that can cause a bad round, all you can do is control what you do, and prepare yourself for that shot in hand, and if after playing the shot you can say truthfully that you went thru your routine 100% before the shot then accept what happens and move on, if you lacked focus on a certain aspect of your routine then make sure you do it on the following shot.

 

[John_Findlay]

Of course it helps, but it isn't responsible for bad shots. I hit driver 9 times yesterday, hit 7 fairways, missed one by a matter of yards and the other was a massive hook. Can I blame the hook on my driver?

I think you're talking about the gear you're using there rather than the gear effect, Hawkeye. It is very much responsible for bad shots.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Gear effect can definitely have a big impact on your shots. It's a term I had heard of without understanding but it came up in my lesson this week. I was really struggling with the driver and the pro brought it up because he noticed I have a tendency to address the ball slightly towards the toe of the club, theoretically making it harder to hit the sweet spot.

I think it's just one of several things that can go wrong rather than a eureka moment. However there is a lot to be said for trusting your swing and sticking to it through a round rather than making adjustments in response to the odd bad shot.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I think you're talking about the gear you're using there rather than the gear effect, Hawkeye. It is very much responsible for bad shots.

Not as much as a bad swing. The reason I hit that hook is because I put a bad swing on it.

 

[John_Findlay]

Not as much as a bad swing. The reason I hit that hook is because I put a bad swing on it.

Look at the 2nd half of that 2nd video, Hawkeye. A swing that should have been a slight fade resulting in a hook because of gear effect.

 

[Foxholer]

Posts 2 and 4 sum it up for me!

Unless you have the same poor result several times, I'd suggest you do what Walter Hagen did and put it down to one of the 6 or 7 poor shots he expected in any round. It's only if there's a 'consistency' that it's worth examining the poor shots in detail imo.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I hit a number of bad shots every round. It's expected off my handicap. I've stopped tinkering on the course (courtesy of NGT) and accept the bad one and start thinking of the best way of salvaging par or bogey at worse. If I swing well and give myself time to hit the ball (tempo) then good shots happen. If I don't the ball goes astray. As long as I understand my swing and in my own opinion that's different to GE and what happened when I swung the club that's all I need to think about

 

[CMAC]

havent clicked the links- anyone sum up what gear affect is if I asked you over a pint, and there was a pretty barmaid wanting to speak with you so you had to be quick? :smirk:

 

[NWJocko]

havent clicked the links- anyone sum up what gear affect is if I asked you over a pint, and there was a pretty barmaid wanting to speak with you so you had to be quick? :smirk:

Hit it out the toe and it hooks as the club head twists.

Mines a sambuca :cheers:

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Look at the 2nd half of that 2nd video, Hawkeye. A swing that should have been a slight fade resulting in a hook because of gear effect.

To be honest with you, I'm really not all that interested. 7 fairways, 1 missed by a couple of yards and a massive hook. I'm happy to admit the hook was caused by me. I can just about grasp the ball flight laws, I don't need something else to try to understand; and besides, what use would it be if I did apart from telling me that bad shots happen and I don't need to try to fix them on the next tee, which as I said, I don't do anyway.

Gear effect exists, but I can't see what possible good can come from understanding it except that to avoid its effect I have to hit it better.

 

[Piece]

Its classic 'cause' and 'effect'. The cause of a bad shot is the golfer failing to deliver the club centre to the ball; the effect of this is gear effect. Far more noticeable in the woods due the face bulge. Hit the centre of the club more often is the cure!

 

[CMAC]

Hit it out the toe and it hooks as the club head twists.

Mines a sambuca :cheers:

but when I hit out the toe is does indeed draw quite severely, but my path was way inside to out resulting in a near toe strike but the path enabled the severe draw not twisting I would have thought.

I got you a sambuca last time- half a shandy now as you're driving..............................me nuts!:ears::cheers: