I've amazed myself and not in a good way

[AmandaJR]

Toe shots and crazy hooks galore for a few weeks. Figured out it was my grip and closed at the top, more so half way down and crazy closed at impact. Sorted out the grip and for a brief interlude played quite nicely. Rather than stop there though I have now managed to find the heel/hosel of every club in the bag.

I had one surreal dream-like range session where I hit the best 60 balls I can hit and all relaxed and no swing thoughts at all. Next range session started the same and then the dreaded hosel shots started. Plyaed yesterday and first 9 holes were disastrous and then focussed on making sure I didn't sway and bingo the middle of my irons got a workout but was still heeling the long clubs. Popped to the range afterwards to sort them out and again started to hit the hosel of my irons. Used an empty basket to make sure I wasn't OTT and bingo the middle of the driver and realised my right shoulder was probably forwards and open at address. Sorting that out resulted in everything coming off the middle of every club. Sorted....

Back to the range last night before a committee meeting and some lovely 7 irons followed by another sudden onset of hosel shots. Dammit. Basket in place and improved then used my driver and things clicked into place again although didn't return to the 7 iron. Plan to go to the range today and start with the driver/headcover drill (basket in my case!) and hope that gets a decent swingpath working and then move back to my irons.

So a long tale of woe but a single question really...could toe shots AND heel shots both be caused by the same flaw? Have I been OTT throughout and either closing or opening the club face at impact??

I have 2 important Foursomes matches looming and things aren't looking positive!

I do have a lesson next Tuesday but that's not soon enough for one of the matches...

Any ideas oh wise ones??

 

[bobmac]

If you're OTT, your swing will be steeper into the ball and swinging in towards your body....not a good thing.
The basket drill is keeping the clubhead on a better approach line and giving better contact.
Try and feel the clubhead stays left of the red line in the picture (inside) for as long as possible.
This should help you feel where the club should be.
I've selected Michelle Wie as I know you are the image of her

 

[AmandaJR]

Thanks Bob I'll try and keep that image and get a feel for it on the range later.

I smile more than she does but otherwise....

 

[One Planer]

Could it be, and this is me speaking from my own experience here, that you are over thinking the aspects of your swing and making it a little mechanical?

 

[AmandaJR]

Could it be, and this is me speaking from my own experience here, that you are over thinking the aspects of your swing and making it a little mechanical?

I agree and have lost alot of feel since my strike issues began and do worry I flit from theory to theory about it and go round in circles.

I have really been trying to swing without technical thoughts and achieved it in that one range session and it was truly amazing and an eye opener. Very hard to maintain that when a few really bad strikes start to happen.

It all feels a real struggle at the moment and is very demoralising. I have seriously contemplated just walking away from the game but we have a week in Portugal in May and 7 rounds booked!

 

[One Planer]

I agree and have lost alot of feel since my strike issues began and do worry I flit from theory to theory about it and go round in circles.

I have really been trying to swing without technical thoughts and achieved it in that one range session and it was truly amazing and an eye opener. Very hard to maintain that when a few really bad strikes start to happen.

It all feels a real struggle at the moment and is very demoralising. I have seriously contemplated just walking away from the game but we have a week in Portugal in May and 7 rounds booked!

Sounds to me like you're putting a little too much pressure on yourself.

This is pretty much what I did throught the tail end of last season. So much so infact it began to hold me back.

Sounds like you're doing something similar.

 

[Heidi]

Mand!!! you PROMISED me you'd stop thinking!!
You can play golf - but you cant play if you think about every shot

remember back to how you felt last time you had a great round - relaxed, contented, zen-like
try to recreate that feeling

you must be as tense as a tense thing

 

[Scottjd1]

Have you considered Stack & Tilt, i hear its quite good....

 

[AmandaJR]

Sounds to me like you're putting a little too much pressure on yourself.

This is pretty much what I did throught the tail end of last season. So much so infact it began to hold me back.

Sounds like you're doing something similar.

Yep and a character trait which isn't always a good thing as I always strive too hard and get too obsessive. I hate the fact that golf has become too all-consuming and has a huge impact on my emotional state. I need to get topside of that and learn to just enjoy the game but it's not easy to change what I am. Fortunately drugs and alcohol have never appealed!!

 

[One Planer]

Have you considered Stack & Tilt, i hear its quite good....

Easy now :smirk:

 

[AmandaJR]

Mand!!! you PROMISED me you'd stop thinking!!
You can play golf - but you cant play if you think about every shot

remember back to how you felt last time you had a great round - relaxed, contented, zen-like
try to recreate that feeling

you must be as tense as a tense thing

I know and I have really tried and think I tried too hard to recreate the "zen state" and of course I can't make myself relax..

I am pretty much tied up in knots and if I was more flexible would literally be so!

Plan is to hit the range and start as I did just a few days ago which was so relaxed and in some sort of surreal bubble. Trust my swing and trust my ability and stop doubting and questioning. I am a bit of a control freak though so giving up control isn't something I find easy.

 

[Curls]

At the risk of repeating the word Zen in this thread, Zen Golf by Joseph Parent is a good read.

I was in exactly the same place last year, nearly did my nut with technical stuff, I know you know you still need good technique to strike the ball so there's no point in me saying it doesn't matter, however if you can find one swing thought that allows you to hit the ball well on the course and focus more on what you're going to do before you step up to hit the ball you'll do much better. You can overdo it at the range, I know I did, get out and play and enjoy yourself, even if you don't score great no one is going to think any differently of you.

When you're at address the thinking should be over, you should just send the ball off to its target, I'm sure you've had this feeling when you were playing well. Like I say I was so tied up in knots last year I felt like I could have walked away, this year I'm more relaxed about the technical, our first medal was on Saturday and I won with 81, and I can honestly say if I could putt it would have been very low (missed 5 tillders). I'm striking the ball well most of the time and doing my best to put it right the rest, its a better attitude to take to the course than one which allows you to beat yourself up. Its only a game

 

[AmandaJR]

At the risk of repeating the word Zen in this thread, Zen Golf by Joseph Parent is a good read.

I was in exactly the same place last year, nearly did my nut with technical stuff, I know you know you still need good technique to strike the ball so there's no point in me saying it doesn't matter, however if you can find one swing thought that allows you to hit the ball well on the course and focus more on what you're going to do before you step up to hit the ball you'll do much better. You can overdo it at the range, I know I did, get out and play and enjoy yourself, even if you don't score great no one is going to think any differently of you.

When you're at address the thinking should be over, you should just send the ball off to its target, I'm sure you've had this feeling when you were playing well. Like I say I was so tied up in knots last year I felt like I could have walked away, this year I'm more relaxed about the technical, our first medal was on Saturday and I won with 81, and I can honestly say if I could putt it would have been very low (missed 5 tillders). I'm striking the ball well most of the time and doing my best to put it right the rest, its a better attitude to take to the course than one which allows you to beat yourself up. Its only a game

I agree 100% and need to sort my head out. Spookily enough I just opened Zen Golf and am off to collect a relative from the airport later so that will keep me occupied whilst I wait!

 

[Curls]

I agree 100% and need to sort my head out. Spookily enough I just opened Zen Golf and am off to collect a relative from the airport later so that will keep me occupied whilst I wait!

Good stuff, I've recommended that a few times on the forum and do so wholeheartedly, if you can absorb even part of it you'll find yourself playing better golf, enjoy it's a great read

 

[One Planer]

In your case I don't think a break is a bad idea Amanda to be honest.

I did the same end of last season. I took a 10 day sabatical and just stayed clear of anything golf related.

When I came back to it all mechanical thoughts had pretty much gone and left me free to focus on the basics.

I know people will say you can't fix it if you're not playing or getting professional help in the form of lessons, but getting the mental side right is equally, if not more, important than the physical side.

 

[Curls]

the mental side right is equally, if not more, important than the physical side.

Agree with this Gareth, hopefully the book she has just opened will allow her to look at herself and her game differently, it did with me. I didn't take any break but the next round I played after reading this short book through was totally different chiefly because I focussed more on the here and now (and less on the missed shot two holes ago or the difficult tee shot two holes ahead) and more so the sudden realisation that if I didn't play well I'd still come home and my loved ones would still love me and the world would keep on turning. Believe it or not I put so much worth into my golf and to how people perceived me through my golf that I totally lost sight of the fact that nobody cares. Well, they don't care as much as me if I don't do well. It easier to strip your mind of all the technical stuff when you realise you're out playing a game and its supposed to be fun: put the ball on the fairway, put the ball on the green, put the ball in the hole - its something lots of folk take for granted but some of us (i.e me) need reminding!

 

[garyinderry]

sounds like you over thinking it alright. this statement here screams it at me.

Figured out it was my grip and closed at the top, more so half way down and crazy closed at impact.


the last thing im thinking about at these places is my grip and what its like at these stages. i play with a fella who is constantly looking at check points throughout the practice swings and im sure he ties himself in knots. ive seen him swing at the ball while looking back at his backswing. this is KER-AZY! he knows the mechanincs of the swing but as someone said he doesnt let it flow or gets bogged down in minute details causing big problems.

if you seen me swing a club you would know that you dont need to get into perfect prositions to hit irons well. woods and drivers can be a different story!

 

[Heidi]

I know and I have really tried and think I tried too hard to recreate the "zen state" and of course I can't make myself relax..

I am pretty much tied up in knots and if I was more flexible would literally be so!

Plan is to hit the range and start as I did just a few days ago which was so relaxed and in some sort of surreal bubble. Trust my swing and trust my ability and stop doubting and questioning. I am a bit of a control freak though so giving up control isn't something I find easy.

Oh I know how hard it is to switch off - you just need to find a way - the book might work for you! If not, it should be a good read.

Its an evil game that gets inside your head - and you have to stop it getting to you.

the back/hit theory from Timothy Gallwey in the Inner game of golf tries to stop you from thinking - here is a vid of the back/hit. Its supposed to stop Self 1 (the thinking bit) from trying to control Self 2 (the part of your brain that actually does know how to hit a ball). (bit American and cheesy but this will save you reading the whole book! http://golfgooroo.com/mastering-your-mind/)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5g5LP4ajQ8

You know that you can hit a ball - Self 2 - the unconscious bit of you - can put a round together. then Self 1 steps in and says - wait a mo - that wasnt a good hit, let me analyze that for you...

thats when your game falls to bits!

fingers crossed some of the tips from the head doctors will work to get you back on track! xx

 

[AmandaJR]

Oh I know how hard it is to switch off - you just need to find a way - the book might work for you! If not, it should be a good read.

Its an evil game that gets inside your head - and you have to stop it getting to you.

the back/hit theory from Timothy Gallwey in the Inner game of golf tries to stop you from thinking - here is a vid of the back/hit. Its supposed to stop Self 1 (the thinking bit) from trying to control Self 2 (the part of your brain that actually does know how to hit a ball). (bit American and cheesy but this will save you reading the whole book! http://golfgooroo.com/mastering-your-mind/)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5g5LP4ajQ8

You know that you can hit a ball - Self 2 - the unconscious bit of you - can put a round together. then Self 1 steps in and says - wait a mo - that wasnt a good hit, let me analyze that for you...

thats when your game falls to bits!

fingers crossed some of the tips from the head doctors will work to get you back on track! xx

At my last lesson my coach refused to talk technical and in fact worked on the "back-hit" theory and I went out just doing that for the next few rounds and it did really help. Bought the book and I have to say it is the best of it's type I've read (and I've read a heap of them). The surreal range session was using tips from the book and I do believe in it but then think I try too hard to make it work - doh!

Range session was a lot better. Started with lots of swings to get some feel (eyes closed on many) and then just got my set up tight and right and let it flow from there. Finished with some great drives without the need for any drills etc and left with a smile on my face :thup:

 

[chrisd]

When the swing goes wrong Amanda I always revert back to one drill - feet together, ball centered, nothing more than a 7 iron and gently ease the ball away - it's amazing how often problems in the swing are resolved with this simple drill!