Persevering with swing changes

[Oggie41]

Hello all,

After a recent lesson to correct occasionally skying my drives, my pro has told me to work on keeping my head behind the ball at impact, instead of getting my head/upper body too far in front of the ball. When I've worked on this change to my swing at the range my ball striking/flight has really improved. The problem I've found is taking my new swing to the course.

I'm finding it pretty frustrating at the moment as my short game is really starting to come together, but my scores are actually going up due to wayward driving. I don't know if the main problem is that I'm now thinking too much about my swing positions when I play, instead of keeping it relaxed? Maybe it's just a case of not trusting my new swing yet, which causes me to not fully commit to the shot? Hopefully it will all click into place soon as I really don't want many more rounds like the one I had today!!

Have many of you guys been through periods of making changes to your swing and wrecking your scores in the short term, but benefiting in the long term? Guess I just need some hope...

 

[TonyN]

How long have you been working at the new swing.

Swing changes always take a while to bed in and bloomin ages to get grooved.

Only when it is completely grooved will you have any chance of taking it out on the course because you shouldn't have any swing thoughts out there. That is what the range is for!

 

[roccokj]

The only way really is to keep swinging and swinging over and over again and you should look for drills that will help with your swing. Through the winter a just made minor tweaks to the swing every week so I wouldn't have too much of a calamity.

 

[Oggie41]

I've been working on it for about a month now. I guess I am been impatient with this one, but I've found other changes I've made to my swing in the past have had a positive impact much quicker.

Maybe I'm just in a bad mood after losing to my mates for the last couple of weeks?!

 

[mono217]

Just persist with it it will work.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I've just had some lessons to change my putting and chipping. These are going great in practice but I can't seem to replicate it on the course. Don't worry. It will come. If you're still having problems why not go back to the pro and ask him to have a 5 minute look to make sure you are doing everything he asked you to do

 

[RGDave]

Have many of you guys been through periods of making changes to your swing and wrecking your scores in the short term, but benefiting in the long term? Guess I just need some hope...

Yes, always....

I never play with exactly the same swing for too long. Once I feel I've grooved the last lesson and got back into shape, it's another lesson!!! I'm mad, but then again I'm chasing 75s not 85s......

 

[CrapHacker]

I take it your pro has given you some drills to work on in practise ?

Ask him to give you just a couple of ideas you can take out on the course as well.

One possibility ;

If you are struggling to keep your head behind the ball is it your set up that's poor ? Do you need to get your weight spread a fraction more on your back foot ? If so, one drill I was given was to take my stance, but then remove my right hand from the grip, and put it on my thigh. Then slide it down my leg a few inches, and regrip the club.

Voila, my head is now a couple of inches behind the ball, with the weight nicely spread.

Just need to concentrate on a low and slow takeaway, and all your weight will be behing the ball at the top, ready to swing through the ball and clonk it miles.

If on the other hand, your set up is good, but you are reverse pivoting on the backswing, then that's a totally diferent problem.

Well I can't help with everything you know, I'm not a pro, just a busybody punter, with bad habits like yourself

 

[The23rdman]

The best thing to do is work HARD on the changes on the practice ground and FORGET about them on the course. On the course if you're concentrating on your mechanics whilst trying to play you're playing golf swing, not golf.

TRUST that the work you're doing on the practice ground will pay off and just play golf.

On the course one swing thought is enough so try and figure one out on the practice ground that helps.

It pays to work on your mechanics for 6 balls then, keeping your swing thought in mind, hit 3 or 4 balls exactly as you would on the course using your pre shot routine and imagining a target. That way you'll embed quicker what you're learning and be able to translate it to regular play quicker.

The most important thing is to go easy on yourself though.

 

[JustOne]

It pays to work on your mechanics for 6 balls then, keeping your swing thought in mind, hit 3 or 4 balls exactly as you would on the course using your pre shot routine and imagining a target. That way you'll embed quicker what you're learning and be able to translate it to regular play quicker.

Good advice this. I always practice half dozen, then rip 3 or 4 then practice half dozen, etc.

At home in the garden: practice swinging in very, very slow motion helps ingrain your swing. Swing so slow that you're hardly moving and your body will learn all the positions of your swing.... just make sure they are all correct!

 

[The23rdman]

It pays to work on your mechanics for 6 balls then, keeping your swing thought in mind, hit 3 or 4 balls exactly as you would on the course using your pre shot routine and imagining a target. That way you'll embed quicker what you're learning and be able to translate it to regular play quicker.

Good advice this. I always practice half dozen, then rip 3 or 4 then practice half dozen, etc.

At home in the garden: practice swinging in very, very slow motion helps ingrain your swing. Swing so slow that you're hardly moving and your body will learn all the positions of your swing.... just make sure they are all correct!

Slow motion swings is great advice too. It helps you be aware of all the little movements and feelings that we shut out during the swing.

 

[Oggie41]

The best thing to do is work HARD on the changes on the practice ground and FORGET about them on the course. On the course if you're concentrating on your mechanics whilst trying to play you're playing golf swing, not golf.

Although I can see the wisdom in this, I'm not sure it will work for me. Because the swing change isn't yet ingrained, if I don't consciously think about the new mechanics when I play I tend to revert back to my old swing (I’m a bit simple like this!). If I was to do this for a 4 hour round then I think I'd be taking a step backwards in terms of progress. Maybe spending more time at the range and not actually playing for a couple of weeks could be the answer.

 

[marmar]

How long have you been working at the new swing.

Swing changes always take a while to bed in and bloomin ages to get grooved.

Only when it is completely grooved will you have any chance of taking it out on the course because you shouldn't have any swing thoughts out there. That is what the range is for!

Top advice there - I had some swing changes made by my pro - worked a treat on the range where all I had to think about was swing thoughts. Full of confidence I went to the course and really struggled - couldn't think my way around the course and my swing together (no multi-tasking skills HID would say). Demoralised, I went back to the range and worked on grooving the swing - now I feel I don't need to think all the way through the swing and it's translating itself out on the course. Stick with it.

 

[The23rdman]

The best thing to do is work HARD on the changes on the practice ground and FORGET about them on the course. On the course if you're concentrating on your mechanics whilst trying to play you're playing golf swing, not golf.

Although I can see the wisdom in this, I'm not sure it will work for me. Because the swing change isn't yet ingrained, if I don't consciously think about the new mechanics when I play I tend to revert back to my old swing (I’m a bit simple like this!). If I was to do this for a 4 hour round then I think I'd be taking a step backwards in terms of progress. Maybe spending more time at the range and not actually playing for a couple of weeks could be the answer.

That was kind of the point I was making. You work HARD on the range, but also focus between shots on making unconscious swings as you would on the course. By changing back and forth your unconscious mind will recognise what you're trying to achieve much quicker.

 

[RGDave]

The best thing to do is work HARD on the changes on the practice ground and FORGET about them on the course. On the course if you're concentrating on your mechanics whilst trying to play you're playing golf swing, not golf.

TRUST that the work you're doing on the practice ground will pay off and just play golf.

On the course one swing thought is enough so try and figure one out on the practice ground that helps.

THIS is the way to go!! I only use one swing thought at a time once on the course (can't multi-task!) and just let whatever happens happen...