Practice advice

[Grogger]

I posted on the forum on Monday as I was having a problem with hitting thin shots and topping the ball. Since then I've had a lesson and my instructor diagnosed and sorted it out within 10 minutes. The problem was I was swaying and not rotating my hips enough if at all!!

Walked away from the lesson feeling happy and confident with what I'd been taught. Got on the course today and from the first hole I just collapsed!! couldn't get the ball up and if I did it was a fat shot. Had a video from my lesson and watched it between shots but it didn't help at all. I knew what to do but just couldn't incorporate it into my swing.

After my dreadful round I went to the driving range to see if that would help. Surprisingly It did!! I was happy with about 7 out of every 10 shots.

This isn't the first time I've come away from a lesson and not been able to recreate what I've done with my instructor. To be honest it happens pretty much every time. I almost felt like packing the game in altogether this afternoon but I'm going to persist.

Seeing as I didn't seem to have to much of a problem on the range should I Just stop playing completely on the course and just concentrate on honing my swing on the range for a month or so? Has anyone else had the same problem? I know its probably all in my head but I love this game its just not giving me anything back in return at the moment!!

 

[SocketRocket]

Swing changes take some time to engrain and change your muscle memory. I should keep practising the changes but when playing dont force it too much.

 

[Grogger]

I just can't figure out why I was fine hitting shots at the range but couldn't do it beforehand on the course??

 

[SocketRocket]

I just can't figure out why I was fine hitting shots at the range but couldn't do it beforehand on the course??

The Range is a false golfing environment, theres no rough, trees, uneven ground etc. On the range you also get the chance to replay the shot again and there is no real pressure. Just stick with it

 

[the_coach]

Swing changes take a while for your brain to get used to getting you able to control the unfamiliar new motions, so change from your old familiar motions, & replace with the new ones.

Pretty much if you continue just to try to change whilst just swinging any club at your 'normal' swing speed, you will find it much more difficult to make any of those changes needed -so they stick. Also the extra pressure that being on the course brings in having to get the ball from point A to point B, with all the hazards etc, often makes you speed up what you're doing, so again then you will tend to go straight back to default swing motion mode, so back to the old faults.

Takes a good deal longer than one lesson, couple of practice sessions to change things.

Could also be that the mat on the range is partly helping disguise the fault that maybes is still there on the range a little ways too, but sometimes you can get a little help from club contacting mat first to still get what appears to be a passable shot result.

Swaying off the ball laterally to the right in the takeaway, means to change you'll need your focus to be on from first movement that you upper body turns when the arms/club move away, then the hips must turn, rotate into the right hip socket while you keep some flex still in your right leg, important that you feel your weight 'turning' into the inside of the right foot, you must not let that weight go onto the outside of the right foot.

In range practice sessions use an 8i put the ball on the lowest tee you can (if you have been getting 'help' from the mat this will remove that from the equation) but then make sure you make these new swing motions in a full swing literally at half speed, so a 50% swing motion for the whole full swing, swinging down & through to a held balanced finish.

The point being you're not trying to hit the ball the normal distance your 8i goes, but the really slow swing speed forces you to be much more aware of what you are really doing through the entire swing motion. So if from the get-go you feel you're swaying right weight going to the outside of the right foot, right leg straightening, then stop. Re group your address position & start again, making sure you are turning your weight into the inside of that right foot also with the focus of keeping your head steady & level, not letting the head move laterally to the right a ways

You need to have the discipline to really monitor what your doing, better to work through one basket only, well, with these 50% 8i slow motion swings than hit many more balls at full speed.

 

[DaveM]

One of the best ways I know of to groove the swing is to do it in slow motion with no ball. Stopping the swing when the clubs parallel to the ground, then when the arms are parallel to the ground and at the full swing position. Check at each point all is in track. Then do the same on the way down to the finish. Another good thing about this you can do it inside at home. I'm always doing it in the lounge. Keep away from the light fitting though lol.

 

[Grogger]

One of the best ways I know of to groove the swing is to do it in slow motion with no ball. Stopping the swing when the clubs parallel to the ground, then when the arms are parallel to the ground and at the full swing position. Check at each point all is in track. Then do the same on the way down to the finish. Another good thing about this you can do it inside at home. I'm always doing it in the lounge. Keep away from the light fitting though lol.

Theres hardly room to turn on the spot in my house haha!!

Think I'm going to forget the course for a bit and do 2 or 3 range sessions a week for a while just to get my swing ingrained into my subconscious.​

Really don't ever want to stop playing this game but after 2 years of playing today felt like the first time I'd ever played

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If I have a lesson and make changes I like to have a couple of range sessions to work on these and any drills before going on the course. I want it to feel natural and the last thing I want to do on the course is start having loads of swing thoughts and standing over a shot trying to work out what I'm doing. I find that the range sessions give me a degree of trust and even though the score may not be great at least I'm just standing there and playing the shot without too much thought

 

[Grogger]

If I have a lesson and make changes I like to have a couple of range sessions to work on these and any drills before going on the course. I want it to feel natural and the last thing I want to do on the course is start having loads of swing thoughts and standing over a shot trying to work out what I'm doing. I find that the range sessions give me a degree of trust and even though the score may not be great at least I'm just standing there and playing the shot without too much thought

This is what I'm going to start doing from now on. As soon as I got on the range today I felt I had less to think about other than just hit the ball