Rebuilding Your Swing...

[tallpaul]

Have any of you decided to completely rebuild your swing from the ground up? If so, can you share your experience? I'm interested in where you were when you made the decision, what your goal was, how long it took to reach your goal (if you had one) and how it affected your confidence during the transition?

Cheers,

Paul

 

[G1BB0]

I would bet a fair few have. I know Murph is at present. He is avoiding the course completely whilst doing so.

Tempted myself

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I had a 5 year spell of barely playing and then dropping my membership. When I came back to the game I had some fundamental issues with the swing and decided that after a year of no improvement to get lessons.
I went to Chris Ryan at the Belfry, who has pretty much changed every facet of my swing, but only a little at a time. It's very difficult to hit a golf ball whilst thinking alot, and by the end of lesson, even now when only minor tweaks are being made, I struggle to initiate my swing because of the dreaded "swing thoughts".
It got me down from 10 to 5, so has worked pretty well.

 

[pbrown7582]

I did a few years back was off 13 at the time went to the
Belfry and hacked it around in about 95 including par on 18.
Went up the range and booked a course of lessons, took around 4 months of 5 times a week at range and a lesson every 3 weeks to get fixed properly. Didn't hardly play on course in mean time and confidence was low as didn't know where it was going to go.
Worked out well ended up at lowest of 7.8 and playing some good golf until work accident curtailed for a couple of years.
It's a big commitment and you need to trust the pro.


Is this an idea you have didn't the PYB coaching work that well?

 

[One Planer]

Have any of you decided to completely rebuild your swing from the ground up? If so, can you share your experience? I'm interested in where you were when you made the decision, what your goal was, how long it took to reach your goal (if you had one) and how it affected your confidence during the transition?

Cheers,

Paul

I have. At the start of last season playing off 16.

I 'was' using the Stack & Tilt swing pattern, but decided to move to a more conventional swing under the supervision of a pro.

Started right at the begining. Grip, posture, ball position, weight distribution, take away, backswing plane, everything you could think of had been changed. It took months for the changes to feel natural, but percivered.

I practiced the drills pretty much every night and when my pro was satisfied I was doing it right, we moved on to the next piece of the puzzle.

So far it's going pretty well. My swing is now massively more consistent and it's beng relected in my recent scoring.

I finished last season 2 shots lower than my starting handicap (16 > 14) and hit my new PB about 3 weeks ago (73).

I have another lesson on the 23rd of this months as my 'off season' this year is being dedicated to short game and getting that improved so I can hopefully kick on and get lower this year.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Went thorugh a big rebuild over the winter of 2012. It was hard work and to be honest although the ball striking improved no end in 2013 it was a disappointing season and seemed to take much longer than I had hoped to bed in and be confident. In hindsight I should have held of on the C/F for the Pings but the lure of new shinies was too much.

I am much happier now (apart from my driver and short game but dealing with these at the moment) and looking forward to a much stronger 2014. My teaching pro is happier with where my swing is and showed me a Dec 12 swing compared to Dec 13. Chalk and cheese (yes I know others on here will flag my inherent faults but trust me the ball striking and direction soooo much better). It can be a longer road than you anticipate as my increase from 10.1 to 11.4 showed last year but, once you get it right, it is worth the effort.

 

[patricks148]

I tried last year.. 3 or 4 months of playing badly.

Took on board some of it and con to work on it from time to time.

As a few others have said, its prob best to stay away from the course and medals etc. i had days where i struggles to break 100 after a lesson

 

[USER1999]

It is something iI am doing at present. It is quite a revelation, as every thing is new. I practice at least half an hour every day, and have a lesson when ever I feel the last change is coming naturally. Currently that's once a week. It should take around 3 months, could be more, could be a lot less, depending on how it sticks. It's hard work, but from what I have seen already, it will be worth it.
I am off 9, and don't really care if I don't get any lower, I just want to hit the ball better, which may or may not have other results.

I am also taking the time out to change my short game from off the back foot, to more middle/front foot.

It's been expensive, sums it up.

Especially if I need new irons at the end of it, and I think I will.

 

[davidy233]

In the process at the moment - started having lessons in October intending having three or four - I've got my sixth one on Thursday - as Gill_Elmot said above 'a little at a time' - first one was just posture and stance shocked when i saw the before video) - the couple of weeks after were torture as I could barely hit the ball - every lesson since has added a bit that works, maybe not straight away but I can see the results if I stick with it.

I hit the range a couple of times a week and also try to play at least nine holes twice a week (just practicising at the range wasn't doing my short game any good) - I'm nowhere near being finished with this process but I'm enjoying playing golf more than I ever have.

 

[bladeplayer]

I tried last year but had a difference of opinion with the guy giving the lessons (about repair to club , not the lessons) and stopped going , i found the lessons & me didnt bode well together way too much going through the head standing over the ball , took me ages to get back to enjoying the game again after them .. wouldnt say no to a short game lesson , to sharpen what i have not major change tho

Good Luck

 

[USER1999]

I have tried the little at a time route over the last two years. Yes, my swing has changed, but all the little changes just don't add up. Also, changing my swing every month meant I was never comfortable with it, and always felt a bit new and nervy.

Hopefully, by not playing at all, and grooving a swing without the pressure of playing, will mean when I return, I'll be more confident.

Also, if I get it right now, I won't have to change it again. Result.

 

[Deleted member 15717]

Not a massive rebuild, but just little tweaks (that feel like a rebuild).

I still play whilst undergoing the changes, and try to groove it in play

 

[NST]

I'm doig something similar at the moment. Started paying 18 months ago and joined club a year ago. I now play to around 15/18. I've got a strong grip, which in turns means my shoulders aim right, so I open up my stance to counter this. I also suffer from a low ball flight.

So I've gone back to lessons, with a different pro. We are starting again, yesterday was my first lesson and we are focusing on the grip, weakening it, actually completely changing it. The feeling was so alien to start with, almost as if I'd never hit ball before. We did an hour yesterday and I visited the range on my own today. Ball flight is higher, but now has a fade at the moment. 100 balls each day this week and another lesson Friday.

I won't play for 2/3 weeks and really hope it will all be worth it. The aim is single figures this year.

 

[stevelev]

Have any of you decided to completely rebuild your swing from the ground up? If so, can you share your experience? I'm interested in where you were when you made the decision, what your goal was, how long it took to reach your goal (if you had one) and how it affected your confidence during the transition?

Cheers,

Paul

Hi Paul

Not so much rebuilding but any swing changes will alter the results you are used too. Initially they may be negative results but in time if the drills and practise your pro gives you will lead to better results.

The thing is to think about the end result not the current results. Imagine if you will building a new home, you start with a nice patch of land, gouge a hole in it, fill the hole in a bit, lump all sorts of other stuff onto that. All the while its changing but not looking great except now and then from a certain angle you see a certain something, then as your almost done it starts to look good, people comment on it looking better then you move in and feel comfortable and happy with the results.

Basically speculate to accumulate, stick with it, dont beat yourself up and practise a lot more than you play, and when you do play dont think about the score, lose the pressure and the results will start to happen.

BTW are you still playing with the pings you won?

 

[JustOne]

Mine's going to need rebuilding as I haven't played since late November.

Most people who 'rebuild' their swing aren't rebuilding anything... they're just continuing the journey they were already on. After changing (what they think is...) 3,000 things they still actually have the same swing they started with.

If you are going to have a 'proper' rebuild then you should know where you're trying to get to in terms of your swing, it actually becomes measurable.

I've changed a few times but don't really practice enough to be any good with ANY swing I use, I just seem to knobble it round anywhere from level par to 10 over regardless.

Ideally I'm looking for a swing that'll enable me to shoot level par every time I play without the need to practice, play regularly or even warm up before walking onto the 1st tee ..... of course I also want no swing thoughts whatsoever :thup:

:whoo:

 

[USER1999]

Mine's going to need rebuilding as I haven't played since late November.

Most people who 'rebuild' their swing aren't rebuilding anything... they're just continuing the journey they were already on. After changing (what they think is...) 3,000 things they still actually have the same swing they started with.

If you are going to have a 'proper' rebuild then you should know where you're trying to get to in terms of your swing, it actually becomes measurable.

I've changed a few times but don't really practice enough to be any good with ANY swing I use, I just seem to knobble it round anywhere from level par to 10 over regardless.

Ideally I'm looking for a swing that'll enable me to shoot level par every time I play without the need to practice, play regularly or even warm up before walking onto the 1st tee ..... of course I also want no swing thoughts whatsoever :thup:

:whoo:

To an extent, I agree entirely. It is ludicrously difficult to change your swing, and minute changes, which are invisible to the human eye feel massive, and take ages to get used to, even though they aren't really changes at all. To make real, significant changes, ah, if only....

 

[ScienceBoy]

I agree that those who rebuild are really just continuing down the same path. There is however many mental advantages to feeling like one is starting from a "blank sheet".

My swing is mine, I was born with it and I have to live with it forever. It is the way it is now because of all the things I have done in my golf and my life such as other sports and jobs.

The best I can do is work on the fundamentals as much as possible and the rest will come into place.

Actually that is the one thing I think most swing rebuilders do wrong, they do the fundamentals, move on and never practice the basics again! IMO the fundamentals of a golf swing should only fall second to putting and chipping!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Completely rebuilding the short game. Head so full of mush and conflicting thoughts I had no idea what I was doing. Linear method the way forward. Hit the range last night to work on the pitching technique. Very pleased. I did some work on the practice ground on Sunday with it and although I was taking divots and not quite getting it right the distance control and dispersion were still good. Chipping to address next but I am falling in love with all things short game all over again