Starting from scratch

[patricks148]

And i don't ,mean handicap wise

I’m very inconstant at the moment, one round is one or two over gross the next 15 over!
After talking to one of the very low guys at my club he recommended a local pro who runs the local driving range and Mizuno fitting centre. So went for a lesson two weeks ago and he thought I hit the ball well but with my very short inside backswing I was always going to have trouble from time to time with balls hit from lets say the neck side of the club face. So Yesterday we started from scratch!!!!

I did have a couple of lessons last year with a guy who’s the local SGU coach and does all the up and coming players in the north, uses video etc, but I found he was expecting my body to do things it was just not capable of. If I’m honest he was not that good with some old hacker who at best will be just about cat 1 unlike some of his younger charges who will no doubt go on to be plus figures. We never worked on the same thing twice and never sorted any of the issues.

The new guys wrote down all the problems I told him about and I was really impressed he talked about things ive never ever thought of before and explained them very well and had given me drills to work on for the next two weeks when I see him again.

I’m really pleased I went to him, even though I doubt I will be able to hit the ball for the next few months (Woodhall spa could be a challenge).

So would you start from scratch ?

 

[guest100718]

Im not sure you can start from scratch. If you have a fairly ingrained swing then all you can do is work hard on changing it to what you want.

 

[rickg]

So would you start from scratch ?

Yes but not until after Woodhall Spa............

 

[cookelad]

Yes but not until after Woodhall Spa............

Why, we're only going for a "fun" comp?

I doubt you can 100% start from scratch as your brain and muscles will remember the old swing for a long time while you're trying to teach them something new!

 

[duncan mackie]

I've done it twice!

The first time (15 years ago) was to resolve a similar situation to the one you indicate - my good shots were great, the % was pretty high but 2 or 3 shots a round would cost me 6-7 strokes. Got 'the good guy', worked hard on really boring drills on top of constant checking an rechecking the basics and progress was really being made until the back failed

2 years ago I decided that the bad habits I had got into as a result of poor physical shape (injury, restricted movement etc) simply wouldn't hold up as age rolled on so I started again - this has taken a lot longer but the shoots are finally appearing!

I think there's a danger that in your use of the phrase 'start from scratch' you suggest that you will be tearing up the past - it's not, of course, always like that; although it always feels like it! Basically you generally have to unwrap the layers of compromise you have built up and, for the sake of argument, anyone who makes even a small change will have to do this more than they may think if they really want to move forward.

good luck

 

[clubchamp98]

I am a 56 yr old single figure golfer with much the same problem, as you get older the flexibility goes a bit and your swing changes over time without you realizing.=== This is what has happened to me in a year I have gone from five to seven h/cap and its very frustrating to accept you are struggling.=== Went for a lesson with highly rated pro, and he told me I was to flat in the backswing so some drills,practice etc he was great at showing me the problem and how to fix it but some of the fixes were out of my range of movement so some compromise nessesary.=== This has been the most difficult time in my 30 yr golfing life as I have played some nice golf but some very poor golf .=== On the range where you concentrate on changes NO prob but on the course card in hand bit of pressure different story. == I would say its worth changing as you need to adapt to physical changes === Small steps though a complete revamp of your swing will be very hard, just look how long it takes the pros to change anything and they do it for a living.== Good luck you are never to old to learn just don't think you will start outdriving the big boys it doesn't work I know.

 

[Hacker Khan]

And i don't ,mean handicap wise

I’m very inconstant at the moment, one round is one or two over gross the next 15 over!
After talking to one of the very low guys at my club he recommended a local pro who runs the local driving range and Mizuno fitting centre. So went for a lesson two weeks ago and he thought I hit the ball well but with my very short inside backswing I was always going to have trouble from time to time with balls hit from lets say the neck side of the club face. So Yesterday we started from scratch!!!!

I did have a couple of lessons last year with a guy who’s the local SGU coach and does all the up and coming players in the north, uses video etc, but I found he was expecting my body to do things it was just not capable of. If I’m honest he was not that good with some old hacker who at best will be just about cat 1 unlike some of his younger charges who will no doubt go on to be plus figures. We never worked on the same thing twice and never sorted any of the issues.

The new guys wrote down all the problems I told him about and I was really impressed he talked about things ive never ever thought of before and explained them very well and had given me drills to work on for the next two weeks when I see him again.

I’m really pleased I went to him, even though I doubt I will be able to hit the ball for the next few months (Woodhall spa could be a challenge).

So would you start from scratch ?

Sounds like a nice little earner for your new coach

I suppose if you have the money, time and patience then why not. But on the other hand you have to be careful you are not always chasing the elusive and possibly unattainable dream which will lower your enjoyment of what is after all a pass time, whilst you are trying to get there. If you ever will.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I am a 56 yr old single figure golfer with much the same problem, as you get older the flexibility goes a bit and your swing changes over time without you realizing.=== This is what has happened to me in a year I have gone from five to seven h/cap and its very frustrating to accept you are struggling.=== Went for a lesson with highly rated pro, and he told me I was to flat in the backswing so some drills,practice etc he was great at showing me the problem and how to fix it but some of the fixes were out of my range of movement so some compromise nessesary.=== This has been the most difficult time in my 30 yr golfing life as I have played some nice golf but some very poor golf .=== On the range where you concentrate on changes NO prob but on the course card in hand bit of pressure different story. == I would say its worth changing as you need to adapt to physical changes === Small steps though a complete revamp of your swing will be very hard, just look how long it takes the pros to change anything and they do it for a living.== Good luck you are never to old to learn just don't think you will start outdriving the big boys it doesn't work I know.

It's all relative, some of us would sell our kidneys to be able to play off 7.

 

[patricks148]

Sounds like a nice little earner for your new coach

I suppose if you have the money, time and patience then why not. But on the other hand you have to be careful you are not always chasing the elusive and possibly unattainable dream which will lower your enjoyment of what is after all a pass time, whilst you are trying to get there. If you ever will.

True..ish but i get no enjoyment from playing badly.

For instance i played for the club against Gullane on Sat, 5 birdies, two bogies the rest pars. we then had a social game against them on Sunday morning,pulls, Thins, fats, slices, hooks and Shermans which resulted in 3 lost balls. its was bad with pretty much evey club except the putter.

 

[Alex1975]

For sure I have been through periods of starting from a clean sheet but as has been said, there are still notes left on other pages, I cant blank my memory.

I have stripped my swing down and made it pretty basic so that less bad things can happen. It does leave a little bit of a robotic swing on course but I am putting some personality back into it.

 

[Foxholer]

Why is it that some coaches cannot realise that some players just cannot put themselves into the 'athletic' positions demanded?

I know a dedicated (obsessed even), extremely wealthy, guy who stated he nearly gave up the game because of such fools - and he was seeing 'the best'! He happened upon a Club Pro - in a Pro Am - who helped him work with/within his limitations and is now 'happy' to live with the things he can't improve and concentrate on the things he can! With his separate Gym, Simulator and Trackman 'studio', he's in a reasonable position!

I like Duncan's 'unwrap the layers of compromise' expression. That's the way I would see it happening rather than a 'start from the beginning' process. I wouldn't want to throw away the good parts of current, if flawed, swing purely hoping that the replacement would be better. So I'm an evolutionist rather than a revolutionist.

 

[michaeljpoole]

I am currently in the process of trying to rebuild my swing. I had lessons as a junior but then nothing really for the next 10 years. Turns out i suffered from what I bet a lot of us do. When you start out you slice, so i worked so hard on a draw to develop power as a teenager. Cut to 10 years later i was swinging far too from the inside. meaning i had to flip the hands over to hit it straight. When the timing was on there was no issues, but when the timing was off the big block slices, snap hooks occurred.

Finally I decided it was time to get more consistent, so decided to book in for a series of lessons. I have had 8 hour lessons so far. The pro is trying to work on mainly making sure i take the club back on the correct path (not the inside) with a good shoulder turn. I agree its frustrating at times, but then you see the results of what you have doing just for a few shots when it clicks and its all worthwhile

Although taking it onto the course is another matter! It just requires practice and patience. The bad shots don't seem to be going as far off line but it really does seem so alien changing how you have naturally swung the club for years. I actually had no idea i was coming so far from the inside and then my body turned too soon too so the club got left behind rather than coming over the top on the downswing

 

[CMAC]

Start from scratch? Of course! its what you want, and like me get nadda enjoyment from playing badly especially when you KNOW you can play better.

If you understand your swing and understand what he wants you to do combined with your own body's limitations then there's no way it will take months. I'm in a very small camp apparently that know you should expect and attain instant results from changes, you make a bad swing change and instantly you get bad shots right? So good changes get instant good shots and are easier to be ingrained as they give positive feedback.

I've done it recently via the_coach on here and albeit have only been to the range but I'm striking the ball the way I used to 20 years ago, first medal Saturday.

Go for it Patrick and expect good things.

 

[patricks148]

Start from scratch? Of course! its what you want, and like me get nadda enjoyment from playing badly especially when you KNOW you can play better.

If you understand your swing and understand what he wants you to do combined with your own body's limitations then there's no way it will take months. I'm in a very small camp apparently that know you should expect and attain instant results from changes, you make a bad swing change and instantly you get bad shots right? So good changes get instant good shots and are easier to be ingrained as they give positive feedback.

I've done it recently via the_coach on here and albeit have only been to the range but I'm striking the ball the way I used to 20 years ago, first medal Saturday.

Go for it Patrick and expect good things.

Cheers

Ive only hit the ball with a sort of half swing and they went about the same distance as one of my full swings, so its coming. Im going to hit some balls tonight maybe and again Thursday. he's given me drills on the correct swing path that don't need a club, but just get the feeling of the correct swing.

Like you iexpect some results straight away, good and bad

 

[duncan mackie]

Went for a lesson with highly rated pro, and he told me I was to flat in the backswing so some drills,practice etc he was great at showing me the problem and how to fix it but some of the fixes were out of my range of movement so some compromise nessesary

I would say its worth changing as you need to adapt to physical changes

Small steps though a complete revamp of your swing will be very hard,

I think in this we have the crux of the issue

You are swinging flatter to accommodate your body - normal
You may, or may not, have consciously introduced small changes to counter the unconscious effects of this (grip is a common one)
You can't just swing more upright - and even if you could you would need to unravel what's crept, or been put in, as changes to handle the flatter version!
A sympathetic coach might suggest a series of small changes such as shorter shoulder rotation, splay the feet to facilitate hip turn, slightly open stance and then review the grip to ensure it's holding everything together...but implemented individually you would immediately make an unconscious balancing change to make it work then and there! (these are given as examples that people should be able to relate too rather than as a suggested solution).

 

[USER1999]

I started from scratch at Christmas. It's been hard, but it is just about starting to pay off. My iron play is much better, as are my fairways. My driver is finally getting there after this weekend. I'm a lot more on plane now, so the bad shots are no where near as bad. This is good.

I'd say, if you are willing to put the effort in, it's worth it.

 

[patricks148]

Been out tonight to hot some balls. First few terrible all sorts in there, but then as i relaxed and stopped trying to hit the ball there were some nice hits in there.

Still some way to go but happy so far. next step to try with the driver

 

[HomerJSimpson]

2013 was a horror for me trying to make big changes from the winter of 2012. Took much longer to bed in than I hoped and many rounds a mix of some good and then a few cricket scores per round. I tried to stay positive as I could see the good stuff was paying off and the ball striking was coming. The short game, a whole separate issue, held me back too.

The swing changed plane, address, posture, takeaway and position at impact so the whole shebang. Hard work but necessary to eradicate years of ingrained mistakes. Last winter was more refining the work and so far in 2014 I've had some decent results am hitting it better and enjoying myself. I didn't go right back to absolute basics (although it felt like it at times) but if you are prepared to invest the time and effort, are prepared for the disappointments, minor triumphs, followed by a step back until the bigger picture emerges then why not. He who dares Rodders and if you hate chopping it and want something more consistent then good luck and I hope you find what you are searching for.

 

[the_coach]

And i don't ,mean handicap wise

I’m very inconstant at the moment, one round is one or two over gross the next 15 over!
After talking to one of the very low guys at my club he recommended a local pro who runs the local driving range and Mizuno fitting centre. So went for a lesson two weeks ago and he thought I hit the ball well but with my very short inside backswing I was always going to have trouble from time to time with balls hit from lets say the neck side of the club face. So Yesterday we started from scratch!!!!

I did have a couple of lessons last year with a guy who’s the local SGU coach and does all the up and coming players in the north, uses video etc, but I found he was expecting my body to do things it was just not capable of. If I’m honest he was not that good with some old hacker who at best will be just about cat 1 unlike some of his younger charges who will no doubt go on to be plus figures. We never worked on the same thing twice and never sorted any of the issues.

The new guys wrote down all the problems I told him about and I was really impressed he talked about things ive never ever thought of before and explained them very well and had given me drills to work on for the next two weeks when I see him again.

I’m really pleased I went to him, even though I doubt I will be able to hit the ball for the next few months (Woodhall spa could be a challenge).

So would you start from scratch ?

Wishing you the very best with it, stick with it & am sure you will get good results.

 

[clubchamp98]

It's all relative, some of us would sell our kidneys to be able to play off 7.

I do appreciate that but once you attain a certain standard its very hard to let that go . I did get to three but that was a long time ago. The problem is I still think I could play football in my head but the body says NO , My golf seems to be the same.