Swing assessment session

USER1999

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I am about to immerse myself into the world of golf lessons, for pretty much the first time in 30 years. This has been brought about by going back up to 10, and the feeling that in order to return to single digits, and stay there, I need to change something. I can no longer continue to hit it like a cream puff, miss every fairway, and nearly every green, and expect my short game to dig me out.

I have selected a coach, mainly on the basis of him working at a driving range I drive past on my way home. I appreciate that this is not the way a lot would choose, but having no experience of golf coaching to base a judgement on, it is as good as any in my view.

I had a one hour assessment last night, and will have my first lesson (one hour) next Monday.

Sat in the office, waiting, I read some of the notices he had pinned up. One was average swing speeds, ball speeds, heights, and carries for the PGA tour and the LPGA tours. I guess I belong on the LPGA tour, as their figures correspond very closely to mine.

Another was a chart stating the following:

Woods: 25%
Putting 45%
Short pitches 18%
Short / Mid irons 8%
Long irons 4%

Something like that anyway.

What club would I like to hit better? Long irons. Why? According to this, they might as well come out of the bag.



The assessment:

Sat in the office, the first half hour is a seemingly random set of questions, some golf related, some not. Quite a big sheaf of paperwork gets generated. The golf bits relate to how I see myself as a golfer, where I see myself going, and what attributes would I have if I were to get to my goal (solid single figures, say 7, in 6 months).

For instance, what does a 7 handicapper do better than a 10. Not just in terms of 'hits 5% more fairways, 10% more GIR', but in terms of how does he do this. What makes him a 7? What makes the 10 h/c 3 shots worse?

What are the strengths in my game, and what do I do differently to make these aspects of the game different to the weaker parts. What are the weaker parts, etc.

We did a bit on ball flight laws, just to check I had a clue as to what makes certain shots work. Not new to me, so we moved on.

Hitting balls:

I hit a few 6irons. Not brilliantly, but ok. Was asked what I was doing, and obvious answer is just hitting them. (a bit high, not enough draw for my liking).

I was then given a wedge, (58 or 54, not sure which), and told to hit a shot at a bucket, about 40 yards away, with the ball going no more than 12 foot off the ground. First shot shanked it big time, second was not too bad. I then had to explain what I had done, in terms of shot making to get the ball to do what it had done.

For any one who has not done this as an exercise, it is pretty uncomfortable, and not some thing I am used to having to explain. It is a bit like lying on the floor, and dictating written notes as to how you would give instructions to someone to stand up.

We then went back to the 6 iron, with the instructions to hit a 5 yard draw, over the right edge of a bunker, pitching 160 yards away. I had some small success with this. And again, had to explain what I was doing to get this shot.

Back in the office:

We discussed that a lot of my issues on the course were probably focus issues. That I have a definite focus for pitching, chipping, even for punching out from under trees. What I lack is the focus when I am faced with hitting an 8i into the middle of the green. The simple becomes too simple almost. I have shot 75 before, so there is no real need to change any thing technical, I just need to equip myself with the tools to allow myself to do it more eften.

What I am to do this weekend, is to play every shot with a focus in mind. So an aiming point, a shot shape, a height, and a landing area. I have to think about how I am going to achieve this before each shot. This will not be easy. I do not like thinking on the golf course.
The long term goal of this will be to stand over every shot, and instead of worrying about the outcome, or being totally blank, I will just see the shot I want to make. (this could even eliminate the pull hook on 18, as I am sure my body thinks I want to play this shot).

Technique:

His view on technique is that although I have a good feel for what the club (and myself) need to do to get the desired results, I am making it harder for myself by getting a few things wrong. He likened it to walking with my laces tied together. If he can find the right keys to release my swing, and make it more efficient, then I can add power and consistency without changing too much.
By working a lot on feel, focus, and awareness, then he will be able to introduce changes along the way, as they make sense, rather than foist them off on me as something I should do that makes no sense at all.
I am sure that technique will creep into the lessons, but it won't be an out and out do this, hands here, hips here type lesson.

He did video my swing, but we didn't bother looking at it. I have seen it before, and he wasn't that fussed.


This could be a long and awkward journey, and it starts on Monday.
 

HawkeyeMS

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Sounds like it could be difficult to adjust to that kind of mentality Murph but will be interested to hear how you progress. Like you I don't think much on the course. I think about where I want to land a chip but never about shot shape flight etec etc. I yhink I would find it tough, not go mention mentally tiring.

Good luck and keep us posted how you get on.
 

MadAdey

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Very interesting Murph to think about what a player who is off a lower handicap does better than yourself. I pretty much now that it is my short game that really lets down and when I play with scratch players they get up and down a lot more than I do.

Will be interesting to see how you get on with this.
 

Oddsocks

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Murph, normally i wouldn't read such a long post but it seems your coach is trying the same route as mine. How can you hit a shot if you don't know what shot your trying to hit so to speak.

It may sound long-winded but i urge you to stick with it, this new approach has seen 2 comp wins, and one joint first in the last month with a HC cut of 1.3, but Sunday i didn't take the visualisation side of the game to the course and i hacked big time, so im sure there is something in it.

On the range im trying different things like you on order to broaden my confidence so to speak, 5 yard draws, 5 yard fades, low punchy shots that you would play into a head wind and so on. stick with it mate, it will come.
 

Curls

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Great write-up, a lot of this spoke to me, will be interesting to hear your progress, 75 eh?! You clearly have the minerals as the man said, good luck and keep us posted.
 

MadAdey

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I got shown when I was 15 about this type of thing from my club pro during a lesson. Never went into it to the depth that you are, but he set me up with a shot routine like this.

Stand about 10 yards behind the ball and facing the ball have an easy practice swing then look up and imagine how you want to see the ball go. Then step straight up to the ball have your normal practice swing and then hit it. Has worked well for me over the last 20 years.
Wish someone could show me what a good chip looks like though. How can you imagine something that you have never done before....:(
 

DaveM

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Now that was a long post worth reading. He sure sounds as if he knows what you need and how to do it. Good luck with it mate. Follow ups will make good reading so stick with it or else.;) ...
 

Region3

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Good read Murph. It sounds a lot better than just hitting some balls and being told what to change about your swing.

Good luck with it :)
 

Mattyboy

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A long post worth reading. I assume that this is a way around not having a facility to do a playing lesson initially. That would identify your strengths, weaknesses and what you are thinking and trying to do first hand to the coach.

Keep a record of each lesson and what was said - its good to refer back to if/when things go pear shaped.

Oddsocks - Does Alex do that with you? I mentioned to him that I may give him a bell for a few lessons.
 

Aztecs27

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Best of luck chief. I'm toying with the idea of some winter lessons if I can afford it (using a 7 iron and Bob's trusty headcover drill and Tour Tempo to change my out to in over the top swing at the mo). This sounds VERY thorough!
 

Oddsocks

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Oddsocks - Does Alex do that with you? I mentioned to him that I may give him a bell for a few lessons.

i have mine with liam and yes thats what we are now doing right now, the soft cuts is fine, but the soft draws end up shanks or snap hooks. Visualizing different things and manipulating them on the range is definetely helping with creativity and confidence on the course, bending balls around the 100 and 150 markers. We often take a part of the course where i would be blocked out say from a tree on a dogleg etc, and then try and manufacture consistent shots as if i was still attacking the green.

thats the sort of shot a single figure would take on, and the sort a 12 capper would bottle out from. I think the key is "thinking like a single capper"
 

USER1999

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I'm finding a lot of it is do with with engaging the brain, rather than just assuming that a good shot will naturally happen. The shot could still be your 'go to' stock shot, but unless you make it happen, then it probably won't, however good your swing is.
 

bobmac

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I've mentioned this type of thinking several times on here.
I know some people advocate no swing thoughts during or before the shot. They say just use the swing you have that day and trust it. If you're having a bad day, tough.
I've never believed that.
If you know what you do to make a good swing, then you can stand to the ball, reheasrse it then hit the shot.
If you are hoping for the best then good luck.
Whether it is picturing the swing shape or the ball flight or the landing area, at least have something positive to think about rather than just hoping the golfing gods are in a good mood.
 

CMAC

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anyone play football or watch it?

when you kick a ball do you just toe bash it (still takes thought) and hope it goes past the defenders and to the feet of your teammate? or do you 'instinctively' use the inside/outside/instep of your foot to bend/curl/flight the ball to land where you aimed?

So why do so many not do the same with golf?
 

MadAdey

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I think visualising the shot, then being positive and playing it is a good way to play the game. Golf is all about confidence and if you can't see the shot how can you ever be confident to play it. But I think you have to be careful not to try and play beyond your capabilities.

I can stand there at 220 yards, see the green and imagine myself getting the 3 iron out striking it flush, setting it off on a nice trajectory and playing a nice draw into the back corner to get near the hole. In reality there is also a good chance that I will over cook it and that draw will end up more like a hook, or I will bottle it and block it to the right......:(.

I think you have got to see the shot you are going to play, visualise it and commit to the shot. But at the same time be honest with yourself, are you really good enough to play the shot you are seeing?
 

HawkeyeMS

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The difference between golf and football is that with football and many other sports you are reacting to a moving ball. You don't have time to think about your technique, the ball comes, if you're good enough you've already decided what to do with it and your subconcious does the rest.

With golf the ball is stationary, just sitting there asking to be hit. You have all the time in the world to think about the mechanics of what you are doing and it is very difficult to turn that off.
 

USER1999

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I think visualising the shot, then being positive and playing it is a good way to play the game. Golf is all about confidence and if you can't see the shot how can you ever be confident to play it. But I think you have to be careful not to try and play beyond your capabilities.

I can stand there at 220 yards, see the green and imagine myself getting the 3 iron out striking it flush, setting it off on a nice trajectory and playing a nice draw into the back corner to get near the hole. In reality there is also a good chance that I will over cook it and that draw will end up more like a hook, or I will bottle it and block it to the right......:(.

I think you have got to see the shot you are going to play, visualise it and commit to the shot. But at the same time be honest with yourself, are you really good enough to play the shot you are seeing?

But then you assess the shot percentages, and may be rule it out. However, and this to me is the difficult bit, having decided to lay up, I need to put the same concentration into the lay up as I would have done taking on the impossible. Not just go, uhhhh, it's an 8 iron then, and hit and hope.
 
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