Swing change how long ?

[Tab373]

Hi have been struggling with my swing for last year so took a lesson today. He asked how quick I wanted it fixed as it won't be over night.this is why so many people revert back to there old swing coz don't see instance results. I had guessed that but the pro I went to had attended a seminar with leadbetter and the question leadbetter asked was how long do you think a top 40 money list player would take to adjust to just moving his top hand to make it a little strong. I guessed 2 months but apparently could be up to 18 months coz that movement will cause the club to be on a different plane and so on. I don't think I want to wait that long but the lesson was a real eye opener and would highly recommend a lesson for anyone struggling as I can already feel a difference. But must be patient

 

[MC72]

Turkeys don't vote for Xmas, it's not in a pro's financial interest to have you fixed in 1 lesson. Not all pro's are mercenaries but some will put their income before your positive swing outcome.....so to speak.

 

[Tab373]

Turkeys don't vote for Xmas, it's not in a pro's financial interest to have you fixed in 1 lesson. Not all pro's are mercenaries but some will put their income before your positive swing outcome.....so to speak.

Can I just say I haven't booked another lesson as when I asked him how many he would recommend he said come and see me in a month and he will check I'm still getting in the right position. No strong sale in fact was £22 for half hour lesson which was actually 1hr 20 mins long but not extra charge just £22

 

[One Planer]

I started my main change 2 years ago.

I'm now at the point where the majority of the work is done and I can fine tune.

I've gone from hitting a pull/pull fade/slice to hitting a nice draw with a hook when I get it wrong.

The change wasn't one big change, but a series of smaller changes aimed towards a final goal.

This winter I'll focus on what caused me the most issue this season. My driving.

 

[DCB]

I undertook a series of lessons back in 2009. Had six lessons over three months, spent a lot of range time between lessons. Went back and did the same again the next spring and again spent many hours on the range. I probably have a greater understanding of what the golf swing is supposed to do, but, it stopped me enjoying my golf for a long time. If it's a fundimental change it will not be a quick, easy process. It takes lots of practice to ingrained what you are told on the lesson tee.

Was it worth it .... yes 😉

 

[duncan mackie]

Can I just say I haven't booked another lesson as when I asked him how many he would recommend he said come and see me in a month and he will check I'm still getting in the right position. No strong sale in fact was £22 for half hour lesson which was actually 1hr 20 mins long but not extra charge just £22

Sounds like you have found a good pro - everything you say he's said and done points to a competent professional.

 

[simplyme]

I carried out a swing & grip change in summer 2013. It has taken over 2 years to get it working consistently, and that was hitting over 500 balls a week. My H'cap went from 9 to 12 in that time but it was for the best and I knew I would come out the other end a better golfer for it. H'cap as I sit today is 6.9.

 

[Alex1975]

1000 reps or 100 hours is what they say to make something natural.

 

[Region3]

I've always thought I struggled to change anything, but had only ever used (and had pros use) video and eyeballs.

I've had a couple of lessons now with another pro who uses a launch monitor.

The first time I had a path around 4° out to in. By the end of the lesson I was consistently around 1° in to out.

Went away and practised, had another lesson about a month later and I was 4-5° in to out!
I couldn't believe how much I'd changed my path in just a few weeks.

By the end of that lesson I was back to almost neutral, and have been practising again since. Hopefully I won't have gone back too far the other way.

I seem to have been able to change relatively quickly which surprised me, the hard part is changing just the right amount.

 

[the_coach]

Hi have been struggling with my swing for last year so took a lesson today. He asked how quick I wanted it fixed as it won't be over night.this is why so many people revert back to there old swing coz don't see instance results. I had guessed that but the pro I went to had attended a seminar with leadbetter and the question leadbetter asked was how long do you think a top 40 money list player would take to adjust to just moving his top hand to make it a little strong. I guessed 2 months but apparently could be up to 18 months coz that movement will cause the club to be on a different plane and so on. I don't think I want to wait that long but the lesson was a real eye opener and would highly recommend a lesson for anyone struggling as I can already feel a difference. But must be patient

some stuff maybes to take into consideration
it only takes a short time for a Pro to see where the root issues lie and where to begin to start to effect change and those changes are then under that closely monitored instruction so it's a ways easy to get a 'student' after a few swings to see a marked improvement
- the key being 'closely monitored' - so stuff gets put back in order more or less instantly after each shot and it's a ways easy to see 'instant' improvements

difficulty then that occurs goin forwards is twofold

as with lone practice after a lesson folks are reliant on 'remembering' correctly the changes involved
- so they don't flip back into the old comfortable set-ups and swing motions which will be the default situation folks have got to guard against -

- and for sure 'feel to real' in this through practice is notably unreliable -

as to why it's crucial to monitor practice with rigor by using the cell fone, or tablet to video each session to compare with the video from the lesson/s progess

real high level ams or Tour Pro's approach swing changes a different ways to folks as whole a certain extent
- when making those changes it will be specifically about getting that address posture, or grip hold or the new motions in the swing down as they should be -
even if that means the shots results(strike) are not quite there from the get-go

- as we know we can get strike back as soon as we can bed the new move/s within our signature tempos, rhythm, balance - actually hitting the ball good in practice first off is secondary
- maybes you of course may be different but most folks I've worked with are overly concerned about strike, shot outcomes from the very first swings within a change
whilst that is understandable and something that in the end is definitely crucial it's about getting the change/s within the motion even if at the get-go that means strike/shot outcome is a tad off
- realize this may seem a ways counter-intuitive but that's largely the way it works

that kinda practice at first tends more to be block practice with say a mid iron if it's a full swing motion thing - but it's important that gets quickly moved onto doing this through the whole bag and doesn't remain just a comfortable 7i/6i thing through countless baskets of balls

said twofold - because the second part is the change/s have to be in the motion so ultimately they stand up to the outside pressure of making a score out on the track

so it's a ways crucial also at the range that the 'block practice' gets moved onto to 'random pressure practice'
so a different club picked for each shot
the shot is lined up with the psr used on the course
and these alternate club shots (so like a 6i - driver - pw - 4i - 9i - 3 metal etc.) and distances are sent to a target at a different part of the range so out leftfield, rightfield on diagonals not just out 'straight'

having access to have periodic practice on a launch monitor once the Pro has given you the few #'s that are important to the change trying to be made and should be looked at can speed up swing change exponentially

so it's not just a drag and hit, drag and hit being lined up square with the mat or the grass range straightout in front at 90º to the practice station with each different club each time
- but pick the line from behind the ball & all that stuff that should happen out in play
- then there's more of the 'one ball' random pressure being applied to bedding in the changes not just 100 balls drag and hit block practice
that ways it easier for the changes then to stand up in real play out on the course
good practice with regular catch-up sessions with the Pro will help bed stuff in a good ways quicker - quicker still with a LM

thing that makes changes not bed in at all or take a long long time is bad practice solely drag and hit balls with no video monitoring at all and just total reliance on 'feel to real'

 

[Tab373]

I've a vid of swing before and a picture of top position for a guide will work on my own with help of a iPhone and a swim arm band on my right arm which I'm sure will get a few odd looks and will have a recap in a months time. There are a few other issues but need to learn the main position first. Thanks for all the feedback

 

[Backsticks]

Turkeys don't vote for Xmas, it's not in a pro's financial interest to have you fixed in 1 lesson. Not all pro's are mercenaries but some will put their income before your positive swing outcome.....so to speak.

Surely its the otherway around. If the 18 months for a top 40 pro to make a small swing change is correct, then what hope for the amateur. We are talking years. So really no point going for lessons at all - the time it will take you to gain any benefit from it is too far away to make it worth bothering with. Just play with what you have and avoid chasing swing changes.

 

[Capella]

Surely its the otherway around. If the 18 months for a top 40 pro to make a small swing change is correct, then what hope for the amateur. We are talking years. So really no point going for lessons at all - the time it will take you to gain any benefit from it is too far away to make it worth bothering with. Just play with what you have and avoid chasing swing changes.

I disagree. It has something to do with how our brain works. A tour pro, who practices and plays on a daily basis, will have his swing ingrained in his brain like a big fat data motorway. Our brain is pretty good at building new pathways (and therefore it is possible to experiment with a new swing and see the results pretty quickly), but very bad at forgetting old ones. The more established the old pattern is, the longer it will be until the new movement can take over. The pro will be able to perform the new swing when he concentrates on it, but as soon as he is focused on something else, the body will automatically switch back to the old pattern. It is this overwrite that takes so long. For a weekend warrior, that transition period is going to be shorter, not longer.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Started with some changes last winter and was oh so positive about this year. Had some issues so my golf has been a write off and the handicap has risen but those changes are still holding up, with a few tweaks over the summer.

A winter of consolidation and a short game to die for and a big 2017 ahead. It' took at good three months (Nov 15 until Jan 16) to get the big change in terms of posture, path and temp anywhere near right. Many an embarrassing shank off the bay wall in the process but you have to stick with it. The guy I see is very good and as far from a pushy cash before advancement as you can get

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I've been working at it for 18 months, it's been a big change and while my swing is totally transformed, it is by no means natural. I honestly don't know where the end is but I think I am at the stage now where I need more time to practice and I just don't have that time. I'll keep up with the lessons (roughly every 6 weeks) because I enjoy them and there is no doubt they are working. Hopefully now the major changes are complete I will be able to play without thinking about my swing but we will see.

 

[Curls]

Got down to 8.6 last year and crept up to 9 by winter. I then underwent some swing changes. I still don't think it is "natural" and I lost all consistency so much that last weekend was my first buffer in about 12 comps, I've gone steadily up to 11 this year.

BUT.

I feel like I'm a better golfer now than I was at 8.6, I've just lost the knack of scoring consistently. My good shots are far better than I was capable of last year. I reckon there’s a low round in me before the season ends and look forward to playing more this winter instead of tinkering.

Was it worth it? Yes.

 

[Khamelion]

Depends on how often you will practice to start to ingrain the changes the teaching pro is telling you, Practice everyday then it might take you 12 to 18 months it may take longer or be shorter, the length will depend on your determination and the quality of your practice.

For myself, I've started playing 5yrs ago I play a couple of times a week sometimes less depending on work and weather and it's taken me that long to start to hit a decent ball, I still lapse in to old ways when I don't concentrate, but for me with little or no practice, over 5yrs to change my swing.


**Edit And if you want to equate better swing/playing better to a lower handicap, then my experience is that it ill get worse before it gets better, I started 17.1, I peaked at 21.2 and two weeks ago I got my first large cut of 1.1, so now my HC is 20.2 (it was 20.1 but I NR'd last week and got 0.1 back)

 

[louise_a]

An interesting and timely thread, last winter I worked on changing my swing with the pro I go to for lessons, sadly I couldn't get into it and struggled so much at the start of this season that I spent the next couple of months trying to get my old swing back. Performance wise my whole season has been a disaster, with my handicap 1.5 higher than at the start.

With the season nearly over I am debating whether or not to have another at the changes this winter.

 

[Curls]

An interesting and timely thread, last winter I worked on changing my swing with the pro I go to for lessons, sadly I couldn't get into it and struggled so much at the start of this season that I spent the next couple of months trying to get my old swing back. Performance wise my whole season has been a disaster, with my handicap 1.5 higher than at the start.

With the season nearly over I am debating whether or not to have another at the changes this winter.

Sounds like a similar story to mine, other than I've stuck with the changes, but I just think what's missing from both our games is consistency and the ability to score. I spent so many rounds this year trying to force this or that, last weekend I basically didn't expect anything and just kept the ball in play, much fewer heroics, much better result. Missed a bag load of putts due to being rusty, hadn't played in a while. But like I say the better shots in that round were better than anything I could have played last year, so surely it's worth it to get to the next level? I reckon I had reached the plateau with my old swing.

 

[bobmac]

Piece of string how long