Swing Rebuild! Help!

[DaveyG]

Hi Guys,

Had a couple of video lessons which has highlighted how flat I was coming back and how much I come over the top... I tend to hit a small slice with my natural swing I have built... I am up for putting in a fair bit of work until I have a repetative (enough) swing which is going to send the ball out nicely.

The problem is now I am shanking,duffing and topping the ball 50% of the time and connecting well 50% of the time... there is no way I can play a round at the moment.

Like I say I am going to stick to the range for abit until it feels more natural but has anyone gone through something similar when they were striking the ball well until they took on changes and have gone majorly backwards.

If so... how long did it take for things to feel natural etc.
how many hours of practise?

also - I left the range feeling I hadn't hit it well at all today but when I have got back and watched the videos I am definitely swinging alot closer to what I am chasing... The line is getting closer but the connections weren't great.

Really appriciate any comments.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Who were you having video lessons with? If it was a pro I'd have thought he would have given you specific drills to work on and would be able to help you with your problems. I would suggest a lesson is the quickest way back to playing on the course with confidence.

When I have lessons I tend to have at least two range sessions (about 200 balls) to work on drills and bleed the camp gets in before hitting the course. I'm lucky that my pro is on twitter so I can get quick feedback on progress. It is down to each individual as to how long it takes make the changes work but stick with it. Flat isn't necessarily bad and great for one plane

 

[Wabinez]

I am going through a similar thing. I thought I had cracked it on Friday at the range and was feeling really good. I then went to the course and had the 2 worst rounds of golf I have had in a long long time. Now the snow has hit, I guess it will give me plenty of time to hit the range and get things back on track again. Hopefully.

 

[DaveyG]

Who were you having video lessons with? If it was a pro I'd have thought he would have given you specific drills to work on and would be able to help you with your problems. I would suggest a lesson is the quickest way back to playing on the course with confidence.

When I have lessons I tend to have at least two range sessions (about 200 balls) to work on drills and bleed the camp gets in before hitting the course. I'm lucky that my pro is on twitter so I can get quick feedback on progress. It is down to each individual as to how long it takes make the changes work but stick with it. Flat isn't necessarily bad and great for one plane

Cheers Homer!

Yeah it was with a pro and he gave me work on the backswing but I am trying to get the downswing coming back along a similar line.

My pro has said I can email him anytime so I think I might send over a couple of videos. I don't want to have too many lessons close together but also don't see the point in putting so much work in only to be practising the wrong things

 

[golfdub]

I started to hot just a hand full of shanks every 150 balls a while back and when I went back for a lesson he told me if anything like hat happens then get in touch with him and just explain what is going on, so give him a call and hopefully he will be more than happy to help you between lessons.

I'm guessing he may of told you to take the club back on a different line ? More towards out/inside? If this is so the you don't want your downswing coming down on that same line.

 

[SocketRocket]

What did you change?

 

[golfdub]

What did you change?

I was apparently just standing to far away from the ball now and then. also did it on my wedges and it seemed to be that i was taking the club back way to much on the inside.

 

[pbrown7582]

when i did it few years ago it took me 8/10 weeks of 5 nights a week at the range and a 45 min lesson every week.

 

[DaveyG]

Cheers Pbrownl, exactly the type of info I am looking for.

I definitely think I will need the lessons like that as its so easy to practise the wrong thing when you aren't 100%

Just looked at another vid I have emailed my pro and it definitely looks prettier shall we say... doesn't feel it and the ball doesn't seem to think so either.

 

[Curls]

Hi Guys,

Had a couple of video lessons which has highlighted how flat I was coming back and how much I come over the top... I tend to hit a small slice with my natural swing I have built... I am up for putting in a fair bit of work until I have a repetative (enough) swing which is going to send the ball out nicely.

The problem is now I am shanking,duffing and topping the ball 50% of the time and connecting well 50% of the time... there is no way I can play a round at the moment.

Like I say I am going to stick to the range for abit until it feels more natural but has anyone gone through something similar when they were striking the ball well until they took on changes and have gone majorly backwards.

If so... how long did it take for things to feel natural etc.
how many hours of practise?

also - I left the range feeling I hadn't hit it well at all today but when I have got back and watched the videos I am definitely swinging alot closer to what I am chasing... The line is getting closer but the connections weren't great.

Really appriciate any comments.

Hey Dave,

Must be tough undergoing a rebuild, I'm shying away from it at the moment because I had a few lessons when I started golf and instantly played worse than ever. In hindsight it was my own fault, and I actually think back to those lessons quite often as they were mainly about the fundamentals. Will be taking stock soon as the course thaws.

They say if you're working on a swing change you should only concentrate on making a certain move or doing one mechanical thing at a time and not care where the ball goes. Easier said than done, as we all take the ball flight as instant feedback for whether we're doing something right or not. But apparently its more important to focus on the move, then pick a target, go through your routine and try to just send the ball to the target (with max 1 swing thought and something more overall like tempo than "keep the right elbow in"). They also say the further you get away from your body the better your brain processes it as a motor function, again rather than "make sure I'm extending my arm" the mind reacts better to "make a fuller arc with the clubhead" because the clubhead is further away. I dunno. Its science. Cough.

Anyway making videos is all well and good but as you've found there's no instant feedback. One thing I picked up last year on the recommendation of some jolly good forumers was the Swingyde, really neat piece of kit that gives you instant feedback as to the position of your club at the top of the swing. Would also (probably) cut out that overswing, unless you are more supple than a Russian gymnast. Watch this and see if you think it might help, its your man Crossfield, folk here seem to be in love with him, he just happened to be the first hit on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BqNKQVKiXw

Anyway its well worth ~£20 and second only to the V-easy in my ranking of training aids.

By the way it sounds like Im saying you can buy the answer, you know Im not, but this might help. The answer to hitting the ball well is getting to a point where you arent thinking about something mechanical at all and you can just focus on the target, but that really is easier said than done and you have to have a repeatable decent swing to make it happen. Im still working on mine and will be for quite some time, but the greatest golfer who ever lived said you should try to swing a club every day, as much as you can. Even if you're not hitting a ball, get in front of a pane of glass and watch yourself swing a few times then head down and grove that swing in. Dont lose heart, plenty of time before the season starts, best of luck chap



By the way, I was referring to Jack

 

[DaveyG]

Cheers Curls,

Have heard of them. Will look into it now. I definitely think you are right with swinging the club everyday. I had a lob wedge next to the sofa before and kept gripping it every so often to make the neautral swing feel natural and that certainly worked... Hopefully will get a little bit of light after work so I can get out in the garden to practise the swing.

 

[Jensen]

I used to have a really flat swing, but now have a more neutral swing plane. What REALLY helped me was a few drills I found on You Tube. Do a search and check out my thread titled "How to stop your flat swing" it's worth a look as it also deals with shanks.

I'm no expert but check these videos on You Tube they've really helped me.

 

[DaveyG]

I used to have a really flat swing, but now have a more neutral swing plane. What REALLY helped me was a few drills I found on You Tube. Do a search and check out my thread titled "How to stop your flat swing" it's worth a look as it also deals with shanks.

I'm no expert but check these videos on You Tube they've really helped me.

Nice one mate...

Hit 200 balls tonight really taking my time and not focusing where there went... I just wanted 200 attempts at the swing I am chasing and with a lil pointer from a mate on getting it in the slot I was hitting the ball the best I have since the changes... Obviously it really helps for confidence when this happens...

Up until today I had been coming back nicely but couldn't swing back down along/similar to the same line... today I was getting in the slot really well but wasn't quiet taking the club back right... easy to forget one think when focusing on another I guess.

Loads of work to go but some progress atleast.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I spent the first part of the winter working on the backswing. All about getting into the right position. Bit by bit the pro and I then tweaked the downswing but by and large the club got into better position at impact and exiting by default. Getting right going back leads to less compensations coming down.

 

[DaveyG]

Yeah definitely something I need to keep working at. Even if I just practise at home without a ball...

 

[Jensen]

I spent the first part of the winter working on the backswing. All about getting into the right position. Bit by bit the pro and I then tweaked the downswing but by and large the club got into better position at impact and exiting by default. Getting right going back leads to less compensations coming down.

Can't agree more, getting the backswing right makes it far easier on the downswing. Less compensations makes for a better more consistent accurate swing. Get the initial chain reaction right and it falls into place a lot easier.

 

[golfdub]

Can't agree more, getting the backswing right makes it far easier on the downswing. Less compensations makes for a better more consistent accurate swing. Get the initial chain reaction right and it falls into place a lot easier.

+1 on this.

last year when i got my hcp of 11 i thought i would take some lessons to get me don to single figures before the end of the season.
how wrong i was, after my first lesson i couldn't get more than 30 points and reguraly only getting mid 2's the highest i got was 35.
But i carried on taking a lesson every 3-4 weeks and now its just started to fall in place and now im easily scoring 35+ points and by the start of the summer i'm shore i will be hitting single figures.

morale of the story is stick with it and it will be worth all the horrible pain in the end. I thought it would never come together but it finally is so don't panic and just work really hard for even for just 5 minutes a night just grooving your new part of the sing.

good luck

 

[DaveyG]

+1 on this.

last year when i got my hcp of 11 i thought i would take some lessons to get me don to single figures before the end of the season.
how wrong i was, after my first lesson i couldn't get more than 30 points and reguraly only getting mid 2's the highest i got was 35.
But i carried on taking a lesson every 3-4 weeks and now its just started to fall in place and now im easily scoring 35+ points and by the start of the summer i'm shore i will be hitting single figures.

morale of the story is stick with it and it will be worth all the horrible pain in the end. I thought it would never come together but it finally is so don't panic and just work really hard for even for just 5 minutes a night just grooving your new part of the sing.

good luck

Cheers Golfdub,

Its exactly what you need to hear when you have gone from your best and most consistant striking to duffing or shanking 50% of the time...

I hit the ball really well yesterday only when I slowly went through the swing as I started to hit better I got a little faster and I was missing out the dropping into the slot motion.

I brought a decent PGA golf net for the garden but never really used it as I was so bothered on flight of the ball but for the time being it will be perfect to use just to get the motion and initial contact... Might need to get a snow shovel for the backgarden this weekend.

 

[CMAC]

post the vid you sent to the pro

 

[DaveyG]

post the vid you sent to the pro

Its on my comp at home, will post it later. Here is one of the early ones from last night. I feel like it drops in alot more on line now.
(As I said before I know the backswing is abit flat and its something I need to address tonight as I was really moving forward in that department.)

Let me know what you think.

www.swingreader.com/video/view/GpEJbaWp