Swing thoughts, terrible results

[Sats]

Having possibly one of the worst times of my golfing "career" Drivers gone to pot and even my woods are going awry - hitting them 20 yards and leaving a massive picthmark about an inch after the tee peg.

Irons are hit and miss.

I'm constantly thinking during the swing - hand placement, stance, takeaway, downswing, lifting my arms, not lifting my arms, rotating fully, 3/4 swings, keep my lower half still etc etc etc! Just got too much going on. I tried to not think and just swing and that's that's a gamble as I'd hit a lovely shot one minute, have me thinking that's the key and then the terrible shots come back!

I've got lessons booked and hopefully this may help.

I've gone from scoring 82-88 to now in the 100s!

Is this a blip or is it the start of things to come?!

 

[bobmac]

It sounds as if you are topping the ball, hitting it on the way down.
If possible, you want to hit it on the way up.
You need to either move the ball forward in your stance, level with your big toe
Or
Stop swaying passed the ball and getting ahead of it
Or both.
Whichever you do, you must feel your head behind the ball at all times

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Welcome to my world. Well documented on here and via my blog on my struggles to play with an empty mind instead of having 2,459 different thoughts on every shot. Perhaps not surprisingly I seemed to find an inner peace warming up on Saturday, just hitting shots without worrying about how I was hitting them and went out relaxed and came second

It is hard if you're having lessons and making changes not to have all of those thoughts. Sometimes I simply right a round off almost before starting as I know I'll be guilty of over thinking. As a result the OP many not find his inner peace after the lesson and still have issues thinking. It can be done as I proved to myself Saturday. It's keeping the monkey in the brain quiet every week

 

[chrisd]

Having possibly one of the worst times of my golfing "career" Drivers gone to pot and even my woods are going awry - hitting them 20 yards and leaving a massive picthmark about an inch after the tee peg.

Irons are hit and miss.

I'm constantly thinking during the swing - hand placement, stance, takeaway, downswing, lifting my arms, not lifting my arms, rotating fully, 3/4 swings, keep my lower half still etc etc etc! Just got too much going on. I tried to not think and just swing and that's that's a gamble as I'd hit a lovely shot one minute, have me thinking that's the key and then the terrible shots come back!

I've got lessons booked and hopefully this may help.

I've gone from scoring 82-88 to now in the 100s!

Is this a blip or is it the start of things to come?!

Bruce will sort it for you ??

But are you going to him?

 

[Orikoru]

So you're feeling stifled by too many swing thoughts, and you think the answer is to have a lesson to go and get some more?? Not saying that's right or wrong but it sounds mad to me. Surely better off just forgetting everything for a while and try and get back to something that feels more natural??

 

[HeftyHacker]

So you're feeling stifled by too many swing thoughts, and you think the answer is to have a lesson to go and get some more?? Not saying that's right or wrong but it sounds mad to me. Surely better off just forgetting everything for a while and try and get back to something that feels more natural??

I was in a similar position as the OP through watching too many YouTube vids etc. My pro basically just stripped everything back to 3 things to think about... and after a while they become second nature.

It can help seeing a pro in that scenario. They can help find your swing in amongst the mess.

 

[Slab]

This helped me cut the thoughts in half

Good luck

 

[need_my_wedge]

Was in a similar situation earlier in the year, too many things going on in the head whilst trying to hit the ball (grip, position, take away, tempo, where to stop the back swing, turn, shoulders etc.....). Almost ended up with the yips, couldn't bring myself to take away and swing at all. The way I got round it was two fold, first was to stop practicing on the course, just pick a club and play the shot regardless of outcome. The second was to set myself one swing thought - tempo, using three words e.g. 1,2 3. to determine everything - 1 being the trigger to take away, 2 being top of the backswing and 3 the start of the downswing. Doing this I soon forgot about all the swing thoughts and got back to just hitting the ball again, and found I was striking better again. Now reserve the thinking for the range, on the course, just pick the club and trust the swing.

 

[Sats]

Bruce will sort it for you ??

But are you going to him?

Yeah I'm changing to Bruce and got a lesson booked next week!

 

[Beezerk]

My one swing thought is smooth, having too many swing thoughts almost made me pack in the game 5 or 6 years ago. I quickly learned to forget them, now it’s just hit the bloody ball and enjoy the game ?

 

[Orikoru]

My one swing thought is smooth, having too many swing thoughts almost made me pack in the game 5 or 6 years ago. I quickly learned to forget them, now it’s just hit the bloody ball and enjoy the game ?

This is definitely the best way (for me anyway). It's how you play any other sport. You don't book six lessons before going for a game of darts, or worry about your kicking swing path when you're having a game of 5-a-side. I honestly never know why people turn it into such hard work.

 

[stefanovic]

A study made many years ago suggested that you shouldn't have too many swing thoughts.
If you can get away with one or two, then fine.
Three may be okay but can be dodgy. It depends on how scrambled your mind is.
Definitely no more than three.

 

[spongebob59]

Yeah I'm changing to Bruce and got a lesson booked next week!

Shame Gary's too far

 

[Shooter McPowick]

How often are you playing?

82-88 on average is decent golf, I think you may need a break.

I played a lot during summer and seemed to get worse as I was expecting to get better with the hours I was putting in. I took an unplanned break (covid) and came back hitting the ball really well.

 

[Orikoru]

How often are you playing?

82-88 on average is decent golf, I think you may need a break.

I played a lot during summer and seemed to get worse as I was expecting to get better with the hours I was putting in. I took an unplanned break (covid) and came back hitting the ball really well.

This happened to me after the first lockdown last year. All I'd done was buy a net and used it maybe twice, for about ten minutes each. Went back on the course expecting to be pony, but was immediately playing better than before. Some kind of mental reset maybe.

 

[HeftyHacker]

How often are you playing?

82-88 on average is decent golf, I think you may need a break.

I played a lot during summer and seemed to get worse as I was expecting to get better with the hours I was putting in. I took an unplanned break (covid) and came back hitting the ball really well.

I also had this in April and May, played everyday for 10 days and was absolute garbage by the end. Went from breaking 80 at my home course for the first time to shooting over 110 at Dundonald in what was my most depressing day of golf (in an admittedly short career), I had no swing, no tempo, nothing.

Didn't touch a club for 2 weeks and shot a PB next time out. Definitely a mental reset.

 

[road2ruin]

Problem solved.....

 

[Sats]

How often are you playing?

82-88 on average is decent golf, I think you may need a break.

I played a lot during summer and seemed to get worse as I was expecting to get better with the hours I was putting in. I took an unplanned break (covid) and came back hitting the ball really well.

I have been playing quite a bit minimum of twice a week. I may try a break from it see what happens.

 

[chrisd]

I have been playing quite a bit minimum of twice a week. I may try a break from it see what happens.

That just doesn't work !

Brucie will fix it !

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Lesson tonight. When I was thinking about what the pro wanted me to do it was rubbish. Swing it freely and letting the swing go as he wanted me to hit it (essentially a lower finish and more body rotation) then swing speed and distance was up and dispersion was better. Less thought more trust. Use the practice swings to rehearse the move then let it flow