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Swing thoughts?

preshot: When was the last time I had a ciggie???
address: Move my weight to the left
backswing: flat takeaway to the inside
downswing: slide my hips big time to the left
afterthought: When was the last time I had a ciggie???
 
My head is always searching for swing thoughts during practice (whats practice again) but during medal rounds I try to play shots not swings.

I am always trying to slightly shape the ball one way or another,that makes me focus on my swing path.I try to keep it simple

90% of my thought process is done in the 30 seconds before taking my stance,yardage,wind,club selection etc.
 
This is my BIGGEST problem i'm told by my Pro.

I have developed a pause at the top of the backswing which he feels is down to too many thoughts. my process is this.

1. Am I lined up correctly + ball position.
2. Weight 60/40 for Driver
3. Backswing - Plane, weight on right side, no cupping to left hand.
4. Through swing - Right arm in close to body, transfer weight, and this is my biggest problem......hips clearing too quickly, so I'm thinking about swinging the club with the arms and not the body.
5. Hit the little blighter!
6. Make my journey to the left hand rough as I have pull my tee shot left.......again!!

Who says that men cant multi task? :p
Click to expand...

Wow PPE
A tad too many me-thinks.
1 and 2 are ok, they are at address.
3. instead of getting to the top of the backswing by thinking about your plane, wrist and weight try this.
Position yourself at the top of the backswing when your 3 points are good then close your eyes.
Try and remember how it feels. then with your eyes still closed, start the swing again and aim to get the same position. This will stop you thinking about the 3 points, just aim for that good position P.s open your eyes :)
4. Try and keep the change in direction smooth
forget 5 and 6 and stroll off down the middle
HTH :)
Click to expand...

I tried something similar to this when I was on the Explanar a month ago, by swinging away from 10-2 with my eyes shut to ingrain the sensation. The feeling I got was a pulling in my left shoulder at the top of the backswing and the same on the through swing and I try to feel that now (with my eyes open).

Bob, should the driver plane be the same as irons? Also how can I stop my hips clearing WELL before impact hence the PULL?

Trouble is that i'm a bit of a perfectionist and also impatient so wont rest until i'm hitting down the middle 85-90% of the time, at the moment its about 50-60%. Dont get me wrong I've come a long way in the 14mths that I have been playing, but i feel that with a little more work I can get down to a 9 or less handicap, and my pro sees no reason why i cant too.

My playing partners say that I should do what they do and set up for a draw i.e. aim right with club face where I want the ball to finish. But I want to do it the right way.
 
I have no swing thought for full shots but for chipping and putting my thought is my target.
The best swing thought I heard was by Tom Watson...Swing around the head. I feel this helps with upper body coil and I'll probably bring it out on the course soon :D
 
I really only have 1 swing thought and that is to maintain the triangle between my hands and shoulders untill halfway through the backswing. This sets me up for everything else.

If I swing away like that, I get a nice wide swing going back and everthing else falls into place, I may remind myself sometimes to look at my divot before looking up.
 
Recenty to keep my driver hot I have found counting 1,2,3 helps remove silly thoughts. I start with 1 at address and reach 3 by the top of my backswing getting there via a ballroom-esque count but it seems to work in slowing my sometimes brisk takeaway, by then its too late for thoughts and unleash a slight draw long and down the correct fairway.
Im halfway through a Bob Rotella book and have to say its helping though I think it needs several reads to get the best out of it and take all of the mental stuff in.
 
I've suffered terribly with having too many or the wrong swing thoughts to a point where I just couldn't hit the ball.
Recently I have been using the Dan Shauger/Mike Austin swing and thoughts and my game has come back together as I find it really simple to follow.
I also have a label stuck on my trolley which has got "BTT"
written on it,
this stands for "ball" because it's so easy to forget to concentrate on hitting the ball when your head gets full of swing thoughts and also "timing " and "tempo" without these you haven't got a swing.
 
Here's how I mentally approach the 1st Tee Drive at my course :

(Talking to self whilst teeing the ball up)

1 Right you b@stard ball, you will not fly off to the right in yet another slice.

2 Feet alignment OK

3 Club face OK

4 Maybe move the right foot a bit

5 Maybe move the left foot a bit

6 I'll put the ball a bit higher on the tee.

7 Shuffle feet again

8 Tell ball again that it's not allowed to slice off wildly

9 Say to self : Chin up, keep arms wide during swing, turn back to target, then after impact turn chest to target.

10 Think about aiming left to compensate inevitable slice

11 Tell ball again that it's going straight down the fairway 270 yards down the middle, or else.

12 Waggle feet again.

13 Swing and strike ball.

14 Shout 'Fore Right'

15 Say to self 'F##k F##k F##k' as I put driver back in bag and walk to the 16th fairway to find my sliced drive.
 
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