Things i have learnt this week......

[nomadpaul]

This week has been a bit of an eye-opener for me . I have incorporated 4 new 'tips' into my swing and the difference in not only how it now feels but the improvement in distance has really amazed me.

1: During a round with my area manager last week , he commented on how he thought my stance was too narrow . I knew that the feet should be shoulder width apart but i'm a big lad and my feet were nowhere near shoulder width. I'm not normally one to give advice on the course but when i recieve it , and it appears justified from someone i trust , i listen. Mind you , he did wait until the 17th before mentioning it .
2 & 3 My in to out swing - Very common among us high handicappers i know. I was browsing some technique video's online ( can't even remember where it was ) and it was like a lightbulb going off. Because of this video , i altered two things. I tucked in my flying right elbow and i turned my right foot in to square - Apparently , my 2 o'clock right foot position allowed my hips to turn too much and the only way i could get the club back to address was a severe in to out path .

4: Finally , i followed the advice of the clock face round the ball and concentrated on hitting through the 4 o'clock position.

So , Wider stance - No flying elbow - right foot turned in square - 4 o'clock swing plane -

result - nearly 35-40 yds added to my driver . 15yds to my irons and either straight or even a slight draw on my shots....without a single slice in sight !!!
I did get some 'pushes' to the right but i suspect these were caused by not quite squaring the club on impact....but i was happy as they flew only slightly right but straight.

Now i've just got to transfer this to my Society day on Saturday . Playing Forrester park near Maldon so should be a good day.....i hope

 

[Basher]

Glad the tips are paying dividends for you Paul. Sometimes well meaning golfers can be a Godsend for that important tip to improve your game.

Then again, they can wreck your game if you take notice of some tips albeit well intended.

 

[chipsandegg]

Great news paul, although i would tend to agree with Basher. i have found since taking up golf that, never to listen to advice off my playing partners (however well intended) as this can lead to allsorts of problems.

 

[nomadpaul]

I can see your points and had the tip not worked or not seemed sensible then i would have had second thoughts...but what he said made sense. Still , at least i've got someone to blame should it all go pear-shaped ( although i'll probably wait unitl after my yearly pay review )

 

[Deleted member 1147]

.......... never to listen to advice off my playing partners (however well intended) as this can lead to allsorts of problems.

Don't you find that sometimes it slips into the sub-conscious though, no matter how hard you try to ignore them?

I had to check a few things with my coach this week because I just started to get confused.

Where should the ball be?
How high should I tee up my driver?
Am I swinging too steeply?

The answers were exactly what I thought they were but my playing partner (who is an 18 handicapper) told me otherwise and it got stuck in my head!