Why does it happen.

[louise_a]

Yesterday's comp, started of well but for no apparent reason started hitting my drives off the heel of the club, I didnt change anything that I can think of it just started.

Today my drives are back to normal but after a couple of holes I started thining my mid irons. It lasted for half a dozen holes then returned to normal.

How can you identify the causes of these aberrations mid round?

 

[duncan mackie]

How can you identify the causes of these aberrations mid round?

you shouldn't try - the more you think about such things the more likely it is that it's going to happen.

what arrives like this will tend to leave again if you just get on with the job in hand

 

[DaveM]

I started hitting the driver out of the heel. I had lined the head mark on the driver with the center of the ball from my prospective stood at the side. The thing was due to the tilt of the driver plus the side on view. I was really lining up with the ball at the heel of the club. Cured it by putting a dab of white nail varnish on the head of the driver. That gave the true center position when lined up. Used nail polish because if I ever get round to selling the driver it will wipe off with a bit of thinners/remover.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Duncan's called it correctly - you need to play in the subconscious rather than consciously thinking about technical aspects of your swing during a comp. Just look at Rory in last year's Masters to see how badly wrong that can go.

The only exception I would say is that where you have a decent understanding of your swing and your common faults you might recognise something and know what you've done wrong.

For example, one of my bad shots is blocking it out right. Often that happens when I make a lazy, armsy swing. When I realise I've done that I just need to add a swing thought to make sure I turn my body through the shot.

But if it's some random new fault I'd try and ignore it, it should go away.....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I wonder if the tempo gets a bit quick. A bad shot means you try harder and then just get quicker and wuicker as you continue to mis fire. Once you hit a couple well you immediately relax and your natural tempo returns

 

[SocketRocket]

If my ball striking starts to get a bit off I make some half swing practice shots with a 9 iron when I have time. These half swings ingrain the position of the club from waist high on the down swing, through impact, to waist high on the follow through. I do them with my feet close together. After a little while it makes me pick up on the positions and tempo the club needs to have through impact. After this I normally get back on track quickly.

 

[bobmac]

you shouldn't try - the more you think about such things the more likely it is that it's going to happen.

what arrives like this will tend to leave again if you just get on with the job in hand

Sorry, can't agree.
If you know what causes your bad shot, you can often fix it on the course.
To just hope it will fix itself is a bit self defeating imho