I Need a Golf Shrink to Cure My Dreaded "Hitch"

[Tom Shanks]

Maybe a flaw has snuck into your swing without notice? My buddy had a few rounds where he developed a long pause. Long enough for me to think "this is not gonna turn out good", which is a terrible thing to see someone go through. Being the most stubborn person on earth, it took awhile to listen to our advice. He was taking the club back so far inside that it had to feel unnatural, as he didn't do this before. It seemed like his mind was telling him yes, but his body was telling him no.

[c50par]

With my handicap I am not probably the best one to give advice so I will give my opinion.

Sounds to me that your head is getting in the way. The day that you played so well in the

wind is because you may have had the thought "hey the wind is blowing like a hurricane so my

score is probably not going to be that good anyways and you just went out an played with no thoughts

on how you score" The reason that I say this is because I know for me my head is my biggest enemy

and this year I have made a dedication not to think about my score or swing and just go out and

play the GAME. So far it is working I have played twice this year and been in the mid 80's each time.

Just a thought so enjoy and "May your putts always role true"

c50par

[iceman777]

Two years ago , I developed a hitch . I think it started when I tried to add power by winding up on my right side . Gradually , it got so bad that I could almost Barkley like , not get the club to the ground , stopping at the top . Ugly . I tried everything , "one , two "  ., shorter clubs , slow down . When there is no ball in front of me I am fine . Irons are usually not a problem . I was about to sign up for hypnosis  when I read an article about Barkley not having the hitch left handed , I bought a cheap left handed driver and have been learning the swing left handed . When the weather warms up , I'll go to the range and see how I hit it lefty , and whether I can then trick my mind to stop the pause righty

[dorothy]

I had all of the above and it ruins the game mentally and physically. I am embarrassed to play with others. A golf pro ( he isn't with the club anymore) helped me greatlu. I was taking the club back too far and also too vertical. A smaller , more horizontal backswing helps. Try it.

[dorothy]

I have all of the above, also taking the club too vertical while also taking it back too far, no way to get back. Try keeping your back swing small (as in short iron shots) and more horizontal.  Helps me a bit.

[dorothy]

It (changing to left from right) will work for awhile, but give it a few years. I have been through all the agony. I shortened my back swing (tell my mind I am hitting a 9 or wedge)  then take it back more horizontal than vertical and it helps.  I am also playing lefty now,so find it important to keep my right knee from collapsing downwhen I follow through. Just a few hints that work for me.

[iceman777]

Think I may have found a cure . I was one phone call away from the hypnotist . I tried to analyze the problem one last time . It was clear that I had no problem hesitating with any club , including the driver , as long as there was no ball in front of me . So...., I tried tricking the mind by thinking of one swing thought over and over and over , before I set up and AFTER set up , anything BUT the ball . In my case , I had a tendency to sway way too much to the right on my backswing . So I repeated in my head : LEG , leg , leg , leg ,actually looking at my right leg , even on my takeaway , then going back to the ball at the last second , trying to focus on a stable right leg . It worked !!! I know it sounds crazy , but keeping the ball out of my head and even eye view  , until right before contact , brought me back to my practice swing  . We all have nothing to lose , give it a try .

[golferbabu]

Wow, time flies! I haven't logged into this site in what seemed a few years but it is actually 6! My hitch disappeared after life's other priorities such as kids coupled with the lack of steady employment took over. I probably didn't play for about a year or two. I started playing again around 2009 and  I am at a point in my life now where I can play a bit more. My game is again a work in progress. My immediate goal is to break 100 consistently at this point. Baby steps back to being a decent 12 handicap golfer...

[golferbabu]

Update, I have been golfing regularly for several years now, my handicap is back down to around 12 (immediate goal is to be single digit). As of the last several weeks this malady has reared its ugly head again! I just went on google to see if I could find something and guess where the first hit lead me?!

The problem with this issue is that the harder I fight it the worse it is. Went to the range yesterday and barely paused with any club even the driver. Was hitting everything well and the driver way long. Played nine this morning and I got away with the lack of a driver tee game for a bit, even managed to string together four par's thanks to decent second shots and up & downs. Last two holes I became unhinged one of those with a driver on the tee.

Have a tournament this weekend and playing a casual round at a lovely track tomorrow morning - dreading the thought of having to deal with this again... :(

 

[iceman777]

I too have been battling this problem for several years ( as you can see from my prior posts ) . Nothing has worked long term . Its mostly with longer clubs , driver and hybrid . Seemed to start when I unfortunately saw an article on getting what we all crave , extra distance . The theme was to wind up on the back swing , really load up . Big mistake . I over exaggerated the move and couldn't come back down after winding up . Over the last few days , I hope Im on to something , which I tried at the range yesterday , with success . With the driver  ,  I position the clubface after setup , right over the ball , a few inches higher . I then take two  full QUICK practice swings ( as fast as I can swing ) , and then  QUICKLY , without hesitation ( poor choice of words ) ,put the clubface right behind the ball and go , fast . Its produced the best drives in years . Will see on friday when I play nine . Don't give up .

[golferbabu]

On 7/14/2016 at 2:39 PM, golferbabu said:

Update, I have been golfing regularly for several years now, my handicap is back down to around 12 (immediate goal is to be single digit). As of the last several weeks this malady has reared its ugly head again! I just went on google to see if I could find something and guess where the first hit lead me?!

The problem with this issue is that the harder I fight it the worse it is. Went to the range yesterday and barely paused with any club even the driver. Was hitting everything well and the driver way long. Played nine this morning and I got away with the lack of a driver tee game for a bit, even managed to string together four par's thanks to decent second shots and up & downs. Last two holes I became unhinged one of those with a driver on the tee.

Have a tournament this weekend and playing a casual round at a lovely track tomorrow morning - dreading the thought of having to deal with this again...  

 

Quote

 

An update: I battled the hitch with futility for about a week or so with worse and worse results. I finally gave up hitting any thing longer than a four iron for a full 18 hole round for the better part of about a week and a half (about 4-5 rounds for me). I slowly started introducing the longer clubs (starting with driver) back into my game with limited and sporadic success. 

Somehow in this go around as of about a week ago I have managed to shake off the hitch completely and am now hitting it as well as I expect again and am thrilled to do so. (My drives average about 240 yds, with longer ones anywhere from 255-295 if I really go after it and hit a big draw like I am trying to do).

My advice to anyone else battling this is to try to get over it mentally without swinging a club, which is what I did and it seems to have helped!

Edited August 9, 2016 by golferbabu

[Brad Cummings]

I have been playing golf for 40 years. My swing was never that good. I have been a 12 handicap to 18 handicap. When I ran into this website. I could not believe it. My hitch is so bad I CANNOT hit a ball period. I am going to give up the game and I do not want too. For years I have a had a HITCH. My friends  told me I was worse then Charles Barkley. With in the last 3 months I go to take the club back and I hitch about 3 times then I try to take a quater swing. Its horrible, Embarrassing, Humiliating and NO FUN.

I can take 50 practice swings and they look OK by my standards. As soon as I set up to the ball and start going back, ITS OVER. I am a MENTAL CASE. 

Can anyone help with this?

Brad 

[dennyjones]

5 hours ago, Brad Cummings said:

I have been playing golf for 40 years. My swing was never that good. I have been a 12 handicap to 18 handicap. When I ran into this website. I could not believe it. My hitch is so bad I CANNOT hit a ball period. I am going to give up the game and I do not want too. For years I have a had a HITCH. My friends  told me I was worse then Charles Barkley. With in the last 3 months I go to take the club back and I hitch about 3 times then I try to take a quater swing. Its horrible, Embarrassing, Humiliating and NO FUN.

I can take 50 practice swings and they look OK by my standards. As soon as I set up to the ball and start going back, ITS OVER. I am a MENTAL CASE. 

Can anyone help with this?

Brad 

Welcome to TST @Brad Cummings.   We're glad you've joined.    I'm sure you can find help here.   This is the best place on the web to talk golf.   Check out the 30 day challenge.   Erik breaks down the swing in short videos that us mortals can understand.    Check out the member's swing thread also.   I don't believe it's a mental issue but a mechanical problem that can be solved.  Good luck. 

[ChetlovesMer]

Hello @Brad Cummings,

Everyone picks up little bad habits here and there. I've worked through a dozen in my golfing life. I'm working through one right now.

Post a MySwing Thread and I'm sure there will be many people willing to help. 

[Layne H]

I'm so happy I stumbled upon this thread! I developed the same hitch at the top of my swing last summer, and haven't been able to fix it. Just like some others have mentioned, I've become so frustrated that I've thought about quitting the game. I have a hard time finding joy in playing golf anymore.

I'm going to try speeding up my backswing a bit, as well as "playing a song in my mind" as someone suggested. I will try anything at this point.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that's experienced this frustrating issue. If anybody else has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

[GolfLug]

9 hours ago, Layne H said:

I'm so happy I stumbled upon this thread! I developed the same hitch at the top of my swing last summer, and haven't been able to fix it. Just like some others have mentioned, I've become so frustrated that I've thought about quitting the game. I have a hard time finding joy in playing golf anymore.

I'm going to try speeding up my backswing a bit, as well as "playing a song in my mind" as someone suggested. I will try anything at this point.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that's experienced this frustrating issue. If anybody else has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

This might sound counterintuitive but take a hard practice swing by gripping the club as hard as you can (white knuckle) before you swing. May be take 3-4 for hard white knuckle swings for that matter and then go about your actual play swing.