Actual swing not matching practice swing

Taking practice swings with my irons I feel like I can groove a perfect swing; great tempo, balance, turn, etc.  But then I step up to the ball and it all changes.  No matter what I tell myself end up I swinging too hard, and I feel like my weight transfer goes in the wrong direction.  I know this is all in my head......but are there tips or drills I could do to help this?

All I can say is that you're not the only one. I'll be at home swinging a club, and it feels like I have it all figured out. Then when you actually get up to a ball, it goes out the window and you make only a slightly modified swing from what you normally make.

To me the short answer is that when the ball isn't present then there is no anticipation of impact and therefore the club is swing freely because there is nothing to hit.  The game is to take that same feeling in the practice swing and set up to the ball correctly so that you don't have to worry about impact because you have positioned your body and ball position so that is is taken care of.  Basically you are trying to eliminate the "hit" reflex which will introduce tension into the swing.

You should feel the clubhead traveling around you, and so long as I can feel that, I am confident that I have set up correctly so I just let the club do its thing and provide some acceleration.  I always think of when I was in the military and would talk to the snipers and they would say that the key to accuracy is to pull the trigger slowly and not anticipate when the round will fire because you will yank the trigger instead of being fluid.  I saw Luis Oosthhuizen hit a shank on swing vision and the announcer said that it was "the most beautiful shank he's ever seen" because his swing otherwise looked the exact same, he just had the ball in the wrong position on that club's arch.

When I apply that to golf you are just trying to take a practice swing, and moving it to a position where it will strike a golf ball on the way to a target. The ball gets in the way of the swing.

I "proved" that practice swings and real swings are fundamentally different with the aid of a swingspeed radar. My fastest practice swing is lucky to get within 15mph of a real swing in front of a ball. I'm not saying you can't use a practice swing as a learning tool - but I think the muscular action is more different between the 2 swings than you would imagine.

it usually has to do with having the ball in front of you and how your mind lines up your position at impact.

Here is what i see from most of the people that seem to do this...

You need to have your hands more forward and ahead of the clubhead at impact...some call it lag.  Also feel your front shoulder going down and through the ball so you can transfer your weight forward and maintain your spine inclination.

It sounds like your mind is trying to get you to square up the club wrong which will cause you to flip your hands early and cast the club.  You will also want to fall back and you might be coming out of your posture too early.

It is good to practice hitting pitch shots while hitting down on the ball a little bit.  Get the feeling of your hands being a little ahead of your body in your downswing so you can get that good angle with your hands in front of the ball at impact.

You're trying to hit the ball.

Hitting the ball is not your job.  The ball is simply an obstacle in the path of your swing.  Focus on swinging to your target.  Your head is down and you're looking at the ball, but all your focus is on your target.

A practice swing is just a rehearsal of the full swing and I'm sure that you could probably easily make a practice swing just as fast as a real swing because they are the same thing if your are rehearsing your actual intended shot.  How could the muscular action be any different between the two swings when the only variable that is different is the prescence of the golf ball ?

A little tidbit from what I have learned lately.

This seems to occur when you have a significant lack of confidence in your overall swing. Your body is telling you that it doesn't feel right. The absence of the ball relieves a bit of that worrisome feeling. (That is what it has been for me, still somewhat, but less so now).

In other words, there is something flawed in your swing mechanics and your body and mind are giving you hints of that. If you were confident in your swing, there would be no reason for increased anxiety when the ball is addressed.

Maybe a lesson or just some practice (more likely) to search for that balance.

Or.... maybe you need to club up because you aren't confident in your distances? :) Swinging harder than you need to suggests that you're going for the farthest possible mean distance for that club and perhaps you should select one club up.

Kind of shooting in the dark.

Have you tried the experiment I did? Previously I'd have agreed with you.

Then again, impact applies what, up to a ton of force of force resisting and slowing down your follow through? Maybe your body's smarter that you think and, with no ball there, puts the brakes on for you lest you'll hurt yourself.

I love what you said, it was poetry, but have you seen Charles Barkley's practice swing compared to his actual swing when he hits the ball... Woooh, its crazy and its all mental.

Charles Barkley makes me laugh everytime I see him swing the club so I'll give you that one!! It is just somethin that I really work on and it has really paid off in my game by trying to pretty much ignore that the ball is there....I notice the ball, but I am focused on my target... it takes time and alot of practice though.

This.

Your job is not to hit the ball.

I try to make my actual swing replicate the practice.  I usually take 2 practice swings. The first is an exaggerrated swing to reinforce hip turn and downswing path.  Then I set up next to the ball, and try to incorporate those thoughts, as well as tempo, into an actual practice swing.  Then I step to the ball, assess the target, turn my head to the ball which then triggers my backswing.

I have never measured my clubhead speed on the backswing, but a 15mph gap seems like a lot.

Just don't do this.

Not a bad practice swing...

http://youtu.be/FLOlxVNSzcg

Proved for you...The swing is very mental, it is different for each person. I have the problem he is speaking of, I can regularly use a trackman and swing analyzer and both show a clubhead speed of 96-97 mph with a 6 iron with a a good practice swing. Over the ball I am at 79-81 on the course with a 6 iron, and down to 75 when my instructor has me work on something mechanical. My good friend is a +2 handicap and he is like you, on the same machine he will test at 80 on a practice swing, even if he tries to swing hard, then with a ball he is over 92 with a 6 iron. I'd much rather have his problem. LOL