Change the Dang Picture!

It's really great that the Member Swings forum has become such a popular place on The Sand Trap. We feel that the level of knowledge and advice shared really sets us apart from other golf social media sites. It's a lot of fun to see someone post how they're hitting it better or that they had a great round after receiving advice on the forum. If you haven't done so, check it out and start your own thread. And if you do, this is a MUST read thread

Ok now to the point of the reason I'm starting this thread. When changing a certain part of your swing, it's best to rehearse it slowly as @iacas points out in the The Five "S"s of Great Practice thread . We like to call it "changing the picture". Meaning when you look at your swing on video, change what you're seeing with your priority piece. Quickie example: some players get the club head too low and inside on the takeaway causing the shaft to be too shallow on the backswing and then it steepens on the downswing. So they need to feel something to change the way the club loads in the backswing so it can shallow on the downswing. What they feel isn't important to this thread (we have a bunch of feels we share), what is important is how they go about practicing it.

The mistake golfers can fall into is practicing at full speed. The changes with the followup video, if any, are usually minor. The problem is you can't really make changes just feeling something different at full speed. Changing a piece of your swing is basically changing a motor pattern, almost like if I asked you to change the way you walk, you would have to slow down and be aware of how your body is moving. Same with the golf swing.

Here's a few swings of mine from a couple days ago. I tend to have the head "drift" a little too far forward from the top of the backswing as I transition. So in this video I'm visualizing that someone has a stick against the left side of my head. I'm also doing these swings somewhere in the 20-40% speed range. I've slowed it down enough that I'm aware and in control of how my body is working to produce the picture I want. I'm "proving" to myself that I can do it, even if it is really, really slow. The point is, I'm changing the picture, it looks different than my "normal" swing and if I can do it at 40% speed, I'll eventually be able to do at full speed. Or at least come close

This is exactly how Justin Rose ingrained the swing upgrades he got from Sean Foley. First ten swings of the day were super slow swings, from address to finish, being aware and in control the entire tim e. It's also how Charles Howell III practices. Rehearsing the motion at slower speeds will also help you "catch" yourself when you do go back to full speed swings. The old flaw will rear it's head and you'll be able to feel it.

So, when submitting a follow up swing, whether it's on this site, to your instructor, for your own viewing:

- Change the picture, don't waste your time trying to make changes at full speed.

- Perform the motion at slower speeds. You don't necessarily have to make the entire swing slow, focus on the portion you are trying to improve. If you have to swing at 10% speed to make the change, then swing at 10%.

- Ask yourself, "If this different than the original swing I posted?"

- Don't be concerned with what the ball does at first.

- Don't worry about it looking "silly", this is how you get better. Would you rather continue to hit bad golf shots or spend 10 minutes a day "feeling weird" but making measurable improvements?

- You can (and should) do this at home, in front of a mirror, heck, film yourself at home. You don't have to do this on the range. Although I would suggest you do some practice like this on the range.

Thanks for posting @mvmac .  It takes a lot of discipline to practice slower.  I have promised myself that I will do it this way this year.  I just went on a four day golf trip and I asked my Evolvr instructor Stephan, @sk golf , this very question.  I have been practicing my priority piece at slow motion, but I wondered what I should do when playing.  Stephan basically told me to warm up with slow motion to start at the range, but stop thinking about it during the round and just use the slow motion part as part of my pre-shot if needed. This worked well.

I know I have a long way to go, but I am seeing improvement.

Setup isn't a dynamic thing. By the very nature it isn't something you do "quickly."

I ask people how much athletic skill it takes to set up properly. They correctly answer "none." I remind them that setting up properly is often simply a matter of remembering to do it. Nothing more.

Great feedback, thanks