I need a golf shrink to cure my dreaded "hitch"

Re: I need a golf shrink to cure my dreaded "hitch"

Re: I need a golf shrink to cure my dreaded "hitch"

Re: I need a golf shrink to cure my dreaded "hitch"

Re: I need a golf shrink to cure my dreaded "hitch"

Re: I need a golf shrink to cure my dreaded "hitch"

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

Usually a pause comes when you are trying to hit the ball from the top of your backswing with your hands or shoulders. Like weightshift said, if you initiate the downswing with your lower body, the hands and arms will have a free ride down for a while, almost like free falling.

A good drill to try and smooth out the swing would be to take two extra clubs for a certain distance make try to hit a ball that distance with a full swing. This give your swing a good tempo.

Did any of you guys ever cure this problem?

I've been suffering from an overly long pause at the top of my backswing for about 5 years and I've learned to live with it and just carry on, after all it doesn't really affect my game.....but during the past two weeks it's getting longer and longer and really destroying my game, and my head. 

My practice swing feels perfect, fluid even, with no pause at all, just nice and smooth.  Step up to the ball, pull the club back to the top and then, nothing, just a mental block where my head is screaming for me to 'get going'.  It's at the stage now, where I'll sometimes have to force the club down (after a conversation with myself) and then I'll just hit the ball in any old direction.

I've told myself many things, it's just a game, it's only one shot, what's the worst that can happen etc. but no cure.  I've tried the old speach in my head to match the swing, Ernie Els or whatever, but I only get to Ernie and then the pause.

The longer the club, the bigger the pause, simple as that, on the tee or not doesn't matter although lately even the short irons are developing a longer pause.  I can even hit the ball with my eyes shut and there's no pause, but when I look at it....

It's got to the stage now where I don't want to play, it's too hard emotionally and I'm at my wits end.  Anybody with any ideas please shout out.

Thanks

Craig

Hello all:  first time, long time.

I was going to start a thread with a slightly more general premise, but it fits in here.  The fundamental question is this:  if you know what to do, how do you make your body do it?

For me, in certain things, it is a complete mystery.  I know that I don't release through the ball properly.  I know that my arms are fast and ahead.  I know that I don't really start my downswing with my hips.  I know, I know, I know.

But I can't seem to stop doing it incorretly, despite practicing a lot.

I'm not -- and I suspect the OP is not -- looking for a new tip (put your hands here, press there, cup this, flatten that).  What we want is a new way to learn.  A new way to translate knowledge into execution.

Any insight on this general problem would be wonderful.

Thank you.

Have any of you considered Tai Chi?

According to this article, Tai Chi allows "you perform a series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner. Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant [stress free] motion."

Quote:

Originally Posted by jockglover 

I've been suffering from an overly long pause at the top of my backswing for about 5 years and I've learned to live with it and just carry on, after all it doesn't really affect my game.....but during the past two weeks it's getting longer and longer and really destroying my game, and my head. 

 

My practice swing feels perfect, fluid even, with no pause at all, just nice and smooth.  Step up to the ball, pull the club back to the top and then, nothing, just a mental block where my head is screaming for me to 'get going'.  It's at the stage now, where I'll sometimes have to force the club down (after a conversation with myself) and then I'll just hit the ball in any old direction.

 

I've told myself many things, it's just a game, it's only one shot, what's the worst that can happen etc. but no cure.  I've tried the old speach in my head to match the swing, Ernie Els or whatever, but I only get to Ernie and then the pause.

 

The longer the club, the bigger the pause, simple as that, on the tee or not doesn't matter although lately even the short irons are developing a longer pause.  I can even hit the ball with my eyes shut and there's no pause, but when I look at it....

Find a downswing trigger. Like, say, "when my left shoulder touches my chin, I send my hips forward." Then do it.
 

Well I think I've managed to cure the pause.  I went into the nets one day, practice swing fine, put the ball down and low and behold when I hit the ball the swing was fine.  I then hit a few more noting my tempo and rythym, what I noticed that my backswing was actually quicker (just a bit) than when I hit the ball on the course. 

I walked pretty quickly to the first tee and bang, the swing felt smooth and free and there was no pause much to my relief.  A few shots didn't go quite to plan, but then of course they never all do.

All in all a couple of weeks later and I'm still swinging free and easy, and what's more my golf is much more enjoyable again and I feel loads more confident.

If anyone else stumbles on this post then maybe see if speeding up your backswing (just a little), will help you.

FORE!

I too have been fighting a serious "Charles Barkley type hitch" for several months now.  It is almost exclusively with the driver and 3 wood and very,very frustrating.  I'm 65 and was a 4 hcp. 2 yrs ago. This has come on very suddenly.  I have always had a slow take-away, and a lot of leg movement, and sway. My somewhat funky  swing now includes re-gripping at the top and hitting at the ball instead of freely swinging the club....but I can't change it.  Fluid practice swings are a breeze but the real deal is totally different.  The last time out I resorted to starting the club at about shoulder height and made a slight turn to the top and that led to a decent downswing with reasonable distance, but I'd like to get back to having a good full swing without the fits and starts.  It is so bad that my buddies, some of whom carry the sharpest needles I've ever encountered, can't even tease me about it....I think they fear it might be contagious.  It's nice to know I'm not alone in this and that others have apparently conquered it. I'll try some of the suggestions made here, and hope something works, or a fear I'll give up the game.

I started having this problem with my driver last year . Right out of the blue . I do think it may have begun with an attempt to load up with my driver at the top of the backswing  for more power . I started being able to combat it by starting my downswing just before I even got to the top of my backswing , with a slight bump forward of my hips Also , this may have nothing to do with the problem , but at the same timee , I went to my Dr because I was having a problem with insomnia , waking up and not being able to get back to sleep . He put me on 10 mg of doxepin , which is also in much larger doses used for depression ,.Don't know if it also took a little edge off , but I sleep much better and the pause is much more under control . 

Craig, I need your help. Your post last year about the hitch you were dealing with is "freaking exactly" the same thing I am dealing with now and the exact same way it wrecks me mentally and emotionally. So has speeding up your backswing helped the hitch to go away? I am at my wits end. I have pretty much stopped playing golf because of it. I occasionally go to the driving range by myself but thats it.

Brian 

Hello Brian,

Sorry to hear you're having problems with the dreaded hitch, and apologies for not replying sooner.  Hopefully by now you maybe have cured your pause?

I'm still pretty much pause free, although it does creep in a small bit when I'm nervous over a shot.  The best thing I found was to have a little practice in the nets or on the range using the big stick.  First with no ball, noting the swing tempo and just feeling that fluid/all in one motion, then do it with a ball and just try to replicate that swing speed and smoothness when you get to the first tee.

On another point, believe it or not, I sort of re-introduced it for a while to try and get some of my accuracy back which worked.  It was a strange feeling knowing I can pretty much control whether I want or don't want the pause.

Good luck

Craig