My Swing (ChetlovesMer)

[ChetlovesMer]

Just now, iacas said:

Uhm, maybe this will work, but I'd wager a tidy sum that a swing thought like "low draw" will not work long-term.

Of course it won't.

8 minutes ago, iacas said:

Get some video, develop the feels from the proper mechanics, and then rehearse those mechanics, checking in frequently to see if the mechanics and feels are still producing the desired results.

I totally agree. I will get more video first chance I get. I'd like to get it at the range. If I can't then I'll be grabbing some video in the basement net. 

Yes, I'm aware it's not right. Obviously, If I'm visualizing a low draw and NOT hitting a low draw that can't be good. But it made me happy for 2 reasons. First, it got me through nine holes in pretty tough conditions. Second, It's the first time I hit any good shots on the course in months. I was getting close to being ready to pawn my clubs. 

Where I'd like to be is back to where I was just 2 years ago. Back then if I was to visualize a low draw I'd hit a low draw. When I visualize a high fade, I'd hit a high fade. When I visualize a straight piercing shot, I hit ... well you get the idea. Basically, this is a statement as to where my game is right now (a total mess). I'm so far from hitting what I visualize it's very frustrating. 

My hope it that I'm getting closer to finding the middle. We'll see. I'm still working hard almost every day on my swing and I will get video as soon as I can. 

[RFKFREAK]

56 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I was getting close to being ready to pawn my clubs.  

If you do that, let me know if you decide to get rid of that defective device that spits out a bunch of numbers that you showed us at the TST outing.  I'll let you sell it to me cheap. 

[ChetlovesMer]

Okay, so I've been working hard almost entirely on slow swings. With a bunch of 1/2 swing 7-irons pushing them out to the right. I've gotten back to where I'm at least not embarrassing myself anymore. The last two rounds were pretty okay. Both at Bent Tree GC, both off the blue tees. I shot an 89 on September 11. It was kind of a weird round. I only hit great Tee-Shots and Awful Ones. Then next round was September 25th and it was much better. Very stress free golf. I shot an 81. (Admittedly it was helped by a chip in birdie on number 7 and a long birdie putt on number 11). 

The 81 was a nice round. Not everything was perfect, but nothing was dreadful either. I never had to hit 3 from the tee and I kept the ball mostly out of trouble. I had a bunch of NGIR's. It was very steady. I did hit into 4 greenside bunkers. I was 1 for 4 on sand saves. But I had at least a reasonable putt to make the save on the other 3 (I missed one inside 5 feet). I know my swing isn't perfect right now, but its becoming very reliable again. Having a reasonable idea where the ball is going makes golf a lot more fun. 

Anyway, I finally went to the other range today to get some video. I really can't get video at my local range, at least no caddie view. Again, I know it isn't perfect but it is relatively consistent right now. Here's where I am. (These are all stock 7 irons. I'm trying to have no swing thoughts. I just visualize myself hitting the ball dead at the target and pull the trigger.) 

 

 

 

 

 

[GolfLug]

I am thinking you must always have had a little OTT move, but honestly you make a pretty good pass through the ball with it. I know folks whose flip is insufferable. Yours is a high functioning flip, if there is such thing. 

Everyone has tough stretches but I have to think you can play pretty good golf with what you have with a smooth tempo. 

[ChetlovesMer]

2 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

Yours is a high functioning flip, if there is such thing. 

High Functioning Flip (HFF). I love it! 

You'd never know it now, but 10-12 years ago I fought a terrible snap hook which almost made me want to quit the game. 

[iacas]

That's much better than what you had at CHQ.

You had one of the widest open faces I'd ever seen at CHQ.

[GolfLug]

8 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

You'd never know it now, but 10-12 years ago I fought a terrible snap hook which almost made me want to quit the game. 

Yeah, I can imagine that with a top down transition. 

8 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

High Functioning Flip (HFF). I love it! 

HFF it is.. ha.

Chet, seriously though you've already dipped down to a single digits at some point. IMHO to go from a top down to a bottom up transition is a massive hard rewire (especially for people like us in our silver years..😝)

A metronome or some tempo gadget might be a very useful addition to your training armory. 

Smooth it out. 

[ChetlovesMer]

7 hours ago, iacas said:

You had one of the widest open faces I'd ever seen at CHQ.

I always aim to impress.

[RFKFREAK]

13 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Then next round was September 25th and it was much better. Very stress free golf. I shot an 81. (Admittedly it was helped by a chip in birdie on number 7 and a long birdie putt on number 11). 

So envious. 😔

13 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I never had to hit 3 from the tee and I kept the ball mostly out of trouble.

Teach me. 🙏 

13 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Anyway, I finally went to the other range today to get some video. I really can't get video at my local range, at least no caddie view.

Find and go to a better range? 🤷‍♀️

[ChetlovesMer]

9 minutes ago, RFKFREAK said:

Find and go to a better range? 🤷‍♀️

Ha! The range is actually fine. It's a really good facility. It just doesn't lend itself to filming the caddie view. They have dividers between the stalls. The upside is it was probably the first place to open after the COVID lockdown. In truth they have a place where I could film caddie view, it's totally open. But I'd need to get a tripod or something to set up my camera ... phone. 

[RFKFREAK]

2 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Ha! The range is actually fine. It's a really good facility. It just doesn't lend itself to filming the caddie view. They have dividers between the stalls. The upside is it was probably the first place to open after the COVID lockdown. In truth they have a place where I could film caddie view, it's totally open. But I'd need to get a tripod or something to set up my camera ... phone. 

Wouldn't take that much effort as I doubt there's been a run on tripods or the equivalent holder for the phone. 

Just seems getting caddy view is worth the 'hassle", but YMMV. 😜

[ChetlovesMer]

1 minute ago, RFKFREAK said:

Wouldn't take that much effort as I doubt there's been a run on tripods or the equivalent holder for the phone. 

Just seems getting caddy view is worth the 'hassle", but YMMV. 😜

I suppose 2 rubber bands and an alignment stick stuck in the ground would likely work?? Geez, when you put it that way....

[ChetlovesMer]

Haven't posted a video in a while. I have been working really hard on my swing... REALLY HARD. 
Anyway, I don't have any new video to post. But I do have some old video to post. 

I'm just sticking these here as a benchmark to where I was. The first one is a 2009 video of my driver swing. This is back when I was working with my previous swing coach. I was playing well at the time, handicap was around 10-14. My miss at the time was a snap hook.  I know the exposure stinks. Again, it's just a benchmark for me. 

 

The next two videos are from 2015. At the time I was between swing coaches. My handicap at the time was around 16. Although I distinctly remember playing some great and some horrible rounds at the time. At the time I was really REALLY REALLY fighting the snap hook. Some days the snap hook would be manageable and I would score really well. Other times, I simply wouldn't be able to get off the tee. The swing coach I would get about a year and a half after these videos were taken would be the swing coach I'd end up sticking with up until now.  Again, I'm just sticking these here for my reference. 

 

 

[iacas]

Where are you now with the face angle on the backswing and then the whole downswing?

[Carl3]

You got us watching reruns 😁

[ChetlovesMer]

13 hours ago, iacas said:

Where are you now with the face angle on the backswing and then the whole downswing?

Much improved on the face angle. Had a lesson last night. I've been working hard on face angle and head movement (The club face and the head on my shoulders). I got into some really bad habits last year while trying to make some changes on my own. (I'd like to write a thread on making changes to my swing without my coach). I really do need to get some new video to post here. I think you'll be surprised when you see it. Last year I was a mess. 

Last night, on the other hand, the club face angle was much improved according to the data we took. Back in September I was as much as 10 degrees open to path. Yesterday I averaged a little less than a degree closed to path. 

My strikes are way better now as well. Yesterday I averaged 1.46 smash factor with the driver! I attribute that to keeping my head much stiller. 

The plan is to begin working on swing path soon. I don't think I'm playing enough to where its going to correct on its own. Not yet though. I'm still working to ingrain the face control habits I've been working on. I'm a slow learner. Once I get the face control habits fully ingrained and keep my head some degree of reasonably still, I'll start working on swing path. 

The good news is I feel like I could play with what I have right now. I did NOT feel that way mid-summer. 

11 hours ago, Carl3 said:

You got us watching reruns 😁

That's funny, Carl.
Yeah, like I mentioned these are just for me to have a record of what I was fighting with and when. 

I'll have some new video up here soon. 

[ChetlovesMer]

Okay, last night I was at the range and I only hit two kinds of shots. Dead straight (Not really a problem) and dead pulls (Can be a problem). 

It was a little bit of a setback this week because I thought my swing path was better than what it looked like yesterday. But I'm going to continue to work the plan. 

I think I've finally got the face angle where I want it. It's time now to start working on swing path. I was really hoping swing path would improve organically. Just by hitting so many pulls. The problem is I'm just not playing enough. I'm not even getting to the range enough. So, now I hit two kinds of shots. Straight ones and dead pulls. 

So, I've built a couple of training aids and I'm going to focus on Swing Path. February is now Swing Path Focus Month. My goal for February is to maintain the gains I've made on face angle and develop my swing path. I've got a trackman session booked for Tuesday to get my baseline numbers.

I grabbed some down the line footage last night to use as comparison for the end of February. I could not do any Caddie View last night but I did grab footage of the first 2 seven iron swings and my first 2 driver swings. I was blessed with one of each. (a dead straight and a dead pull) Here's the footage. 

 

Here's my 7 iron: 

Here's my Driver:

By the way, the shot tracer software kind of loses my ball on this one. It "guesses" where it is but that red line ain't right. Anyway, it's not about the red line its about my swing. 

Here's the next 7 iron... which is a dead pull. 

And the pulled Driver. 

 

Okay, so I'm not there yet. But I'm happy with the progress now. This month will be a big push to improve my swing path. I'll be anxious to see what I can achieve. 

If there are any break-throughs I'll post them. Otherwise I'll post again end of February. Ideally both down the line and caddie view. 

 

[Carl3]

57 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Okay, last night I was at the range and I only hit two kinds of shots. Dead straight (Not really a problem) and dead pulls (Can be a problem). 

It was a little bit of a setback this week because I thought my swing path was better than what it looked like yesterday. But I'm going to continue to work the plan. 

I think I've finally got the face angle where I want it. It's time now to start working on swing path. I was really hoping swing path would improve organically. Just by hitting so many pulls. The problem is I'm just not playing enough. I'm not even getting to the range enough. So, now I hit two kinds of shots. Straight ones and dead pulls. 

So, I've built a couple of training aids and I'm going to focus on Swing Path. February is now Swing Path Focus Month. My goal for February is to maintain the gains I've made on face angle and develop my swing path. I've got a trackman session booked for Tuesday to get my baseline numbers.

I grabbed some down the line footage last night to use as comparison for the end of February. I could not do any Caddie View last night but I did grab footage of the first 2 seven iron swings and my first 2 driver swings. I was blessed with one of each. (a dead straight and a dead pull) Here's the footage. 

 

Here's my 7 iron: 

Here's my Driver:

By the way, the shot tracer software kind of loses my ball on this one. It "guesses" where it is but that red line ain't right. Anyway, it's not about the red line its about my swing. 

Here's the next 7 iron... which is a dead pull. 

And the pulled Driver. 

 

Okay, so I'm not there yet. But I'm happy with the progress now. This month will be a big push to improve my swing path. I'll be anxious to see what I can achieve. 

If there are any break-throughs I'll post them. Otherwise I'll post again end of February. Ideally both down the line and caddie view. 

 

Looking good. How do you do the top tracer thing?