So I had a session with a swing coach

[DJYoshi]

In my quest to achieve a better, more consistent swing that when I miss, I don't miss badly, I decided to visit a swing coach. In working with the coach, he pointed out that 1, I don't have a big shoulder turn & 2 when I miss I miss b/c i start to drive the swing on a steeper plane than my take away causing a dig.

So he helped me develop a safer, flatter plane. So I go out yesterday on the course that I shot the 76 last week, and I'm ALL OVER THE PLACE! My natural shot is a fade & can play a small draw when really really really needed (still scared of really trying to turn the ball). Yesterday my big miss was left. 1 hole I even setup a little open to play a baby fade & the ball drew hard.

1. Have any of you ever experienced negative results like this after a session with a swing coach?
2. I know it takes a long time to work on your preferred swing, path, tempo, etc, but can the results after 1 session be that bad? I wasn't comfortable with any swing...except for the drive, chips, and flop shots. Full iron shots felt horrible.
3. If i'm consistently taking a 7 iron to 160, would a bigger shoulder turn make a huge difference in distance?

It was the most frustrating round & that 76 turned into a 101!

[Wisco-Kid]

Well all I can say is give it some time. I am going through the same thing right now. I have flattened out my swing and all my fades have become draws. It is very hard to get used to when you are expecting/used to the ball going right and it starts going left.

[beung]

I find that for me if I have too much shoulder turn, my club is across the line at the top and so when I start my downswing my shoulders remain closed a bit too much, making my swing path too much from inside to out.

If you have recently gained lots of shoulder turn and you have ended up drawing the ball I would look at maybe trying to flatten your left wrist (for RH golfers) more at the top of your swing, almost like your club is layed off at the top.

It may also be a timing thing, you may be releasing a bit too soon because with the additional shoulder turn, the distance and time the club has to travel from the top of your swing and contact with the ball has increased.

Just becareful because what may end up happening is that you start blocking the ball off to the right instead of straightening your shot.

[JKilgore44]

Tiger Woods came out with a book a couple of years ago and it really, really helped me alot. He breaks down the swing really well and also shares a lot of his philosophy. I would suggest that you go to amazon.com and find that book.

As for your shoulder turn: I like to think about it like "coiling" around my spine. Set up with good posture and feel your upper body coil around your spine. Try to keep your head and lower body as still as possible and feel your shoulders and "big" muscles make the swing. It will help you hit it farther, but more importantly it will help keep you on a consistent swing plane, thus reducing your misses and keeping them more acceptable. When I say to feel your big muscles making the swing, I mean your triceps, deltoids, obliques, and abdomen. If you are making your swing with your forearms and wrists, you have a really hard time finding consistency.

I have never had a swing coach and have worked very hard to get my swing to where it is today. I'm not playing off scratch, but I have gotten my handicap wayyyy down over the past 3 years just by focusing on good fundamentals. I think if you work on the "coil", "uncoil" principles I mentioned earlier, you may find the same success I did. Good luck!

[Sickman]

I know Livingston well -- mind sharing who your swing coach is? You can pm me if you don't want to publish it. Also curious where you're shooting 76s and 101s.

[golf_junkie27]

Subconsciously, were you thinking about the shoulder turn during your swing?

I ask only because I went through similar things. I did drills to create more lag and I have been working on being slower during the takeaway. The result, at first, was that I was pulling everything and coming over the top. When I focused on letting the shoulder turn, happen, naturally, I was getting to the point that I wanted. I began then to come from the inside and through the ball.

Everything takes time, at first. My suggestion would be to work on the range when changing your swing and expect some difficulty.

[goblue107501]

My experience a few years ago was the same thing, negative results the first time out. I think most of it for me was that the instructor changed a few things and it took some time for me to get it right. You really have to trust what is told to you and try and repeat it as many times as you can. After my first lesson I was doing 50% what I was before and 50% what I should be doing. So not only was I doing something new, I was still trying to do what I had done in the past and the swing wasn't fluid, which led to the negative results. After about 4 lessons I was about 30 before/70 after and starting to see better results. Then winter came and I went back and did about 6-8 more over the next summer and I finally got to where I was close to 100% changed. Then I started to see real results.

My point is that I thought I could be fixed after a few lessons but that is hardly the case. Luckily for me, we were able to spend most of the time on the swing. He said my chipping, putting, stance, grip and setup were all fine. So instead of wasting time on those areas we could really focus in on a basic swing for me. I loved just having him stand behind me and tell me when I did everything right so I could build up the muscle memory of my proper swing. I would still be going to try and improve more but I got married, had kids, and the $50 every few weeks is hard to justify. But I still remember his basic fundamentals for me and I can adjust things on my own. I just wish I could play more than I do...

[tm22721]

I don't have a big shoulder turn & when I miss I miss b/c i start to drive the swing on a steeper plane than my take away causing a dig.

Until recently I had the steepness problem too. Having finally conquered it after three years, I now experience much improved ball contact. No more fatsies and my approach shots are much straighter.

Swing plane appears to be one of the most important fundamentals so I think your coach is onto something don't give up.

[Doctorfro]

Yeah, I wouldn't sweat it. I played nine today after a lesson yesterday. I didn't score great but I hit some surprisingly good irons today. I air mailed a par three that I normally come up short or barely on. So it wasn't perfect but I left encouraged, knowing I'm on a right path and will get more consistent with the changes. Work hard you'll be ok.

[Surefire]

From a physiological point of view, it takes the average person 3-5 weeks to burn new neural pathways.

So it will take this long for a change to become really natural.
I know most people won't do it, but when making changes, I usually just work on the swing without a ball. That way I focus on getting the swing right, and not worrying about the result. Otherwise its easy to get caught up in analysing, and making adjustments based on each ball you hit.

Once the swing is grooved I then bring in a ball, and the new swing just happens naturally with no thought.

[DJYoshi]

From a physiological point of view, it takes the average person 3-5 weeks to burn new neural pathways.

I can only hope. Of course it's in my mind! It's all I'm thinking about. I went out and played yesterday & it was A LITTLE better, but it was really my pitching and chipping that saved the round for me. There were a few crisp irons, but it feels like i'm trying too hard to stay on a flatter plane.

[quote = Sickman][/quote] I went to crystal springs with my pops and had a lesson up there. It was 1 of their specials: golf and lesson thing... I shot the 76's at Byrne....twice before the swing coach...consistently in the low 80's at hendricks with an occasional round in the high 70's.... after the swing coach, i haven't been able to hit the ball well....except for a few shots in the round.. before i could count the bad shots in a round...now i can only count the good shots.