3 Golf Swing Tips That Are Destroying Golfer's Swings!

[Alex1]

I'm a beginner, but your advice seems dubious. The best advice that's worked for me has been:

1. Slow down to 70% and swing with a relaxed effortless stroke.
2. Keep your arms soft.

Both of which seem contradictory to your #1 and #2.

[lynchjo]

I hope this is a joke...I completely disagree.

"TELLING" a golfer to take the club to the inside, especially a beginner, is fruitless...you must give the golfer a drill that allows them to "FEEL" what it is like to take the club back on plane...simply telling golfers to take the club to the inside in my experience causes them to yank the club back to the inside.

This is why I posted these magic tip rubbish because of all the "know it alls" who give golf tip snake oil online without giving the poor golfer a drill to allow them the "feel" of a fundamentally sound golf swing.

[lynchjo]

I hope this is a joke...I completely disagree.

I'm a beginner, but your advice seems dubious. The best advice that's worked for me has been:

Arkansas..I love that part of the country!

I have a quick question for you, I know you're a beginner, do you feel you have a powerful golf swing with your " relaxed effortless stroke "? --John

[Alex1]

I have a quick question for you, I know you're a beginner, do you feel you have a powerful golf swing with your "relaxed effortless stroke"?

It doesn't feel powerful, but it makes better contact and gets good decent, straight distance. The harder I try to hit the ball, the more grounders, shanks, etc.

Perhaps your advice is more applicable to an advanced golfer who's already grooved their stroke to extreme consistency?

[lynchjo]

It doesn't feel powerful, but it makes better contact and gets good decent, straight distance. The harder I try to hit the ball, the more grounders, shanks, etc.

You missed my point, I'm not giving advice, I'm simply posting what I think is rubbish...because I say to "RELAX" is rubbish when it comes to the golf swing, people automatically think I mean to tense up is correct.

I'll give you some advice, find a teacher who can teach you the golf swing using feel and visual imagery that will ingrain the proper golf swing into your subconscious...words only add chatter to an already busy conscious mind.

[NBGC]

No where in my original post did I say "be tense" or have a "death grip" when you swing the club...it's amazing how some people take what you say out of context..reminds me of the presidential debates...

Ah I guess I read too much into what you wrote and more than a bit confused.

As far as taking you out of context, there really wasn't much context to go on. "RELAX - Pure rubbish! How many times have you heard this golf swing tip from a golf pro or a playing partner? The golf swing is a violent action - is there any other violent action you take when you relax? - of course not - This is foolish advice." What are we to deduct from that? You wouldn't tell someone who swings smooth with a good tempo to relax. Only someone who is tense. If they are tense, they aren't swinging to thier ability. Telling them to relax and loosen up means to ease up and loosen thier musclesand swing smoothly, not herky jerky. I would also point out that a golf pro would probably recognize if someone was tense when they advise them to relax, not someone who already has a smooth swing. So we understand you as telling someone who is tense to relax as foolish advice. Regardless, there seems to be some miscommunication. Maybe you could explain what "relax" means to you in the context you put it in that didn't translate in the post. Btw, congrats on going from a 8-10 handicapper to a +2 in 1 year. that's quite an accomplishment.

[lynchjo]

Ah I guess I read too much into what you wrote and more than a bit confused.

If the golfer is tense, telling him/her to RELAX is not gonna help, probably make things worse because they are now self-conscious of their being tense...it's pure human nature.

A golfer with a tense herky jerky swing has got more issues than simply learning to relax. If you're learning golf, why not model yourself against the best golfer on the planet - does Tiger Woods look relaxed at impact when he crushes one 350 yards?? Thanks for the congrats NBGC! I actually went from an 18 handicapper to a scratch golfer in about a year...my jump to +2 came relatively recently...I talk about my astonishing improvement on my blog. --John

[kc8kir]

If the golfer is tense, telling him/her to RELAX is not gonna help, probably make things worse because they are now self-conscious of their being tense...it's pure human nature.

I wouldn't be the first person to assert the fact that Tiger Woods doesn't have the "best swing on the planet". He gets away with less than perfect because his timing and hand control is so good, so grooved. Combine that with the best mental game, and a very good short game and putting stroke, and that's what makes him a winner. He has the trained ability to compensate.

There are other golfers out there whose swings are more fundamentally sound. They just aren't winners. Golf, afterall, is a game of misses and recovery.

[GolferDot]

Anyone on this board ever read a book called the inner game of golf ???
One part of it was to tense every muscle in your body as tight as you can at the practice range then stop step up and hit a golf ball.
Beginners get caught up in way too much swing theory, I personally believe beginners should get the stance, grip, posture alignment correct, then hit a few thousand golf balls at the range without thought of results to get some sort of consistent action that can then be reviewed. You cannot build the perfect swing from scatch it is impossible because Golf is a game of feel.

[CoolBreeze20]

I think "swing like Tiger", IMO, is a terrible example to give to a beginner or mid-handicapper. There is only ONE person like Tiger in the world, and it is he himself. He is one of a kind, and can swing as hard as he possibly can and still make great contact.....the other billions of us on the planet generally cant. If a beginner tries to emulate Tiger's driver swing.....its a recipe for failure and frustration. My opinion.

[TinCupTampa]

I've read this thread and closed it out because the OP's statements are pretty absurd. As a +2 handicap as you claim... you should know that swinging a golf club is not a "violent action" as you put it. The actual swing itself doesnt generate the power... its the whipping of the club derived from the lag on the downswing. In order to get that whip... you have to have your big muscles relaxed. Tight muscles resrict the whipping.

You also claim that you arent here to give advice... yet your title of the thread is "3 Golf Swing Tips...". Whether it is what to do or what not to do... it is advice.

In essence this thread reminds me of my freshman year in college after the first semester. After taking one class everyone was an expert in their field.

[NBGC]

Thanks for the congrats NBGC! I actually went from an 18 handicapper to a scratch golfer in about a year...my jump to +2 came relatively recently...I talk about my astonishing improvement on my blog.

Wow. I read your blogs...then read your posts on this forum...then read your blogs...

Again, I strongly urge people to take his pov with a grain of salt. I'll take the high road and leave it at that.

[lynchjo]

Wow. I read your blogs...then read your posts on this forum...then read your blogs...

People also took Galileo's pov with a grain of salt in 17th century Rome when he stated the sun was the center of our universe, as opposed to the church who believed the earth was the center...Galileo was tried and convicted of heresy.

FYI NBGC: for some reason in your prior posts you spell "their" as "thier", can this be a chink in your almighty armour??

[lynchjo]

I've read this thread and closed it out because the OP's statements are pretty absurd. As a +2 handicap as you claim... you should know that swinging a golf club is not a "violent action" as you put it. The actual swing itself doesnt generate the power... its the whipping of the club derived from the lag on the downswing. In order to get that whip... you have to have your big muscles relaxed. Tight muscles resrict the whipping.

You don't think the club face crashing into a golf ball at 100+ mph is not violent? then how would you describe it...mellow??

[lynchjo]

Wow. I read your blogs...then read your posts on this forum...then read your blogs...

Hey, I found a golf swing system that totally turned my game around and I wanna shout it out to the world!! I feel like I found advanced alien technology...

What's wrong with helping people play extraordinary golf? Or you can listen to the so called gurus on this forum and work your way up to mediocre golf with the same old tired golf cliches they're spewing. Open your minds people and don't be silly drones listening to hacks... Get out of the dark ages!!

[lynchjo]

I've read this thread and closed it out because the OP's statements are pretty absurd. As a +2 handicap as you claim... you should know that swinging a golf club is not a "violent action" as you put it. The actual swing itself doesnt generate the power... its the whipping of the club derived from the lag on the downswing. In order to get that whip... you have to have your big muscles relaxed. Tight muscles resrict the whipping.

We don't want a rigidity of the rigor mortis variety but a firmness, a feeling of muscular movement under constant control, ready for instant response. Yes these ideas are radical, heretical, iconoclastic! I knew that it would stir violent controversy. It's easy to see how "relax" became fixed in the language of the golf teacher. He gives lessons to middle aged men and women who have never done anything athletic. When they get on the practice tee they are so self conscious and scared they tense up to the point of absolute rigidity. In order for them to swing the club at all, the pro has to loosen them up to some extent. He tells them to relax. Then, since that advice has a beneficial effect, he now adopts an unsound rule of thought. If a little is good, a lot must be better. The golf teacher now makes a fettish of relaxation.

[Smallville]

FYI NBGC: for some reason in your prior posts you spell "their" as "thier", can this be a chink in your almighty armour??

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I would say something about "armour" but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say you must be British. Otherwise you are talking about a meat packing company. Read on . . .

it's a little hard to take you seriously when you can't spell "their"

Maybe someone should take some spelling, punctuation and grammar lessons themselves:

No where in my original post did I say "be tense" or have a "death grip" when you swing the club...

No where? Or would that be "nowhere?"

Your welcome for leading you down the path to enlightenment...hehehehe. Plato said we should live our lives in the middle of the 2 extremes in everything we do. My guess is you never read Plato...

Whose welcome? Yours? Mine? His? Hers? Or do you mean, "You're welcome?" My guess is you never read a grammar book.

The golf teacher now makes a fettish of relaxation.

What, exactly, is a fettish? Or did you mean "fetish?"

Maybe instead of nitpicking on someone elses spelling you should concentrate on making sure yours is correct as well. Sorry iacas, this is off topic but the OP continued to harp on a poster about spelling when he has a problem with it himself. I'll be good now.

[TinCupTampa]

You don't think the club face crashing into a golf ball at 100+ mph is not violent? then how would you describe it...mellow??

Please... go look up the word violent in the dictionary.