What Are You Working On?

[Ernest Jones]

With the season winding down I will be spending the winter working on:

1. Flatter shaft coming from A4 to A5.5, ideally in line with my trail forearm at A5.5 but I'll take what I can get. For this I'll be doing a lot of video of extremely exaggerated feeling swings with no ball, I will also probably make some chalk lines on my practice mat to ingrain the path visually as well. A big key for me here will be SLOW and EXAGGERATED movements to help me map out what I need to be feeling at full speeds.
2. Changing the path of my trail knee on the downswing so that it is working more towards the target instead of towards the ball. Presently it tends to drive out towards the ball causing my shaft to get too steep (see point 1) and my hips to spin out too early and everything goes to shit...I've got a couple of strategies for this, I'll put stuff in the way of my knee so it has to find a new path and I'll work on rolling the trail foot more, maybe even some " toes up " swings to get the correct feel.
3. Club head inside my hands at A6, this will obviously be MUCH easier to do consistently if I work on the first point and is more of a result of what I'll be working on than something I'll actively be working on, y'know...
4. TEMPO. When I'm hitting the ball well all of these pieces come together easily and the game becomes much more enjoyable. I have noticed that whenever I get into a good groove and am hitting the ball well my tempo is much slower and smoother allowing for much more time to get the sequence right. Kind of a 'chicken or egg' scenario, I know, working on tempo alone won't fix points 1-3 but it will make it easier to work on points 1-3

The first three points are all inter-related and any improvement in one area will immediately impact the other two points so I feel like I have a pretty solid road map to work with this off season.

I feel like a made a lot of progress this year, and played the best golf of my life but started slipping into old, bad habits towards the end of the season as I let the practicing slip and didn't stay on top of things as far as what I need to work to improve. With the courses closing up within the next 6 weeks I'll be getting back to a more diligent practice routine, review my Evolvr lessons I have on file and maybe earn a stupid monkey badge!

I won't put any significant time into putting because putting is pretty easy and I kick ass with a flat stick!

[Rennie]

I have added a waggle to my full swing routine and strengthened my grip slightly as it had gotten too weak over the past year of playing such that I was slicing

[rehmwa]

More face control - tried a couple things on the range today.

1 - vertical alignment rod out front a dozen feet, keeping feet alignment on a constant line (the other rod), but just working to hit the ball around the stick from that single set up..  Really nice to just work on face angle and working the launch left, right and at the stick.  was able to move the shot around and shape push draws and pull fades by the end.  this (face control) is something I really need to move to the next level.  I hope the drill continues to help vs me just having a decent practice session coincidentally.  Hopeful.

2 - thinking about keeping the right shoulder high through the downswing.  seems to help me fire my hips in a better way and get a more consistent contact and, I think, a better downward AoA.  ball was definitely flying straighter (unless that's washover from the other drill.....)  Very nice results though.  I think this one might just help start taking more of those little divots - I've been a picker, and I want to move to the next level (for divots, I'd like "ball.....then divot", vs what I've been doing either clean sweeps, or - sporadic divots before the ball aka "fat").  I was definitely coming under with my right shoulder and this is a nice one to fix that bit.  again, hopeful.

both of these might require a bit of commitment at the range to see if they help.....maybe worth a lesson from my pro to discuss them

might be posting a new "my swing" soon.  the original is no where near where I'm at now....

[Wardy]

Think I'm still collapsing my right knee slightly on the backswing. Such a hard movement to prevent

[marklemcd]

I'm working on learning what parallel left really feels like.  The reason I'm working on this is when I go to a lesson and am aimed and aligned correctly I hit the ball cleanly and have a much more consistent swing.  When I go to the range on my own I notice that I hit the ball all over the place.  On my last trip to the range I had a guy video a couple swings from behind and I noticed I was really inconsistent in my alignment, often with my clubface square to the target and my body aligned right.  It's no wonder I struggle with an in to out swing.

What I'm doing for this is when I go to the range I'm picking a flag to hit to and using alignment rods to ensure I am aligned properly and really noting the feel, and photoing it to see later so I can recreate that feeling in a mirror or at my next range session.

[MrFreeze]

Been hitting the ball for a couple of years. Finally get my swing path right, my timing right, and some semblance of regularity in my results. Nearly always on target.

So I go to my lesson and my instructor says to me, "wonderful tempo." I am thinking .. cool.  "Now lets get you hitting down on the ball." He showed me a two ball drill. Which I have yet to figure out how to do that?

So I am working on learning how do put the divot "after" the ball rather than before.

Once I get that I will be needing "gaming" techniques to get me through the whole course. :)

Craig

[Spudmonkey]

Working the ball as a matter of routine, 7I down to 5W. Draws and hooks (high and low) are fairly straightforward for me, but I struggle at hitting slight cuts, high or low, really can't nail the setup and feel.

Also working hard on continuing to educate my hands and arms, trying to ingrain the use very soft arms and the tempo that keeps them that way. So easy to just go blank/unconscious during the swing, the hardest bit is always staying aware of the clubs feel.

[Brakkus]

There's a pattern developed in my rounds. Now I'm not expecting to par every par 3 on the course I'm not at that level yet. I should be able to be no worse than a 4. Too many times I make double. Sometimes from a bunker or a 3 putt or a misread chip or pitch. Just analysed my last round short course seven par 3's and I was 9 over, similar story to my last round 4 par 3's and was 6 over. Amazing that I'm shooting in the 80's now with such carelessness. I can't say I need to work on anything mechanical really. I think it might be a mental approach. Perhaps if I play for a 4 because in my mind par 3's are opportunities to shoot par. Plus if you make a poor shot on a par 3 a double is easy to come by. So perhaps a small adjustment to my initial shot from the tee and making sure that I minimize trouble and I'm sure it will improve.

[Lihu]

Keys 1 and 2, and chipping/pitching 90% of all my practice.

I sense that all those 470 yard par 4s will be reachable in 6.7 strokes?

Seriously, I am making some headway finally.

[mvmac]

Keys 1 and 2, and chipping/pitching 90% of all my practice.

I sense that all those 470 yard par 4s will be reachable in 6.7 strokes?

Seriously, I am making some headway finally.

[boogielicious]

Key 1:  I want to feel my right side fully extended at A4.  This keeps my head from dropping at A4, which was a flaw.

Key 2:  Weight forward at impact.  I've worked on a narrower stance and keeping the left knee bent more coming into impact.

Key 3: Flat left wrist.  I've worked on flattening my wrist at A4 to aid in flat wrist at impact.  I have a tendency to cup with wrist at A4.  To achieve this, I motorcycle a small amount during the backswing evenly up to A4.

Key 4: Diagonal sweet spot path.  I am keeping my hands lower at set up and keeping the connection of my left arm to my body throughout the swing.  My right elbow stays close to my left so it does not get trapped behind my side on the downswing.

[chipandcharge]

I'm working on making my actual swing at the ball be as close to my practice swing as possible so that I benefit

more from the practice swing that I currently do.  Like many, by swing changes when the ball is there.  I have

difficulty with the "ignore the ball" advice.  I didn't know why, but I think I do now.

I read about the works of Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung, who said that people differ in how my their minds are energized

by objects around them--when some see something to hit, the mind goes into the "hit" mode.  If true, this may explain why I can take

a smooth, graceful swing when there is no ball, and change my swing when I'm swinging at the ball.

So, it seems that I have two choices--keep trying to make my actual swing at the ball emulate my practice swing, or

take a practice swing that looks like my actual swing at the ball.  I tried the former for months/years.  Now I'm

working on the latter--taking a practice swing at a broken tee that is more like the swing I'm going tto swing.

I now have a better understanding of the difference between the hitter's swing (where the ball is an object to be hit)

and the swinger's swing (where the ball is merely in the way of the club head).

[minitour]

Grip pressure.  I tend to squeeze the living shit out of the club.  That needs work.

[Strandly]

Trying to figure out the specific cause of pushing my irons just slightly to the right.  My left wrist looks and feels mostly flat so I'm wondering if maybe I'm not turning my hips enough to help get the clubface the last little bit square at impact.

[JCRuzanski]

I'm working on clearing my hips out for my hands... not clearing has caused me to push fade... starting my hip movement at the apex of my backswing... good results so far.

[rkim291968]

Focusing on mid to long iron shots to reduce unnecessary OBs when playing 2nd shot.   And bunkers, bunkers, and bunkers practice to get out of deep bunkers cleanly in one try.   It's taking me close to 2 tries on average to get out of them.

[c peterich]

Having help from everyone on my swing.. But doing this... And isn't easy and may not happen.. Even after next season Look at hogan address vs impact.. Look how left hand gets weaker at impact and right hand gets stronger. In abs golf it is called " stabilizing the shaft" in transition. Besides that short game is what I love working on

[crayputter]

Hi, I don't know if this is the right thread, and if it is not, I apologize. I didn't want to start a new thread, and I just wanted some help in trying to make sense of what's happening to my game at the moment.

I started playing about 4 years ago, and worked my way to a solid 16 handicap in 2012. And then because of work and travel, I went cold turkey and didn't touch a club for about 8 months. Started back again a couple of months ago. After a few rounds, my drive was back to normal, putting and chipping as good as ever.....but....my approach shots with irons have gone to the dogs.

Here's the strange part I don't get. I am shanking my irons off the fairway, but hitting it sweet off the tee on Par 3's ! My approach with woods and rescue off the fairway is great, no worries.

Now I am so traumatised by using irons off fairways, I am using rescue/wood for my approach irregardless of distance and relying on my solid short game to save par, or sometimes, bogey !

Why is this happening ?

Thanks

Cheers

Ray