Don't forget the basics......

[Smiffy]

Been struggling the last few times out. The swing hasn't felt right, lack of distance with my irons, drives which were normally dead straight were either pulling left big time or I was hitting big blocks right and during a game last week I had lost 3 balls before I even stepped on to the 5th tee...
I've played loads of games where I haven't even had to hit a provisional, let alone lost a ball. Something wasn't right and I felt like chucking it all in for a few months.
Played with a couple of good friends during last weeks round and they both commented that I was standing quite closed at address. I hadn't noticed it, but they had. So I spent a long time on Saturday watching videos specifically aimed at alignment, trying to remind myself of what I should be doing. Didn't get a chance to practice before Sundays game but made a deliberate effort when I stood over the ball to line the clubface up to where I wanted to go and then set everything up square from there. Simple thing I know, but sometimes it's the simple things we forget.
Result? My best round for absolutely ages. 37 points with 4 "blobs" (N/R's) two of which were due to finding greenside bunkers on par 3's that saw me thinning shots out of due to lack of sand in them. Only two N/R's were due to bad drives, and even then I would have taken the bad ones during the previous round on the Thursday. My divots with my irons were going nice and straight again, rather than showing and out to in swingpath and the ball was pinging off the clubface.
Two birdies and my playing partner (who plays off 3) was basically a passenger as we beat our opponents 3&2.
Not bragging here, but just a reminder to check the basics. The fault had obviously been creeping into my game over the past few months and I hadn't even noticed it.
Feeling a lot happier and now looking forward to getting out again rather than dreading stepping onto the tee...

[lionking]

yup, yup. after 8 holes of abysmal driving, my playing partner told me that my shoulders were WIDE open. closed'em up as much as i could and started driving it down the middle.

i've noticed that 75% of my faults- driver, irons, wedges and putter- can be traced to the set up.

[MiniMoe]

When things don't go right, or the swing gets off, it's always best to start from the beginning and check all the fundamentals before you try to "fix" what's gong wrong. It's amazing what a simple change in grip or stance can do to a golf swing.

[Dub]

Set up is huge.


I think for me the trifecta of ballstriking are: SETUP, TEMPO and BALANCE.

[Scott_K]

My alignment was way out of whack the other day. I found out on 16th that my shoulders were pointed down the right side of the target line. I straightened out a little on the 17th tee and finished with 2 textbook drives.

I like the youtube vid of AK where they draw lines through his body when he's at the top.