Top High Handicapper Mistake

[JackLee]

Swinging with their arms instead of their body.

[treebound]

Swinging with their arms instead of their body.

Any quick tips or links to cure this one?

[RIduffer]

Swinging with their arms instead of their body.

Any quick tips or links to cure this one?

If I remember correctly, JackLee likes the "Golf Swing Master Key" by Noel Thomas. I haven't read it, but I think it advocates lead side control (left side for a right-handed golfer), which is supposed to automatically get the body and arms working in sync.

[westcyderydin]

they dont understand their swing. that means that they cannot have consistent success because they cant make adjustments when their swing gets bad. and the adjustments they try to make are swing tips from magazines or from other high handicap friends.

[Shanks A Million]

Again, I'm going to reiterate, but I think the real problem is even more broadly defined. The problem is that a high handicapper tries to hit the ball . The golf swing is a sequence of events, in which a ball is struck, but the higher handicap golfer's mind is focused on the strike more than the swing. The basic problem always remains the same: Lack of discipline .

The plain and simple truth is that the golf swing is not a natural move, and too many higher handicappers just can't discipline themselves enough. They refuse to listen to the repeated instructions of experienced golfers and pros, and continually let their subconscious take over and try so hard to hit the ball. When I stand over a golf ball, my mind isn't thinking about striking it, it's thinking about what in the sequence I'm working on. Right now, that's to keep my right arm tucked so the wrists break earlier. At the top, my next thought is to bring my right arm in close, and swing outward about 45° to the right of my target. Taken together, the sequence is basically a close right arm, and a swing away from my target.

Higher handicaps, however, aim at their target, swing and their target, and hit the ball out into the adjoining fairway on the right. They can't seem to get it in their head that golf is not a game of direct action. The body manipulates the club, and the club manipulates the ball. Higher handicaps try to manipulate the ball with their body and hands. The club is made to manipulate the ball, you don't need to help it. Your job is to get the club onto the ball, nothing more. The sequence is what's important.

You'll notice that one of the biggest things you'll see said here by people who stagnate is, "who cares about your takeaway/backswing/etc., Jim Furyk does it this way, so that means it's OK to do it wrong." This is a statement of ignorance. The swing is a sequence, and every part is crucial. Furyk is a great ballstriker, and his swing, while it looks unorthodox, is actually very sound. His unusual swing comes with an unusual grip and setup that allow them to work, and he was trained from day 1 under professional supervision. Don't mistake unusual for improper, because that's another major high handicap mistake.

[jamo]

A couple of things. Weight back is not a reverse pivot. It is a total lack of pivot. But, in order:

1) Over the top move, caused by:
2) Hip sway on the back swing, which causes:
3) Casting, and:
4) Chicken Wing-ing.

Which all lead to crappy contact and slicing. But those are all mechanical mistakes, not the many mental/strategical ones that plague the masses and have been mentioned here.

[martytilma]

they dont understand their swing. that means that they cannot have consistent success because they cant make adjustments when their swing gets bad. and the adjustments they try to make are swing tips from magazines or from other high handicap friends.

That's a good one! You need to know why you are getting the results you do. I think that's one of my strengths over the years. If I was slicing, I knew why and would try to fix it, not just make it work for me. I don't think getting tips from a magazine is a bad thing, but you definitely don't want to take tips from high handicap friends!

[JackLee]

If I remember correctly, JackLee likes the "Golf Swing Master Key" by Noel Thomas. I haven't read it, but I think it advocates lead side control (left side for a right-handed golfer), which is supposed to automatically get the body and arms working in sync.

Actually, with this swing, the arms, hands, and club are pulled down and through by the pivot of the body so the synchronization problem is eliminated. Also, no lower body key is needed.

[tfauss]

I say bad stance and take away. My friend tried to golf and had the worst swing i'd ever seen by doing these. haha

[westcyderydin]

I don't think getting tips from a magazine is a bad thing, but you definitely don't want to take tips from high handicap friends!

getting tips from magazines isnt bad, but if its the only thing a high handicapper type might have to fix his swing he is just gonna get his head spun by conflicting tips that may not be specifically good for them. if they understood their swing they might be able know what tips to take or which ones not too.

the best way ive seen for a high handicapper to improve all the way into being a good golfer is to take tips from good golfers who know what they are talking about or seeing a pro, and then playing as much as they possibly can.

[jamo]

A couple of things. Weight back is not a reverse pivot. It is a total lack of pivot. But, in order:

I want to edit mine:

1) Over the top move, caused by: 2) Overswinging, and 2) Hip sway on the back swing, both of which cause: 3) Casting, and: 4) Chicken Wing-ing.

[JML22]

I would add not getting a video lesson haha as every mistake a high handi capper makes can be solved by video lessons

[Stretch]

Hitting the big ball before the little one.

[mrprovisional]

As I high handicapper, It was overswinging. I still tend to but I have a more controlled swing than I use to. I have a buddy that swears by flipping with his wrist, he has a more controlled chip. My eyes still bug out when I see him flipping his wrist and he wonders why he is so inconsistent by hitting the ball fat or thinning the shot. Ive tried to tell him not to and use his arms but he tends to get angry and use the excuse, "Ive been playing for 10 years and your telling me what to do!" So I keep my mouth shut and just let him do his own thing.

[Shanks A Million]

As I high handicapper, It was overswinging. I still tend to but I have a more controlled swing than I use to. I have a buddy that swears by flipping with his wrist, he has a more controlled chip. My eyes still bug out when I see him flipping his wrist and he wonders why he is so inconsistent by hitting the ball fat or thinning the shot. Ive tried to tell him not to and use his arms but he tends to get angry and use the excuse, "Ive been playing for 10 years and your telling me what to do!" So I keep my mouth shut and just let him do his own thing.

Tell him I said he's an idiot. Flipping is a great way to duff and blade chips shots. You have to use your body, legs and torso, to chip. That's why so many people are so bad at it, they try to move the ball with their hands. I've always been pretty good at chipping, and I use my legs to move the ball.

[HytrewQasdfg]

Swinging with their arms instead of their body.

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

Trying to use your arms (and hands) to swing/control the club is the single biggest problem (imho), because it is the most natrual thing to do. Give a glof club to anyone for the first time (child or adult) and they will swing it with their arms. Aren't several of the items on the original list caused by using your arms and upper body (shoulders in particular) to power/control the club instead of the lower body and core muscles?

[BigMikey]

I know I didn't explicitly state it, but I wanted to talk about the full swing, not short game or course management. Please keep the discussion to that.

For me it is casting casued by many things including overswinging. I've got days hot / cold where my chipping and putting is either ++++ or ---- and rarely ++--. But when I have enough time to warm up with 50 yard punch shots and hit a half bucket with a 9 to 3 swing drill my ballstriking alone puts me in scoring positions.

I save more shots from hitting the ball correctly (I know how obvious that sounds) than I do from hours of putting and chipping practice. Case in point I'm playing local 9 hole course twice this weekend and hole #7 is a par 4 - 380 and blew it twice and below is how: Round 1: 1 - Driver 280 - FIR - Perfect Lie: (Best shot of day) 2 - 50* wedge from 100 yards: FAT.~~.~... 60 yards 3 - 56* pitch from 40: Missed the green 10 yards to right 35' from hole. 4 - Chip: 10' 5 / 6: Putt... Putt = DB Round 2: 1 - Driver: 230 Slice but in next door fairway. Good lie. 2 - 150 Yds Uphill to elevated green: 6 Iron : FAT.~~.~... 40 yards 3 - PW - 110 Yards 18' from Hole 4 - Putt 3' left 5 - Putt Holed = Bogey I hit fat when I cast, had I warmed up correctly I could have a birdie and a par. This is just me but how many times has this happened to you???

[bunkerputt]

I'm with Shanks. High handicappers are crappy ballstrikers, mainly because they have 0 lag going into impact. When you know how to strike the ball well on your full swing, you will invariably have a clue of how to do it in your short game. Solid ballstriking (i.e. hitting the ball solidly in this case) is THE key to developing feel around the greens. Think about it: if you're constantly hitting it all over the face, the ball is always going different distances and the sound and feel is highly inconsistent. Your brain can't figure out how much effort to apply when things are changing so much. I'd bet if you could magically make anyone a solid striker around the greens, they'd have developed a great sense of feel inside of a week. Regarding the full swing, hitting solid, soaring shots gives you tremendous confidence that affects every area of your round. When I shot in the nineties several years ago, it didn't make a lick of difference in my score if I took 7-iron off of every tee box or hit driver OB, walked up to where it went out, dropped and took a penalty shot. Many of the 7-irons (the "smart" shots) would be bladed or flat-out chunked and I'd end up losing strokes anyway. So there really wasn't a course management option off the tee that would have suddenly made me start shooting significantly lower scores.