Top High Handicapper Mistake

[wannabe]

The old standby, "hit down on the ball" is absolutely the most stupid thing you can tell someone. The club must be moving down, but the player doesn't need to actively try to hit down upon the ball. Doing so only causes problems, shifting the plane, etc. This leads to steep swings with a very narrow margin of error in which to hit the ball, and the flipping

Q

uoted F or T ruth

[Shanks A Million]

I would say as a high handicapper it's poor execution which leads me to think that overswinging is the main cause.Out on the range it's easy to work on a compact swing and the tempo or rhythm of the swing.I have been hitting it better than ever lately but out on the course my best golf is better but my worst golf is still my worst golf.The quality of shots I hit is much better,but the errors are still as costly so it doesn't matter what my course strategy is if I duff the shot then that stroke is gone period.

Sure, overswinging hurts badly when it's a bad swing. That's the problem, high handicappers generally fail to realize that the reason a low handicap is a low handicap is not talent, practice, or luck, it's forgiveness. The right motions give you tremendous amounts of forgiveness in your swing.

A very good player, tour pro, etc, will have such a forgiving swing, that even a substantial mishit or some other unforseen error will not result in such a poor shot. This isn't apparent unless you've experienced it. I've got a long way to go, but even I now can hit a ball well off the heel, or fat, or thin, whatever, and it still goes pretty well. When I was a high handicap, those same mishits would lead to terrible shots. That's the problem, you don't have that margin of error, and you can't score well. No one, no matter how talented, will ever play great golf with a bad swing.

[Arthur]

No one, no matter how talented, will ever play great golf with a bad swing.

Ever hear of Moe Norman, Jim Fuyric and a few other very good players with bad swings? You can have a bad grip a bad swing and still hit the ground in the same place everytime and score very low.

[jamo]

Ever hear of Moe Norman, Jim Fuyric and a few other very good players with bad swings? You can have a bad grip a bad swing and still hit the ground in the same place everytime and score very low.

Look at the impact positions of Moe Norman and Jim Furyk. Extremely fundamentally sound positions. The point is if you have a bad swing you won't hit the ground in the same place (or correct place, ie. after the ball) every time

[bwdial]

Ever hear of Moe Norman, Jim Fuyric and a few other very good players with bad swings? You can have a bad grip a bad swing and still hit the ground in the same place everytime and score very low.

Those aren't "bad" swings. They are unique swings. A "bad" swing causes inconsistent, weak contact. Their impact positions make their unique swings into great swings.

[Shanks A Million]

Ever hear of Moe Norman, Jim Fuyric and a few other very good players with bad swings? You can have a bad grip a bad swing and still hit the ground in the same place everytime and score very low.

So, to show me how people play great golf with bad swings, you named two of the best ballstrikers, with the best impact positions of all time? The word "stupid" comes to mind, but I'll pass. The swings you mention have some of the most amazing forward shaft lean at impact. They are absolutely breathtaking swings, nearly dead on plane all the way through the ball, and with lag to spare.