Play "golf", not play "swing"

[Harmonious]

There was an interesting discussion on Golf Channel tonight between Brandel Chamblee and Frank Nobilo regarding the proliferation of swing coaches, constant video sessions, etc. on the PGA Tour. Chamblee raised a really good point. He said that too many players today are so hung up on their swing that they forget to play golf. He said if you want to see how well you are playing, the best indicator is your scorecard. Using video mainly shows you your faults, which can lead to self-doubt creeping in.

Nobilo disagreed, saying that in earlier times, the more talented golfers generally won. With today's equipment levelling the playing field, mere talent may not enough. Everyone is looking for that little something that may save them just one stroke per tournament. Thus, the increase in swing coaches, strength coaches, nutritionists, sports psychologists.

For my game, I lean more toward Chamblee's argument. Play "golf", don't play "swing". Sure, video can help you find and correct major flaws, but it's like plastic surgery. A little bit can make you look better, too much can look really ugly.

[dhanson]

This coming from a guy who is a 2 handicap. It's awesome that you can navigate a course with relative ease, and without any formal instruction (thus, a "talented golfer"). But, when you are throwing up +90 and struggling, why wouldn't you want to improve yourself? The game is fun either way, but it's a hell of a lot more enjoyable when you can play well.

[longdrive23]

Pros playing just 'golf' would happen when there is no need to lengthen courses each year. Playing 'swing' would go on and become worse as long as the purse is getting bigger and bigger...

[Ben]

There was an interesting discussion on Golf Channel tonight between Brandel Chamblee and Frank Nobilo regarding the proliferation of swing coaches, constant video sessions, etc. on the PGA Tour. Chamblee raised a really good point. He said that too many players today are so hung up on their swing that they forget to play golf. He said if you want to see how well you are playing, the best indicator is your scorecard. Using video mainly shows you your faults, which can lead to self-doubt creeping in.

Interesting topic Harmonious. At my level I find that it is more "golf". Case in point. I played a tournament Monday and played with a guy that, despite bogeying 18, shot 3-under. Where I, did not. The main difference, course management. He played golf, got himself around the golf course. If he missed a shot, he missed in the right spot (as the cliche goes). Where I, caught in how to swing to that spot, wasn't thinking on that level. I played a lot of good golf holes, but also played a few really bad, It seemed to me that this guy was not thinking about his swing, but more about where to hit the ball. At the upper level, we can all hit the ball where we went, its when we get wrapped up into "how we want" that we get messed up.

[mattttt25]

I believe the best golfers work on their swing during practice, which takes time, repetition, and analysis. Video has to help. But its a means to an end. The goal is to then go play golf, and not have to think about the swing. The best golfer is one that can walk up to a ball, decide exactly what he needs to do, and make the correct swing with little thought.

[Blades4me]

When I was a serious ski racer we would watch lots of video's of us thru the gates. And yes they helped, but if you didn't run lots of gates you didn't gain a "feel" for it and subsequently got worse. So I'd have to say I agree with Brandel.

Yes, the swing is very important, but its scoring that wins games and to me, thats play'n golf.

[tm22721]

Strongly disagree. Like any discipline (Engineering comes to mind) golf requires analysis to improve. The seekers win.

[jamo]

I like this thread. I've been playing "swing" all of this year. I've got a tournament on sunday, so it should be interesting on how I make the transition to "golf".

[James_Black]

When I practice I play "swing"
when I go to the course I play "golf"

If you constantly play "swing" you can't address your swing faults and won't be able to improve.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I agree. I was lucky enough to end up with a teacher that taught me how to play the game first and didnt spend too much time obsessing on swing mechanics. Hes told me just as much about how to read a lie as anything else. And his mechanical stuff is very basic, get your grip, alignment, etc.... My last lesson with him a couple of months ago was "trouble shots" He had me hit low running hooks around a tree 20 feet in front of me.

[saevel25]

Yeah its were i am at now... I might have a bad day of ball striking were i wont hit many greens. But i am usually a 5-6 GIR per 9 holes. But, its the little things that make it trough to lower the score. I am not very good at scrambling, so i am pretty much the number of missed GIR's is what i shoot over par. But i am starting to get back to hitting certain areas of the green. For example, last thursday i ended up three times in positions that took me out of birdie because the putter were insanely tough. Both were about 3-4 feet long, left to right sliders down a nice slope. Evil putts.. The one was just rediculous because i marked it and when i put it down, it would stay in its spot, it kept rolling about 2-3 ball lengths down the slope. Nasty place to be, i am shocked a wedge stoped there with backspin. But i hit the putt on an aggressive line and it went 10 feet past the hole. Luckily i made the putt comming back for par. But if was right of the hole, it would have been an uphill putt for birdie.

[TourSpoon]

When I practice I play "swing"

Great topic!

I find it refreshing that a guy like Ricky Fowler comes out at 21, takes off and has never been to a sports psychologist, seen a nutritionist, or had a video lesson (according to the CBS Broadcast). They claimed that he works with an old fashioned "Range Pro". He seems to be in the "play golf" mode on the course. Conversely, I see many people that get too hung up on mechanics when they are on the course including myself. I am not begrudging video, and I use it on occasion, however I know some guys that are "video junkies" and their main problem is the six inches between their ears. Snead said "You have to dance with who brung you" and that is great advice when playing. If you are on the sixteenth tee trying to come up with another swing thought on how to hit your driver then you are probably having a tough day. I think that playing golf comes along when you release to the fact that "tempo is everything and perfection is unattainable" (Tin Cup) and that on the course strategy and management are huge parts of the game. I was watching Phil talk about the US Open and the strategy needed to play it versus other tournaments and was just amazed about how much work went into his analysis of the course and how he needs to play it to just make par. That interview was very enlightening and I immediately thought of how my own course management and how my biggest problem is how I lose focus on playing golf in the middle of my round.

[saevel25]

My personal best rounds are those were i don't think about it. I just let it fly. Played one weekend with my dad, shot 2 under front nine, shot 7 over back nine. Back nine i started caring to much about what i wanted to shoot and i tried to force shots, while the front nine i just let things go.

[Kieran123]

Bah...everyone who ever gets good at golf plays swing.....otherwise there would be no consistency at all, and they would never get there.

[iacas]

The discussion by Nobilo and Chamblee and now the discussion here is missing the main point.

Just because you have a swing instructor to work on your SWING doesn't preclude you from turning that off and playing GOLF on the course.

I can do it. I'm damn sure Tiger can do it too.

It's a false dichotomy.

[Zeph]

I agree.

When practicing, I think about how I want to hit the ball, when playing a competitive round, I think about where I want to hit the ball.

[Kieran123]

I agree.

What about when you need shape? More height? Bad lie?....when I play I ALWAYS think about HOW I am going to hit it...I may need to choke up, draw it, fade it, punch it, flop it...all of these change HOW I will swing my club.....AS WELL as where I want it to go.

[Harmonious]

The discussion by Nobilo and Chamblee and now the discussion here is missing the main point.

My take on the discussion, and the reason I started this thread, was that there is an emphasis these days on perfecting the swing. If you have a perfect swing, then you will become a perfect golfer. Chamblee took issue with that, stating that perhaps on the PGA tour today, players should be more concerned with getting the ball in the hole rather than constantly chasing the unattainable.

I understand that, as someone who makes a living out of analyzing golf swings, you may not agree. I don't mean to imply that using video or other means isn't a good thing. It can be, and I take videos of my swing occasionally to make sure some bad habit hasn't crept in. But if I see that my hands are perhaps too high at impact (which they usually are) or I come out of my spine angle (which I do), I accept that as my swing and do my darndest to make sure I can still get the ball around the course. In regards to your Tiger comment, I think he has been playing "swing" all year. The results speak for themselves.