My Swing (bplewis24)

[bplewis24]

[bplewis24]

So, this video update may not be super-helpful as I was mostly taking half-speed swings, but you can see I'm still suffering from the same issues I had last year.  You can see at about the 2-minute mark, I make a practice swing that is markedly different from the other swings throughout the video and more like what I hope to be doing in the future.  I feel like Shannon gave me some tools, drills & concepts to help me achieve that if I practice enough.

Also, disregard my added pudginess in this video.  I just had knee surgery 2 months ago and I still have about 20lbs to lose that I gained over the past 6 months That should help the flexibility some.

Brandon

[bplewis24]

Okay, so as I posted in the My Swing thread , I had a golf galaxy lesson yesterday:

So, after the lesson I went to a nearby driving range.  I had what I'd call a typical post-lesson range session.  Some good, some bad, some ugly and all feeling akward.  I wasn't so much worried about the ball as much as the sequence of the swing.  Mr. Hoyt gave me an impact position drill to do (similar to some youtube vids I've seen posted here) as well as urging me to slow the swing down on full swings to exaggerate the sequence.  So I did a lot of that yesterday.

After I left the range, I had a swing though pop into my head that I looked forward to testing out today: relax the hands at the top of the swing and consciously try to "leave them behind."  Then a couple things popped into my head that were told to me by Mr. Hoyt and the guy who I took lessons from the past couple weeks that corroborated that swing thought.

I tried to employ this lesson at the range today (along with the setup changes from yesterday) and it went really well.  It was probably the best range session I've ever had (other than my driver). I may have hit 60-70% of the balls well, which is a much higher % than I ever have before.  I'm looking forward to some more range work later this week.

Brandon

[anotherday]

From this last video.. it looks like you're too much on your toes. So much that when it comes to your downswing, your body feels the need to rise up.. making you stand a bit. Also, your head gets a bit ahead of the ball on your downswing - watch where the video pauses and steps back and then goes forward around the 1:16 mark.

When I approach the ball I try to balance my weight. I want the weight to feel centered.. not too much on toes or too much on heels. This will keep your body stable and sturdy throughout the swing.

There is always someone at the range that wants to throw in their two cents... There are tons of different ways to get good results. Bubba Watson hasn't had a coach and his swing is nuts... huge step back afterwards, but he makes it work. The point is: if you're committed to what your instructor is teaching you, then tell anyone else to take their advice somewhere else. Our advice too for that matter... if you agree with it, great, if not.. then don't give it a second thought.

I'm 5'7, 150 lbs and I don't need any sort of specific tweaks due to my size. I hit the ball long and I've only been playing for 2 and a half years. So size shouldn't be a factor for you.

Good luck man.. keep us posted.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

So, this video update may not be super-helpful as I was mostly taking half-speed swings, but you can see I'm still suffering from the same issues I had last year.  You can see at about the 2-minute mark, I make a practice swing that is markedly different from the other swings throughout the video and more like what I hope to be doing in the future.  I feel like Shannon gave me some tools, drills & concepts to help me achieve that if I practice enough.

Also, disregard my added pudginess in this video.  I just had knee surgery 2 months ago and I still have about 20lbs to lose that I gained over the past 6 months   That should help the flexibility some.

Brandon

We're all getting worse the second we fix mechanical problems in our swing.  It's only temporarily worse, though.  The human mind has an incredible ability to groove whatever motion we repeat.  A technically poor, well-grooved swing, will almost always outperform a mechanically sound swing fresh out of lessons.  Don't worry about that part.  Just give yourself time.  Lots of time.  Around 6-months or so with daily reps to fully ingrain any new motion you learn.

I see the guy had you fix your grip.  That's good.  I didn't hear him talk too much about the dynamics of a sound grip, only the positions.  The positions are there to support the dynamics, so they don't make sense without them.  Take a look at this video.  Everything you need is there, just try to pay attention to all of the details Hogan gives:

Once you get this part right, you will be able to apply pressure with the right hand.  This will be required for the following drill:

1.  Go to the range and set up an impact bag or bucket or some other object that you don't want to hit so that it is around two feet behind and just inside the ball, somewhere along the downswing club path.  The idea is to hit the bucket with a cast, but miss it with lag.  For a checkpoint, when your right forearm is vertical with your right leg, and the right elbow is in front of the right hip, the club should be parallel to the ground.  Not parallel to the target line, mind you, but parallel with the ground.  It will look like it is pointing out in front of you 30 degrees or so when viewed from the top.

2.  Take your new grip and point your right thumb at the target, taking it off the shaft.  If you want, take your right index finger off the shaft too so that only the right hand "butt pad" that Hogan is talking about is contacting the club.  You want the feeling of the motion he shows in the video at :41-:50 or so.

3.  Pre-cock your wrists so you can take the club back without hitting the bucket.

4.  Take easy swings and miss the bucket on the downswing, hitting the ball.

*edit* 5.  Don't cheat by moving forward to give yourself room!  Keep your head behind the ball through impact.

You can easily make full swings using this motion if you aren't casting.  If you are casting, you will find it nearly impossible to do until you can shake the habit.  Don't get frustrated.  In your video, Shannon has you with some lag, but the clubface is a mile wide open.  This drill will help you get lag with a square clubface.  Let your hands and your arms tell your body how to move and don't get too technical with it.  Let me know if the drill doesn't make sense and I'll see if I can post a video.  It's really pretty magical when you actually get it.

Also, if you just had knee surgery, take it easy.  Get your feet in a position to relieve pressure on your knees when you swing.  The only point behind where you place your feet is to give your body an efficient connection to the ground, where efficient also means not injury-prone.  The legs take a lot of abuse in a good golf swing and we can almost always generate enough force with our muscles to injury the joints and soft-tissue.  You have to back off some for longevity.  That's part of the control we learn from playing this game.  Good luck.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by bunkerputt

In your video, Shannon has you with some lag, but the clubface is a mile wide open.

I was wondering if anybody would notice that.  I warned him that I knew the clubface was going to be wide open when I practiced these new mechanics and he assured me there was netting all over the adjacent wall .  He just wanted me to focus on the lower body motion, which is why we left the ball out of the drill for the moment.

Thanks for the tips, I'll look more into that video when I have some time.  Since coaching starts up this week, the only thing I have time for is to go to the range before practice starts.  That's a good thing, as I have no time to actually play.  So I should be practicing for about 1 hour each day this week, and may play on the weekend.  I'm really excited about my last two range sessions.

Brandon

[iacas]

Originally Posted by bunkerputt

We're all getting worse the second we fix mechanical problems in our swing.

I disagree. People we give lessons to will hit draws - despite never hitting draws in their life - within five swings. They've gotten better, and they still have some hand-eye coordination, so they hit the ball and most of the rest of their swing is the same, but they've "fixed a mechanical problem" and are instantly better golfers.

Bit OT, though, so I've kept it short.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by iacas

I disagree. People we give lessons to will hit draws - despite never hitting draws in their life - within five swings. They've gotten better, and they still have some hand-eye coordination, so they hit the ball and most of the rest of their swing is the same, but they've "fixed a mechanical problem" and are instantly better golfers.

Bit OT, though, so I've kept it short.

We both agree, I just think I didn't state it well.  I'm talking about lasting, positive mechanics that require no conscious thought.  It just takes a little more than 5 swings to ingrain a proper motion.  You're right, you can look forward to immediate improvement by just concentrating on making the right motion.  If someone can hold their concentration long enough and commit enough to the motion they'll be better golfers in the long run.  Most people go on to the next thing in the next range session, when the first still needs work.  I think, for the OP, we're both giving him some positive advice.  You're saying you can expect immediate improvement by improving mechanics in your golf swing.  I'm saying that's true, but it won't necessarily be automatic without a lot of concentrated practice, and to expect some amount of breakdown in the new motion when your concentration lapses on a shot.  So don't feel bad when you screw it up, but be hopeful that it won't take forever to start seeing positive results.

[bplewis24]

I really feel like I've gotten better this week.  Last night's range session didn't feel good (it was raining and they made us hit off mats), but the other three range sessions so far this week have been very positive.

Brandon

[bplewis24]

I feel close enough to taste the single-digits.

I've been taking to the course the past 5 days after a couple weeks of almost exclusive range practice.  I played one full 18-hole round on Sunday (92), but for the most part I just get in 5-7 holes of practice before I have to coach football at the local high school in the evenings.

Sunday I struggled through the first 10-12 holes before finding the swing from the range.  Things still aren't automatic, so I have 2-3 swing thoughts I have to focus on.  I finally hit some perfect (non-wedge) shots on holes 16-18.  The last couple practice rounds I've been consistently hitting driver & 3wood well, and I'm getting a higher % of mid-iron shots with good contact & ball flight.  My distances are getting back to where I've expected them as well.

Yesterday I was able to get through 7 holes at 3 over.  3wood consistently getting in the 230-240 range and the driver consistently getting to the 250-270 range without over-swinging (meaning I'm also hitting fairways).  On par 5s I'm finally giving myself a chance to reach in two seemingly once per 9.

So I'm going to try and not play anymore during the week and go back to the range to reinforce some things and then play a couple 18 hole rounds this weekend.

Brandon

[bunkerputt]

And then sleep some and do it again, especially in slow motion.  The slow-motion followed by sleep always seems to make it work in my mind.  Extra-slow practice swings in grass help too.

[mdl]

This video that Erik's posted a bunch of times has helped me.  I wasn't flipping like you, but I think this drill should be useful to in practicing what it feels like to hit the ball with your hips forward and your hands ahead of the ball.

[bplewis24]

That drill is the one I spoke of in post #39 (impact position drill) that is very similar to the one the Golf Galaxy pro shared with me.  The only difference is that it's a much more abbreviated backswing.  I've actually been doing both types of drills, as well as a third one I saw in some Andrew Rice video.

Brandon

[bplewis24]

Man, today was awesome at the range.  Well, up until the last 5-10 balls.  But I went there and basically did the impact position drill (but maybe with a bit less of a swing) for about the first 40 balls and then hit some full shots.  It felt so natural afterwards.  Then at the end I got a bit cocky and rushed through some swings and hit some fat and a few hosel rockets.  Oopsie.

Brandon

[bplewis24]

Could NOT take it to the course today.  Round of 96.  No improvement from last week, despite a lot of improvement on the range.  How frustrating.

Brandon

[bplewis24]

It's amazing how easy it is to get in a groove and then completely lose the feeling within a matter of days while in this transition phase.  I felt good on the range all week until about Friday, when all of a sudden I couldn't get into impact position without leaving the face wide open.  I tried to shake it off, but it followed me to the course on Saturday (see above post).  Basically, I have two swings now: the ideal swing and this "hosel rocket" swing with the face wide open.

Sunday I agreed to play with my brother and his friend.  I figured it wasn't a good idea considering I had lost all confidence and no range work was helping.  So while warming up I decided to try and overpower the course.  Normally during practice rounds I try to hit just enough club to have 160-140 into the hole wherever possible.  But I hit driver as much as possible in an effort to have a wedge in my hand for my approach shot.  Still didn't help.  I counted 5 times I had a wedge in my hand from the fairway and hit a hosel rocket and ended up with bogey or worse.  Shot a 90.  Still much work needs to be done.  Back to the drawing board.

Brandon

[bplewis24]

I should add that it wasn't all horrible.  I drove it relatively well, lipped out two birdie putts and had a 30-foot look at eagle.

Brandon

[bunkerputt]

It takes time.  People argue on how many "reps" you need, but the consensus is "a lot".  I'm still working on things I learned from a lesson in May, trying to get ready for a few matches at the end of June.  I finally got back to shooting 70s,  but it took quite a few rounds in the upper 80s, low 90s.  All I can say is start off slow, without a ball, understanding fully what you are trying to do, doing it in slow motion over and over several times a day and then sleep on it.  It seems to make it come together when you start trying to hit balls in the next couple of weeks.  One trick I figured out that works well, though I've never heard anyone talk about it, is to find some really thick grass or a weed to swing through when you are working on a motion.  It provides sensory feedback, sound and feel, that not only accelerates the absorption process but also tells you what's going on with the clubface.