New instructor sorted me in 30 mins

[trickymicky69]

I have been a fader (sometimes slicer) for the year that I have been playing golf.
I read many books on the subject and made sure I wasn't hitting over the top.

I had been to three instrucstors and although my slice calmed down it never went, and I also hated the closed stance and strong grip remedies they gave me.

I went to a new guy this morning who noted the following:

Where I am a powerlifter I have more of an armsy than shouldery swing but my swing plane/path is good.
My weight shift needed some work.
He got me standing square with a neutral-strong grip more in the fingers than it was before.

The real revelation was when he made me hold the club very very lightly (for me) as he showed me on video that the tension in my forearms was limiting my release.

After I tried it I was hitting high draws, low draws and the odd big hook.

Coming from someone who has never seen the left hand side of a fairway this is big news!

[chilly]

I hope to get the same experience today, I have a lesson lined up with my course pro. I hit irons up through 3h just fine with a nice draw, but put a 3wd or Driver in my hand and I'm hitting a big push/fade and occasional slice.

[TourSpoon]

Good deal! Tension is the enemy for sure.

[newtogolf]

I had the same problem. My instructor had me waggle my club before final address, and it seems to work. The balls were flying straighter and longer than they ever have.

[gilbo]

remember the phrase "tight goes right", and that my friend has helped me wonders

[trickymicky69]

remember the phrase "tight goes right", and that my friend has helped me wonders

Can it really be that easy though?

Or am I over-analyzing?

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

Can it really be that easy though?

No, it can't really be "that easy".

But it can keep getting easier and easier, as you fix more and more swing flaws. Looks like you made a change that had a big impact on your poor release. Time to find out what's still making you miss, now that you fixed that mistake. -Andrew

[majorchamp]

Can it really be that easy though?

no its not that easy. golf is not that easy...just when i think I figure something out..the next day its gone awry. the only way golf becomes easier is practice, practice, practice.

using that as your mental thought will lead to more consistency, but just gripping it looser won't solve problems going right. I have been playing this game for 22 years, and still baffles the living hell out of me on a daily basis.

[trickymicky69]

I undertstand that golf is difficult.

We would all be on the pro-tour otherwise.

I meant can it be that easy for a good instructor to get someone on the right road?
With all of the magazine articles etc etc it just seems like snake-oil to me! That might be because I have searched and searched my soul for ways to hit a draw and after reading nearly evry goddamn thing on the net it was sorted with some relaxation.

On my quest to get down to scratch I might become a Zen Buddhist

[tshapiro]

It's not that easy. Now, you've learned how to take yor hands out of it but eventually you're going to want to hit harder and the hands will come back. So, now you have to start learning how to use your body for power. Once you can do that than everything about the golf swing starts to get easier.

[B-Con]

I had this revelation recently as well. I backed off the tension in my arms and hands and, with a lot of other modifications, I'm playing a lot better, even seeing draws and hooks. I'm finally seeing what my local courses look like from the left side of the fairway.

When I'm tense I also have a tendency to hit fat. Not sure if tension directly causes that or if the thoughts and efforts that make me tense also make me hit it fat.

[JWL1957]

Grip tension varies from player to player. It is not a automatic cure for every player to grip lightly.

[Jay-Bird]

The grip secret was revealed in the movie The Greatest Game Ever Played. To paraphrase: Hold the club like you would a live bird. You don't want to kill it, just enough so it can't fly away.

It's amazing how good you play when grip pressure is correct. Every now and then everyone needs the reminder to not be so tight with the grip. Tiger has a practice grip on one of his putters that beeps when his pressure is too tight.

[wiley1st]

The grip secret was revealed in the movie The Greatest Game Ever Played. To paraphrase: Hold the club like you would a live bird. You don't want to kill it, just enough so it can't fly away.

Is the bird a sparrow or a hawk? Just wondering... :)

[Jay-Bird]

Is the bird a sparrow or a hawk? Just wondering... :)

Any grip-sized bird will suffice!

[iacas]

Any grip-sized bird will suffice!

Ben Hogan said that what Sam Snead didn't tell you was that the bird was a hawk.

[O.B. Right]

I had a similarly good experience with lessons. I couldn't stop slicing to save my life. I only went to one teacher, but he had me figured out and hitting straight in the first lesson. I'm still taking lessons and am about to have my 8th. I am still working on the exact same things as I was in the first lesson but I've shaved, no kidding, 50 or more strokes off my game. I don't think beginner experiences like mine (and seems like yours) are all that uncommon if you've found a decent teacher.