A repeatable swing is not all it's cracked up to be

[tshapiro]

If every lie were on flat ground from a nice lie a repeatable swing would get you far.  But, once you learn to swing well, the very first thing you realize is that very few shots can be taken from the perfect setup with you're optimum swing.  Dealing with uneven lies and various obsticles really tests your swing to the next level.  Being able to understand your swing to the point where you can conform it to the shot at hand is the real test... and then do it under pressure.  Here are some guidelines for dealing with unfriendly scenarios:

Balance: balance is an absolute key to keeping the proper distance of your upper body relative to the ball.  Always setup so that you stay in balance.  If the ball is above your feet, choke up a bit, if the ball is below your feet, hold the club towards the end so you get as much lenth as possible.  Whatever you are faced with, ensure your swing plan has you balanced through the finish.

Clean Contact: not all surfaces accomidate a divot... especially harder surfaces, tree roots, rocks, etc.  If you are on a surface that will have your club digging or bouncing, you must setup with ball a bit foward in your stance and your shaft more upright with less forward lean. To prevent toping the ball, club up and use club with less face angle and choke up a bit to offset the extra distance.  Learning to swing with a slightly open stance and a slightly open clubface will prevent leading edge of the club from digging in - similar to a chip.

Swing: Within every swing must be a 'swing'.  If accomidating unfavorable footing or obsticle requires you to manipulate the club during the swing than you're through.  As much as possible, durive a swing that allows you to actually swing even if it means comprising your target.  A swing plan that includes a club manipulation is likely to fail with a ball hit fat, thin, weak, or all of the above.

Backswing: whenever possible, do not comprimise a full backswing in favor of controlling with your hands. Create a swing plan that allows you to swing naturally.  Once you have your swing plan forget about the unfavorable lie and just swing as designed.  A shortened backswing will enevitably lead to you controlling with your hands and killing your swing.

Good luck!

[MiniBlueDragon]

Of course a "repeatable swing" is all it's cracked up to be!

Think of it this way; if you don't have a repeatable swing you don't know where you're going wrong as every time you swing the club it'll be on a different plane, different speed, different club face angle at impact, different ball position with a different grip etc. You'll never be in the situation to say "that sliced because I did X..."

On the opposite end of the scale if you have a repeatable swing you can learn from your bad shots, you can improve your swing and you can also use it as a basis for any "bad" shots you need to play, e.g. buried in the rough, ball above/below your feet. Not to mention the fact that 18 shots minimum per round will be off the tee and therefor subject to a "repeatable swing"

Thank you for your common sense post however; I'm sure somebody can make use of it.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

If every lie were on flat ground from a nice lie a repeatable swing would get you far. ..   Being able to understand your swing to the point where you can conform it to the shot at hand is the real test... and then do it under pressure. ...

Repeatable in part means you have rehearsed your set-up and motion to the point where it's fairly automatic. This allows you to focus on the tactics needed for the shot at hand. One reason we advise beginner golfers not to get a dynamic club fitting is that they have different swings day-to-day. Once you play for awhile, you hopefully "groove" your swing somewhat.

A shortened backswing will enevitably lead to you controlling with your hands and killing your swing.

What about a punch shot under branches... A shot off pine straw with poor foot traction ...A partial wedge from 30 yds. out.. The above comment works against your earlier idea of handling "the shot at hand."

[Gioguy21]

I think there's a distinct difference between repeatable and reliable...here's what i mean:

repeatable: the ability to hit a shot whether it be a fade, draw or straight ball, or variations of those when asked/necessitated to do so.

reliable: the ability to hit a variety of shots whether it be a fade, draw, or straight ball with consistency when asked/necessitated to do so.

Although there are MANY ways to hit a golf ball i feel as though if someone would ask me if my shots are repeatable, i'd say 'more often then not, about 90% i guess', but when asked if my swing was reliable i'd say 'yes, i think i'm pretty consistent'.  When i hear repeatable golf swing i think differently b/c there are too many instances in which a golf shot calls for a different type of swing (out/in, in/out, hard shot, feathered, etc). Now, the mechanics of that swing are what make it RELIABLE...which by my own definition itself needs the ability to be repeatable...

does that make sense?

[The Recreational Golfer]

Repeatability doesn't mean a darn thing if you keep repeating the same mistakes, which a lot of guys I play with do.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by The Recreational Golfer

Repeatability doesn't mean a darn thing if you keep repeating the same mistakes, which a lot of guys I play with do.

Of course it does.

If your swing was sometimes out-to-in and sometimes in-to-out and sometimes fat and sometimes thin and sometimes perfect and sometimes had a closed face but sometimes had an open face and sometimes you cocked your wrist 90 degrees but other times forgot to cock it at all and sometimes you played a 6i with the ball on your back heel and sometimes by your front heel and sometimes anywhere in between it would be nigh on impossible to improve it without going back to the very basic fundamentals should the person choose to want to improve it.

If you know your swing is repeatable more or less but that you slice it all the time to the same degree you have the *option* to correct it, however even then there's no hard and fast rule that says because you have the *option* to improve your swing that you must. If someone chooses not to correct their swing because they don't want to screw up what they have or they only play for fun and don't care or they don't feel that the time and money invested in improving is worth it etc it's their option to do so. They still have that option in the future should they choose to take it at that point if their swing is repeatable.

[jshots]

I'm not sure you thought this one through. I'm not sure what course you are playing on but most of the time I have a similar swing. Even with the ball above or below your feet the swing is still very similar.

I think of it like this, if i have a shot that is not on a flat lie or something I still need something to base how i'm going to hit the shot off of. If I don't have my normal repeatable swing I think it is going to be harder for me to hit this completely unknown shot.

[hero12]

When I hear repeatable, I think of it as the swing I can rely on to be consistent under pressure, or anytime really.  Thats like practicing driving your car into other cars, planning for head on crashes....