Swinging Easy

[mdl]

I know this has been talked about before, but I'm interested in a slightly different angle.

I was a college baseball player, and my natural instinct has always been to go after the ball VERY aggressively.  I'm a good athlete, so I'll have days when I'm consistent with my irons for a whole round, but those days are pretty few and far between.  I've been told by friends and instructors to try swinging 80%, but that always made things worse for me!

I've finally realized that I've honed my swing for years essentially relying on the limits of my flexibility as a way to allow some minimal consistency while going at it 110%.  When I hit at what feels like 80% of effort, really what I've got is some body parts still going full bore and some going easy, but I'm no longer riding that line of the limits of my flexibility, and I just get less consistent.  If I instead go for 80-85% of DISTANCE, not "effort", then I can swing at what feels like 50% effort, make MUCH more consistent contact, significantly decrease the number of sprayed shots, but since I'm more consistently hitting exactly on the sweet spot, I've found I end up really hitting it 90-95% of distance.

For example, my new 9i goes 150+ yards when I really go after it as I have always done.  If I swing with what feels like 50-60% effort, the ball goes 145 yards but is SO much more consistent, with a higher percentage of shots on the green and the misses much more often just off the green with good up and down potential rather than the misses being big spray shots left or right off behind some bush or tree where I've got to hit the shot of the day with the pitch to have a high percentage putt for par.

Anyone else noticed that swinging easy and smooth and going for 90% of full distance actually feels like it requires something more like 50% effort, rather than 90% effort?

[Kieran123]

I am EXACTLY the same.

I can not go from swinging 100% down to 80% or 90% - I just can not do it, I'll chunk it, or top it...because like you said, parts of my body may go 90% but some of them still go 100%

I find if I swing around 50-60% I can make good contact though

But there is not much in between

[Topper]

Same way.  When I try to swing hard, bad things happen.  I usually increase my tempo (too fast), which increases the chance I loose my posture (usually stand up), my shoulders tense up (causing chicken wing), and grip and forearm tension increases (flipping and "steering" the clubhead for inconsistent contact).

I constantly tell myself, "Swing easy and let the club do the work."  It's my mantra.

[Forge]

I agree and have similar issues and results with irons and wedges, but the driver, three wood is another issue. Have you guys seen any difference in your long game? I too was a baseball player and can't dial back on the driver.

[TN94z]

It sounds like it is all just how you perceive 80%.  Some people may think of it as an 80% swing and some may think, like you, of 80% distance.  In my mind, it works out to about the same result.

For instance, I had an issue going way past parallel on my driver.  My teacher said I was swinging to hard and wanted me to think about swinging at what I felt was 70%.  Now in my mind,  that meant stop my backswing at a position that I felt like was 70% and going at the ball with pretty much the same effort as my normal swing.   After watching my 70% swing on camera, it put me just short of parallel and was really good. If I had thought about 70% distance, I think it would have resulted in a shorter swing...if that makes sense.

But I very rarely swing at anything 100% (unless I get adrenalined up on a tee shot) because it rarely works out to be that good. Smooth and good contact is far superior than my 100% swing and worse contact.  It just amazes me how I can swing smooth and what I feel like is 70% and just smash the ball and yet I still find myself really getting after a driver off the tee.  I ALWAYS end up saying "You idiot, you know smooth is better!"  Maybe it will sink in one day.

[mdl]

Quote:

I agree and have similar issues and results with irons and wedges, but the driver, three wood is another issue.

Have you guys seen any difference in your long game?

I too was a baseball player and can't dial back on the driver.

Funny.  I'm the same way to a degree.  I'm not playing a 3w right now (my longest non driver club is my 19˚ 2h), but with my driver I also feel like my best swing is less dialed back than my best iron swing.  If I really try to crush it then I get the same consistency problems, but I can swing with what feels like more effort with my driver as compared to my irons if I keep a smooth tempo.

I've thought maybe this is because the driver swing is more like a baseball swing?  My best hits in baseball were on pitches out over the plate that I put just to the right of center fielder (and over his head of course!).  With some mechanics adjustments obviously, the driver swing feels more like that through impact than does an iron swing.  I've thought maybe that's why I have an easier time keeping consistent with the driver.  The driver's definitely my best club, even though at this point I rarely practice with it compared to how much I work on my irons.

[GaijinGolfer]

Id agree that its probably just perception.  You are so used to going at the ball so hard that you dont realize just how easy you can swing as still get the same distance because you are hitting the ball more solidly.

[mdl]

Quote:

Id agree that its probably just perception.  You are so used to going at the ball so hard that you dont realize just how easy you can swing as still get the same distance because you are hitting the ball more solidly.

Of course.  You're right that I probably wrote it not quite right.  What FEELS like 50% effort to me is probably more.  But I would contend that while some of the reason it goes almost as far with what feels like half effort is hitting it more flush more consistently when not over swinging, it's also true that less of your club head speed comes from where you think it does.  Or at least that's true for me.

I guess I'm saying that I'm finally learning to internalize what lots of golfers better than me already know.  Working really hard with lots of different muscles accounts for a very low percentage of your club head speed as compared to generally swinging smooth and on plane while maintaining lag and hitting the ball flush.

[rustyredcab]

I sing better than I golf. My church choir director has a saying that she stole from some famous director: "Never louder than beautiful."

That's my golf swing metaphor. No harder than 100% controlled. And a mezzo forte swing is usually loud enough. When I need to be "louder," never louder than beautiful.

For me that feels like 70-80% and a very short backswing. Video evidence suggests that it is not a very short backswing nor is it much slower than a too-hard swing. What I feel and what I do are two different things.

[mdl]

Quote:

I sing better than I golf. My church choir director has a saying that she stole from some famous director: "Never louder than beautiful."

That's my golf swing metaphor. No harder than 100% controlled. And a mezzo forte swing is usually loud enough. When I need to be "louder," never louder than beautiful.

For me that feels like 70-80% and a very short backswing. Video evidence suggests that it is not a very short backswing nor is it much slower than a too-hard swing. What I feel and what I do are two different things.

Wow.  I've been a singer all my life, and sang in choir and a smaller a cappella group in high school.  That saying as a swing thought totally speaks to me.  I'm stealing that as of right now!

[Forge]

It's a cool thread. Thanks. I'm loading my trunk right now, so I will get back to you guys shortly. My thought for the day will be Tempo and accelerating through impact. And nothing else. I hope! I'm certainly not a singer, so I may be at a disadvantage.

[BugDude]

I started swinging what felt like 50% with my driver and was able to shape the ball and still get about 275 out of it.  I can still swing out of my shoes and squeeze out 300 and hit it straight, but I can't do it all day long.  I get tired and it hurts my whole game.  I save it for the one or two times a round I may need it, and many times I find I just don't try it at all during a round.  I find that I am much more consistent all day long with all of my clubs if I conserve energy and sweet swing.  I'll take 275 down the middle all day and smile and save my energy and focus for all 18 holes.

I have a club I use on the range to help me with smooth tempo.  It is a 1950s Macgreggor 1 iron.  I get on the range and just try to sweet swing and pure strike it.  That's the only way I can hit it.  If I do happen to hit it well, it might go 200 yards with roll.  You can tell by the feel exactly where you hit it on the face and you can feel the kick of the shaft with a slow smooth 80% swing.  It has helped my swing more than anything else.

[michaeljames92]

I used to struggle with doing partial shots until I worked on the flying wedge drill which I thought helped immensely. Not only does it help control low point and contact, but controls the curvature as well.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by mdl

Quote:

Of course.  You're right that I probably wrote it not quite right.  What FEELS like 50% effort to me is probably more.  But I would contend that while some of the reason it goes almost as far with what feels like half effort is hitting it more flush more consistently when not over swinging, it's also true that less of your club head speed comes from where you think it does.  Or at least that's true for me.

I guess I'm saying that I'm finally learning to internalize what lots of golfers better than me already know.  Working really hard with lots of different muscles accounts for a very low percentage of your club head speed as compared to generally swinging smooth and on plane while maintaining lag and hitting the ball flush.

Id agree its probably that you are learning the right way to swing a club.  Learning how to coil your upper body and use wrist hinge and lag to get more speed in your swing without overswinging.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Originally Posted by mdl

For example, my new 9i goes 150+ yards when I really go after it as I have always done.  If I swing with what feels like 50-60% effort, the ball goes 145 yards but is SO much more consistent, with a higher percentage of shots on the green and the misses much more often just off the green with good up and down potential rather than the misses being big spray shots left or right off behind some bush or tree where I've got to hit the shot of the day with the pitch to have a high percentage putt for par.

I showed this to one of my sons at the range. I put everything into my 7-iron, then hit next ball with my usual swing. The first ball didn't go that much farther to be worth the effort and to risk the inaccuracy.

Seems to me that you answered your own question. 60% golfer would probably beat Really Go After It golfer any day. And for ~7 yards???

[mdl]

Originally Posted by The Recreational Golfer

I showed this to one of my sons at the range. I put everything into my 7-iron, then hit next ball with my usual swing. The first ball didn't go that much farther to be worth the effort and to risk the inaccuracy.

Seems to me that you answered your own question. 60% golfer would probably beat Really Go After It golfer any day. And for ~7 yards???

I wasn't questioning whether it's true for me, right now, that swinging with what feels like much much less than maximum effort results in much more consistent shots without actually sacrificing much distance.  I was more wondering whether other golfers better than me find that smooth and with tempo still feels like 90% of maximum effort and I just have more work to do to find that tempo with that much effort, or if smooth and with tempo feels like much much less than max effort.

It sounds like the consensus is that if you coil right, stay on plane, and use good wrist hinge and lag, that 90%+ of max distance feels like minimal effort.

************************

Sort of a general follow up question:

My natural instinct is so strong in the Go After It direction, I have a hard time smoothing things out on the course.  I played last weekend and played pretty well with my irons, but my two best shots were two wedges where I was stuck in between clubs.  One was a 100 yard shot.  My 60˚ goes 90-95 yards, 100+ if I really nail it.  My smooth 54˚ goes 110-112, up to 120 if I really crush it.  I'm trying not to try to crush the ball, so I didn't want to use my 60˚, but even a smooth 54˚ that I didn't take anything off of would have flown the green.  So I dialed back my 54˚ even more than from "go after it" to "smooth", and put it right at the flag about 15 feet short (just missed the birdie putt of course).

Second one was similar.  My new iron set has a PW that's 46˚, so I've got a big gap between that and the 54˚ now.  Had a 120 yard show and dialed it way back and hit my other best iron of the day.

Is it a good idea to maybe try training a few rounds forcing myself to club up one club on every iron shot?  Say my full back swing smooth shot with a 9i goes 145, and the same shot with an 8i goes 155.  Is it worth playing a few rounds where when I've got 147 to the flag I hit my 8i instead of trying to put my 9i 10 feet short?

[saevel25]

For me, i vary were i grip the ball, i can vary how fast i swing as well. My normal control speed is pretty fast, but i can tone it down a bit if i concentrate on a little pause at the top and just let the clubhead come down to the ball.

Just practice a bit, it takes some beating some range balls to get use to.