My Swing (Ernest Jones)

[Ernest Jones]

In other words, you're closer to having this back to where it was last week than you likely think. I would expect you can clean this up relatively quickly. Your "left shoulder forward and up" move has to happen on the downswing, early… not during your backswing. :)

Yep, very quick and easy to fix. I just needed someone to point it out to me. It's like I suddenly decided (despite both you and Dave telling me not to do anything to my backswing) that I needed to make my backswing MOAR BETTER, so I started totally over doing the stretching of the right side and doing it incorrectly to boot. I'm back on track now and seeing better results again. Still have a tendency to loose shots to the right but when I get everything to happen properly I know I've hit a good shot as soon as the ball leaves the club face. They just soar! Nothing* feels better than that!

*At least, nothing that you can do in public...

[Ernest Jones]

Absolutely loving this new, higher ball flight. So much better than my old, thinned bullets. I carried a tree line this morning and cut a dogleg that would have been unthinkable with my old swing, granted, it was unintentional as I had hit a big push off the tee but it cleared the trees easily.

Yesterday I hit a push (see a pattern here? ) that ended up in the lake. In the past when faced with this situation I would always punch out laterally from the drop zone which leaves me a wedge to the green, but I'm so much more confident in my ball flight now that I said **** it and went for the 150 yard carry over water and dropped one softly down on the green with my 7iron.

If I can get a handle on these pushes I think my handicap will start to improve pretty steadily this year.

[iacas]

You know the fix for the pushes, too. You'll be okay. We told you they would be a good result for now, so we are proud of you for sticking with them for a bit. Remember, path is instinctual, and it is important to fight that.

[Ernest Jones]

You know the fix for the pushes, too. You'll be okay. We told you they would be a good result for now, so we are proud of you for sticking with them for a bit. Remember, path is instinctual, and it is important to fight that.

Yeah, I have a real hard time implementing it though. It feels contrived and sloooow when I do it. I'm going to really make sure I have the explosion piece locked in completely before I worry about the other move as it just too much to think about 2 DS pieces at once. Gotta get the explosion piece really automated first. Anyway, I'm not hitting every shot with a push (although that would probably be easier to score with) but I'd say it's probably 1 out of 5 that push enough to potentially hurt my scoring potential on a a hole.

Edit* Just wanted to add that my pitching was out-of-his-world good today. I also tried the exact same method in the one bunker I hit and it came out perfectly. I've been a long time fan of Utley's bunker method but this, while similar, is easier and doesn't require the odd set-up of Utley's method. he added advantage is every time you hit a pitch shot you're also practicing your bunker play!

[Ernest Jones]

Shot a 44 this morning to combine with yesterday's 46 to give me 90 on the 18. Could have been much better if I hadn't tried to get cute with a flop shot after missing a par 3 GIR by 3 yards, think I'm finally going to take @David in FL 's advice and grab a chipper for those situations. Lost 2 balls again due to big pushes off the tee, I also hit the occasional pull which is odd because it's way off my pattern. 90 on my course is pretty much playing to my handicap on the nose which is pretty encouraging because it was my first round of the year and I see a lot of room for improvement. Putting was much better than yesterday and I had a ton of lags that left me with tap-ins. I used Aimpoint Express exclusively today as it was pissing rain and I didn't feel like dealing with a chart. I was getting great reads so I'm becoming more and more of a believer in Express.

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@iacas & @david_wedzik I know I already said thank you for this video but I want to thanks again because it really got me back on track quickly. God knows how long I would have been spinning my wheels without that little check-up. I'm pretty good at spotting the issues in my swing but I'm not confident in my ability to pick the right piece to prioritize and tackling things in the right order makes a world of difference.

Nah.

How about…

In other words, you're closer to having this back to where it was last week than you likely think. I would expect you can clean this up relatively quickly. Your "left shoulder forward and up" move has to happen on the downswing, early… not during your backswing. :)

[David in FL]

Shot a 44 this morning to combine with yesterday's 46 to give me 90 on the 18. Could have been much better if I hadn't tried to get cute with a flop shot after missing a par 3 GIR by 3 yards, think I'm finally going to take @David in FL's advice and grab a chipper for those situations. Lost 2 balls again due to big pushes off the tee, I also hit the occasional pull which is odd because it's way off my pattern. 90 on my course is pretty much playing to my handicap on the nose which is pretty encouraging because it was my first round of the year and I see a lot of room for improvement. Putting was much better than yesterday and I had a ton of lags that left me with tap-ins. I used Aimpoint Express exclusively today as it was pissing rain and I didn't feel like dealing with a chart. I was getting great reads so I'm becoming more and more of a believer in Express.

@iacas & @david_wedzik I know I already said thank you for this video but I want to thanks again because it really got me back on track quickly. God knows how long I would have been spinning my wheels without that little check-up. I'm pretty good at spotting the issues in my swing but I'm not confident in my ability to pick the right piece to prioritize and tackling things in the right order makes a world of difference.

Speaking of "handicap"......what is this TBD crap? Throw it out there so we can watch it go down along with you!

[FooFader]

Speaking of "handicap"......what is this TBD crap?    Throw it out there so we can watch it go down along with you!

+1 on that! I think it would be cool if there could be a little graph showing handicap over time that pops up if you hover over someone's handicap but i guess it wouldn't be possible to implement

[Ernest Jones]

Speaking of "handicap"......what is this TBD crap?    Throw it out there so we can watch it go down along with you!

Unfortunately my handicap will always be approximate for the foreseeable future as my home course is a par 64 executive with no official rating/slope. I do play occasional rounds at other courses but pretty minimal as my golf budget is pretty much tied up in my membership. I had to go with this course because of the night golf option and geographical location, those two elements allow me to play about 3x as much golf as I would at another, further course with no night time play. Approximate handicap at the end of last season was ~26 or so but I can already see considerable improvement from last year, it hasn't translated to lower scores as of yet but I know it will as my first couple of outings I'm already scoring as well or slightly better than last year.

I'll probably put up a new "approximate" handicap in a week or two once I've accumulated some more rounds. Played 3 rounds of 9 this week and am planning to play at least 3x a week all season.

[Ernest Jones]

Yuck, going to have to hit the range with my camera. Things are starting to go sideways again. It started with some pulls creeping in to the game and now some slices. Path is instinctual and I'm obviously succumbing to it right now. Still hitting some GREAT SHOTS but far to many crappo ones now too. Also hitting fat.

[colin007]

You know the fix for the pushes, too. You'll be okay. We told you they would be a good result for now, so we are proud of you for sticking with them for a bit. Remember, path is instinctual, and it is important to fight that.

@iacas on this a little?

[Ernest Jones]

@iacas, can you expand on this a little?

I think it basically just means that if you're hitting pushes your brain will want to swing further left which will just getting you hitting weak pulls or epic slices.

This is what I'm experiencing right now, trying to work my way through it but I really need to hit the range with a camera to get back on track. The siren song of my "all you can golf" membership is keeping me off the range but I gotta get to work on this.

[Golfingdad]

Speaking of "handicap"......what is this TBD crap?    Throw it out there so we can watch it go down along with you!

@David in FL I totally agree with you on this ... perhaps you can go convince @JetFan1983 as well?

[Lihu]

Unfortunately my handicap will always be approximate for the foreseeable future as my home course is a par 64 executive with no official rating/slope. I do play occasional rounds at other courses but pretty minimal as my golf budget is pretty much tied up in my membership. I had to go with this course because of the night golf option and geographical location, those two elements allow me to play about 3x as much golf as I would at another, further course with no night time play. Approximate handicap at the end of last season was ~26 or so but I can already see considerable improvement from last year, it hasn't translated to lower scores as of yet but I know it will as my first couple of outings I'm already scoring as well or slightly better than last year.

I'll probably put up a new "approximate" handicap in a week or two once I've accumulated some more rounds. Played 3 rounds of 9 this week and am planning to play at least 3x a week all season.

I doubt your handicap is that high, are you trying to get on one of our So. Cal. outings with a minus net score, or something?

Speaking of "handicap"......what is this TBD crap?    Throw it out there so we can watch it go down along with you!

I still think even mine should be TBD, because I have not turned in any cards. I am debating about the club I should join. My previous instructor is a member of my local club, and thought it would be in bad taste to beat him when I can officially play the club tournaments (takes a year or two for them to properly gauge your skill level).

@David in FL I totally agree with you on this ... perhaps you can go convince @JetFan1983 as well?

Yeah, and I still think Ernest is sandbagging. . .

[Ernest Jones]

Yeah, and I still think Ernest is sandbagging. . .

I only wish that were true.

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by colin007

@iacas, can you expand on this a little?

I think it basically just means that if you're hitting pushes your brain will want to swing further left which will just getting you hitting weak pulls or epic slices.

This is what I'm experiencing right now, trying to work my way through it but I really need to hit the range with a camera to get back on track. The siren song of my "all you can golf" membership is keeping me off the range but I gotta get to work on this.

Wow, this describes kind of what I've been doing to the letter. I can still hit draws, but my compensating move is to the kick the clubhead out and play pull-fades.

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL

Speaking of "handicap"......what is this TBD crap?    Throw it out there so we can watch it go down along with you!

@David in FL I totally agree with you on this ... perhaps you can go convince @JetFan1983 as well?

Yea, I was wondering when someone was going to call me out on that. I don't have an official handicap, so I always leave it as a question mark. I've had it as that I think since 2010.

The lowest I got unofficially was 10, on my home course, but because it was unofficial, I wasn't really a 10, so I didn't put that up. What I am now, I have no idea. I've been having a blast teeing it forward this season, and to be honest, I think I'm going to continue to do this until I can break 70 from 5000 yards or so. Then I'll move back and record rounds, play in some tourneys, etc.

The forward tees are really teaching me how to get the ball in the hole, and I love that.

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And just so this isn't a total thread hijack, some words of encouragement to EJ: You know we all love you and are cheering you on!

Question though: When you play golf, you play golf, right? Meaning, you're focusing on the ball and target, and that's it? Just wondering because sometimes I get into really dumb stretches where I think "my hips need to be 20 degrees more open!" and I'll think about that.... bad idea... Practice and changes are for the range, course is for playing.

Sorry if this is way off-base. You're your own best coach out on the course, so correct me if I'm way off topic here in terms of how you are approaching rounds.

[David in FL]

I still think even mine should be TBD, because I have not turned in any cards. I am debating about the club I should join. My previous instructor is a member of my local club, and thought it would be in bad taste to beat him when I can officially play the club tournaments (takes a year or two for them to properly gauge your skill level).

You don't need to "join a club" to establish a hcp.  And if you do, you can transfer from one club/course to another at any time.

Just pull the damn trigger.....and yeah, @JetFan1983 , you too!

Sorry EJ, back to your regularly scheduled programming!

[Ernest Jones]

And just so this isn't a total thread hijack, some words of encouragement to EJ: You know we all love you and are cheering you on!

Question though: When you play golf, you play golf, right? Meaning, you're focusing on the ball and target, and that's it? Just wondering because sometimes I get into really dumb stretches where I think "my hips need to be 20 degrees more open!" and I'll think about that.... bad idea... Practice and changes are for the range, course is for playing.

Sorry if this is way off-base. You're your own best coach out on the course, so correct me if I'm way off topic here in terms of how you are approaching rounds.

Thanks @JetFan1983 . Total roller-coaster start to the season. Played some of my best golf ever after getting that little tune-up from @iacas (further up-thread) but starting to slip into some old bad habits a bit.

Regarding my approach to rounds, I was kinda thinking that because my priority piece is a speed piece I could work on it on course, just use it as my downswing trigger, but clearly I need to buckle down and hit the range or set-up a net for some real practice. As everyone knows, it's real hard to go to the range when you have a membership. Especially if you live in a winter climate.

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

And just so this isn't a total thread hijack, some words of encouragement to EJ: You know we all love you and are cheering you on!

Question though: When you play golf, you play golf, right? Meaning, you're focusing on the ball and target, and that's it? Just wondering because sometimes I get into really dumb stretches where I think "my hips need to be 20 degrees more open!" and I'll think about that.... bad idea... Practice and changes are for the range, course is for playing.

Sorry if this is way off-base. You're your own best coach out on the course, so correct me if I'm way off topic here in terms of how you are approaching rounds.

Thanks @JetFan1983. Total roller-coaster start to the season. Played some of my best golf ever after getting that little tune-up from @iacas (further up-thread) but starting to slip into some old bad habits a bit.

Regarding my approach to rounds, I was kinda thinking that because my priority piece is a speed piece I could work on it on course, just use it as my downswing trigger, but clearly I need to buckle down and hit the range or set-up a net for some real practice. As everyone knows, it's real hard to go to the range when you have a membership.  Especially if you live in a winter climate.

Yea the troughs of that roller-coaster are no fun, but they're an unfortunate staple of this game, it seems. I'm right there with you.

Ahhh, okay re: your on the course swing thought. Yea, like I said, you'd know way better than me obviously. Appreciate the reply, as always.

How's the short game and putting these days?