My Swing (Chris Stewart)

[Tomboys]

Well done.  You deserve a lot of credit for being a good student.  Keep up the good work.

[Chris Stewart]

Well done.  You deserve a lot of credit for being a good student.  Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the encouragement, I've got a lot of work ahead of me. I need to continue working on the basics and eventually form a repeatable swing with good contact. But more specifically, I need to understand my club distances better and practice putting (nearly half my score on both outings this year). I don't have a full set of clubs (no 4i or 8i, for instance) and some I didn't even carry this weekend (3i or 6i). After my tee shot on a par 4 or 5, I tend to rely on my 3w and 5w a lot, and will generally hit those in combination with my 7i, 9i, and PW. My card above shows where I used a 5w on a longer (for me at least) par 3. I need to understand how to properly fill the distance gaps throughout my bag and learn to hit those midrange irons more consistently. Right now, I'm so much more confident with my 3w or 5w on the fairway, I'll just hit it easier with one of those when I should be using a full 5i or 6i. I put the 3i and 6i back in my (new!) bag this morning, and will be using them a lot this week on my range trips.

[Tomboys]

Originally Posted by Chris Stewart

Thanks for the encouragement, I've got a lot of work ahead of me. I need to continue working on the basics and eventually form a repeatable swing with good contact. But more specifically, I need to understand my club distances better and practice putting (nearly half my score on both outings this year). I don't have a full set of clubs (no 4i or 8i, for instance) and some I didn't even carry this weekend (3i or 6i). After my tee shot on a par 4 or 5, I tend to rely on my 3w and 5w a lot, and will generally hit those in combination with my 7i, 9i, and PW. My card above shows where I used a 5w on a longer (for me at least) par 3. I need to understand how to properly fill the distance gaps throughout my bag and learn to hit those midrange irons more consistently. Right now, I'm so much more confident with my 3w or 5w on the fairway, I'll just hit it easier with one of those when I should be using a full 5i or 6i. I put the 3i and 6i back in my (new!) bag this morning, and will be using them a lot this week on my range trips.

The USGA putt "allocation" for a scratch golfer is 36 per 18 holes.  As such, IMO, unless you're constantly 3 putting or worse, I wouldn't make that a huge priority.  The most difficult aspect of the game is the full swing due to the complexity of the motions involved.  So, spend the majority of time working on that.  From there, spend a shorter amount of time working on your short game (chips and pitches) and finish up your "sessions" with a few minutes or so on your putting.

[Chris Stewart]

I got out today and played a course I had never played. I've heard good things and it lived up. The course I've played the last two times isn't quite as nice, but for me it's been a good place to learn and I'll continue going there as it's remarkably less expensive than most of the courses in Richmond. As simple ball striking and swing mechanics are what I'm learning, a more forgiving course that I can afford to visit often makes sense. :) I wanted to get out somewhere else today that was a full par 72 (the other is a par 66) and had some of the challenges you expect in a more difficult course (water, a lot of sand, doglegs, narrow fairways, fairways that force you to carry X yards, etc). Where I've played recently, First Tee Chesterfield, it feels like the entire width of the course is fairway. Today, at The Tradition Golf Club at the Crossings, most of the holes had some pretty narrow fairways, for me at least. There were some really beautiful views as well. I didn't have a great round but I really enjoyed being out there today. Being a Thursday, and not starting until after 1pm, I got a great deal on the green fee. But, they had just finished treating the greens that morning so they were all full of sand and that really effected my putting. Not that it's good anyway, it was worse than normal. Given the narrow fairways, I hit my driver pretty good today. I can't complain all that much. I was 50% but even the ones I missed, I didn't miss badly and the vast majority were very playable. I found that I was hitting my fairway woods a lot today, which is normal for me but even than average today. Compared to First Tee, this course added an extra 2,000 yards. I don't have a lot of distance and so my drives would leave me with an 150+ yard approach consistently. For me that's a solid 5w or 3w when it's around 180+. I don't think I hit a 5i or 6i all day, and probably only hit the 7i a few times. The wind was pretty crazy today, so even some of the shorter par 3s where I'd be hitting a 7i or 5w, I was hitting a 5w or 3w respectively. Today was pretty much sand day for me. I'm not used to playing on a course with a lot of sand traps, and today I seemed to find them often. I found the sand in 9 of the 18 holes today, in fact. That's not an area I practice a lot, so it was tough but a good learning experience. By the end, I had two great final holes and the 17th was a 3w into the sand behind the hole. My second shot was a good for about 5 feet from the cup, and I got the 1 putt (a rarity today...) for par. The 18th also yielded a par but wasn't from sand. It was a short pitch from in front of the green, but I think all the sand shots I had today helped on that one too. Certainly a work in progress but a good way to end the day. I was proud of the fact that after the disaster that was hole 11, I was able to bogey hole 12 and par hole 13. I felt good about being able to shake that off and not let it effect me the rest of the day, and not even on the next hole. Today was a tough outing but I'm glad I played somewhere a little more challenging. I'm already looking forward to my next round. Pictures of the course: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RvRBjYX88lU/T1lQfCuYK9I/AAAAAAAABXw/Qkj-GVmJLyE/s865/IMG_20120308_133922.jpg https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-47JDbz8WQOI/T1lQfL1oEEI/AAAAAAAABXw/nvPYVpKEJUQ/s865/IMG_20120308_135113.jpg https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eP7Q4rueGJo/T1lQfJP-kJI/AAAAAAAABXw/CJWgeBlScW8/s865/IMG_20120308_135932.jpg https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jYCHvY-UcUI/T1lQfMQgJAI/AAAAAAAABXw/HuH3N6DEofU/s865/IMG_20120308_141217.jpg https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kZ-tqGYEXqs/T1lQfNP3NNI/AAAAAAAABXw/pCQrYo4f4ok/s865/IMG_20120308_154842.jpg [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/image/id/236445/width/640/height/456][IMG]http://thesandtrap.com/image/id/236445/width/640/height/456[/IMG][/URL]

[Chris Stewart]

Time for an update. I've been working on my swing since my first video was posted and trying to incorporate a few things into it. Since the first, I've been working on getting a full back swing, keeping my head still throughout the swing, keeping my stance a little shorter (I was very wide before), turning my hands over, and keeping weight on my front foot. Comparing this video to the first makes me feel like I'm making progress. Plenty of work to do, but I think I'm going in the right direction. Sorry this is only from one point of view. As you can see in the video, the range I was at didn't give me room to take a front view. [br][br] [VIDEO]http://youtu.be/5Wv7OPKoLhs[/VIDEO]

[Chris Stewart]

Any advice? I feel like I'm coming in too steep. In some of the shots I was slicing the ball a little too much.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Chris Stewart

Any advice? I feel like I'm coming in too steep. In some of the shots I was slicing the ball a little too much.

Yep: http://thesandtrap.com/t/29616/the-biggest-secret-slide-your-hips

[Chris Stewart]

Thanks Erik. I've watched that previously and definitely want to work on it moving forward. I'll do so in the coming weeks before my next swing video.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Chris Stewart

Thanks Erik. I've watched that previously and definitely want to work on it moving forward. I'll do so in the coming weeks before my next swing video.

Good. You're right about it being steep but work on the hips going forward (not quickly but incrementally) and it'll start to clean up the steepness and a few other things. Get some FO video next time if possible too.

[Chris Stewart]

It's been 4 months since I've posted a swing video, so I thought I'd go out today and record one. In the last 4 months, my golf game has come along but has somewhat plateaued in the last 6-8 weeks. I have been playing a lot more than I've been practicing and I think that has slowed down my progress a bit. My short game has improved a lot from the constant play but I haven't really made progress with my overall swing. I only have the ability to shoot DTL at this range, unfortunately. I started with my 7i, moved to the 4h, and finished with the driver. Watching the uncut video I was surprised by how many toe shots I seem to have. I didn't realize that I've been doing that as I've been playing. The biggest issue I've been having lately on the course is my driver, although today I was hitting it pretty well. I haven't been to this specific range in months and going back today I noticed I've picked up some distance. With the 7i I was hitting the 150 yard target and the driver was regularly carrying 220-230 (no roll on the range). Any advice or feedback is welcome. Thanks for watching. [VIDEO]http://youtu.be/GGe-0PYu3Ic[/VIDEO]

[jrbluehill11]

Chris,

Not sure how I got to this thread but wanted to give you some advice (that I'm sure you already know).  I saw your scorecard from March 2012 and you have eight (8) 3-putts.  I understand your desire to have a better swing but don't forget the short game.  In a single round of golf, you will hit more half-shots, bunker shots, chips, pitches and putts than you will ever take full swings.  If you spend 30 minutes hitting balls at the range, make sure you spend 45 minutes on the short game.  I know we all don't have that kind of time but you get my drift.  Take care and keep working at it.

Best Regards,

John R

(PGA Golf Professional)

[Chris Stewart]

This thread has been quite the trip down memory lane.  I haven't posted a swing video in 9 years.  I did end up playing a bit in 2013, a good amount in 2014, and effectively didn't play again until mid 2020.  I took my first lesson ever a few weeks ago, where we mostly focused on grip (stronger left hand) and stance (I was too wide, ball not in the middle for 7i).  I thought I'd take a quick video to document where I currently am.  It's really interesting to go back and watch the videos from 2012.  I play a more difficult course these days and now that I'm playing again regularly, I'm starting to work on my swing again.  My immediate goal is to break 100.  Well, really 50, since I most often play 9 holes after work.  I did accomplish that feat on Saturday with a 49, but I'll feel more accomplished after it's the norm instead of the exception.  I followed that 49 up with a 102 on Sunday.

Scoring goal: break 50 for 9 (100 for 18) consistently

Swing goal: better ball striking (far fewer fat shots in a round), better of the tee (tight course, struggle to get off the tee)

 

 

[Chris Stewart]

I got out for 9 this afternoon before what's left of the hurricane passes through tomorrow afternoon.  I continue to struggle getting off the tee.  My normal miss is hard right, but that hasn't been as present lately.  The right misses were all just off the fairway and perfectly playable.  The left misses were penalties (including #11).  #15 was playing 175+ today, almost all of which is a forced carry.  Just a non-starter for me, leading to another penalty.  Getting off the tee well would make a world of difference for me.  I really need to figure it out.

[Chris Stewart]

I played 9 this evening.  54, 2/7 FIR, 0/9 GIR, 16 putts, 5 sand shots, 5 penalties.  I saw a video recently (No Laying Up YouTube channel) about playing the most forward tees (red, in my case) and thought it was a great idea.  Similar to Operation 36, I should probably do that until I can at least get 40ish every time.  Anyway, that was my original plan until I got to the first hole and  for whatever reason decided to play the white tees.  I had been playing the white tees for the last year+ because my handicap is a 24 (higher really, but I still have scores from 2012-2014 on there), but the men's events require me to play from the blue tees so I've been playing those recently and really hating life as I have ~180-200 yard approaches into 4s consistently.  I just play them as par 5s, so tee shot, ~6i, pitch/chip into the center of the green, 2 putt for a bogey (ideally...).

Getting off the tee continues to be the primary struggle.  Today my pitching was rough and contributed to poor play.  It took me until the 18th tee box (our 9th) to realize my 10 yo daughter could get a video for me while swinging a meaningful shot for I believe the first time ever.  She enjoys riding with me and being my caddie. 😀  Even a rough outing is great with her around.  And of course the video she captures is the only straight tee shot I hit the entire time.  I ended up just beside the bunker down the left side, with ~125 left, which I proceeded to drop into a green side bunker. 😆  Anyway, would love any feedback.  My uneducated thought is I'm coming in a little steep and while hard to see from this angle, I believe I'm casting that club pretty hard as my initial motion on the down swing.  Pretty great to be able to see a video from a meaningful shot, instead of a random swing in my basement or one of a million on the range without consequence.

 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Chris Stewart

[boogielicious]

10 hours ago, Chris Stewart said:

I played 9 this evening.  54, 2/7 FIR, 0/9 GIR, 16 putts, 5 sand shots, 5 penalties.  I saw a video recently (No Laying Up YouTube channel) about playing the most forward tees (red, in my case) and thought it was a great idea.  Similar to Operation 36, I should probably do that until I can at least get 40ish every time.  Anyway, that was my original plan until I got to the first hole and  for whatever reason decided to play the white tees.  I had been playing the white tees for the last year+ because my handicap is a 24 (higher really, but I still have scores from 2012-2014 on there), but the men's events require me to play from the blue tees so I've been playing those recently and really hating life as I have ~180-200 yard approaches into 4s consistently.  I just play them as par 5s, so tee shot, ~6i, pitch/chip into the center of the green, 2 putt for a bogey (ideally...).

Getting off the tee continues to be the primary struggle.  Today my pitching was rough and contributed to poor play.  It took me until the 18th tee box (our 9th) to realize my 10 yo daughter could get a video for me while swinging a meaningful shot for I believe the first time ever.  She enjoys riding with me and being my caddie. 😀  Even a rough outing is great with her around.  And of course the video she captures is the only straight tee shot I hit the entire time.  I ended up just beside the bunker down the left side, with ~125 left, which I proceeded to drop into a green side bunker. 😆  Anyway, would love any feedback.  My uneducated thought is I'm coming in a little steep and while hard to see from this angle, I believe I'm casting that club pretty hard as my initial motion on the down swing.  Pretty great to be able to see a video from a meaningful shot, instead of a random swing in my basement or one of a million on the range without consequence.

 

 

 

Are you working on getting you hips moving forward as was suggested above? Also, get you post a face on video?

[iacas]

20 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Are you working on getting you hips moving forward as was suggested above? Also, get you post a face on video?

Nine years ago. 🙂

Probably still one of the top issues though.

[Chris Stewart]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

Are you working on getting you hips moving forward as was suggested above? Also, get you post a face on video?

I haven't, no.  It's been so long since I posted the previous videos and had this discussion.  Last year, after a 6 year layoff, I really just played and didn't make a focused effort to improve but rather played to enjoy being outside.  Especially given the circumstances of last year.  This year, I kind of started the same way but I have that itch to improve to enjoy the game a little more.  That's when I remembered this site and this thread.  That's where I am now.

About a month ago, I took my first ever lesson.  The primary takeaways were grip and stance, although he tried to get me to shallow out my swing path and I just struggled to get the follow through low enough to hit the stick he planted.  So we tried other things, but I just wasn't there.  I intend to take another lesson in the near future.

I'll get a FO video put together soon and post it.  Appreciate the comment, I take it as encouragement.

[Chris Stewart]

Played 9 yesterday afternoon.  I've effectively lost any hope of hitting a decently straight driver.  I essentially blacked out on 18 and somehow put it in the fairway. 😅  Most of the others were a low hook.  Normally I miss right with a high fade/slice, which you see on 13 and 17.  On the positive, my irons felt good, even though I missed pretty hard on 13 and 14.  One was alignment and the other was a toe shot that I pushed.  Most felt good, which I attribute to my lesson.  Grip and finding a better impact position (shaft lean/hands forward, hips forward, right knee bend toward my target).  Yesterday I tried to focus on getting a more straight right leg on the backswing, which felt like it helped me get a better turn instead of a weight shift.  Something I've noticed from the last video I was able to capture.

One of the guys I was playing with reminded me we get a few "tune up" sessions as part of our membership.  So I reached out after my round to get some assistance with the driver.  That's scheduled for Tuesday.  Today I thought I'd hit the range at a sister course in my membership and work on getting off the tee with a 3 or 5 wood.  I actually haven't been to this course yet, which I may play after if I'm feeling good (hot today).  Everyone I've talked to says it's significantly less punishing off the tee because of how open it is.  I'm really curious how that would work out for me.