I am so confused and could use your help...PLEASE!!!

[i-Guy]

Okay here is my dilemma...I am currently playing to an 8.8 handicap and last year had it down to a 6.  But I have been really struggling with taking my game to the next level...aspire to compete in FSGA Florida State Golf Association tournaments.  The reason is my swing…as I have been told over and over by good players and teachers that my short game is very solid.  Anyway I basically have two swings and cannot seem to make a commitment to one and my handicap is slowly rising while my confidence is slowly decreasing…the following is a quick explanation about each swing:

Fade Swing – I call this my “fade swing” and is basically a slight over the top swing and plays like a pull fade…when doing it well I have very good power and good accuracy as I can play the fade (by alignment) to my target…but when it is going bad it is very bad and sometimes even turns into a high handicapper over the top slice that gets me in trouble and has no power.  The Pro I see once in a while for lessons says he doesn’t think this swing will hold up…but he really has not ever seen it when it is going well…my best score using this swing for 18 holes was a 74 (on a PAR 72 course)…and one of the main reasons I keep coming back to this swing is I can always find some version of it as it seems to be very natural to me…also most good players I know and teachers (including the one I see for lessons once in a while) says that my tendency (either swing) is to fade the ball and I know that I see the game that way…not sure why or how that works (right eye dominant???)

S&T; Swing – I say S&T; but it is really my version of it…this is the swing I usually work on when getting a lesson because the Pro I work with says that I get into such good positions with this swing and usually when working with him I hit it very good.

NOTE: The Pro I work with actually went to a seminar in Orlando a couple of years back put on by Plummer and Bennett and he believes the S&T; is a good swing method.

However, his teaching methodology has always been to teach what he thinks works best for the student.  Early on in our lessons I told him I played around with the S&T; not knowing he had gone to this seminar and he challenged me to show him…I sat there and just stripped a 7 iron (10 shots) right at the target and long…he looked at me and said “Yep that is basically the S&T; and you do it very well…maybe you should use that swing?”…another note about this Pro…he qualified and played in the 2006 Senior PGA Championship…so he is a player also!  The problem with this swing is that I cannot always find it and it feels very mechanical to me.  When I am having trouble with it I still hit the ball very straight but have no power…I have shot a 76 using this method.

So that is my dilemma…I would say that when I think about it the S&T; makes a lot of sense from the standpoint that this Pro thinks it is a very good swing from me and maybe I just have not put the time into making it feel more comfortable as when I get frustrated I will go to my fade swing (even during hitting session at the range)…so maybe I am just an instant gratification junky???  BUT then I have heard so many people (even Pro’s in articles and on TV) say you should go with what is natural for you and sometimes they say that because under pressure it is what will show up…

So my HELP is in hearing what others who may have been through something like this think and can tell me what you think I should do or what you did to solve this…I am hoping I hear something that sparks me in one direction so I can commit and start working toward my goal of FSGA Championships…thanks!

[rustyredcab]

Find a swing that you hope to stick with and (ideally) you will have a model to go back to season after season. Feelings may change. Your ability to emulate the model may change. But your swing aspirations should remain the same.

IMO, if your teacher is a tinkerer, find one who will create a plan for you. You should not feel like you have different swings. You may learn to shape the ball and alter your swing. But different swings is a hard thing to get solid enough to stand up to pressure.

One of the best things about my swing is that I have a model to aspire to every time I pick up a club. I know what I am trying to do.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Perhaps a blend of the two?  Sounds like you are comfortable with you go-to swing.  How about just focusing on improving your swing dynamics?  As your dynamics improve your distance and control will improve, and it shouldn't feel so mechanical.  Dynamics over style wins every time.