Don't Let The Ball Get In The Way Of A Good Lesson

[GlasgowsGreen]

For over 2 years I’ve struggled to learn golf even though I have had numerous lessons from qualified pros.

What I find disappointing though is that I’m still working on simple fundamentals that I was actually taught during my very first lessons.

For example, I was taught during my first lesson that I should tilt to the right at address. However, for whatever reason, it was in one ear and out the other, and 2 years later – just as I think I’m getting a good swing together – my pro gets me to tilt to the right, and it feels like I need to learn to swing again.

You often hear of mid/high handicap golfers saying that you have to take 2 steps back to make 3 steps forwards. It seems that we always have something we are working on, and are seemingly oblivious to other critical flaws in our swing. Once we ‘master’ what we were working on, we find out about something else we are doing wrong..and back we go!

The problem is, you can only really work at one thing at any one time. Whenever we get overloaded with information the whole swing falls apart – and that’s no fun at all!

At one point I started booking half hour lessons rather than hour lessons as I could never hit the ball after the first 5 minutes. I’d go in, hit a few balls up the fairway. The pro would show me the video of my swing and tell me what I was doing wrong. I’d then go back to the mat and I’d have so many thoughts going through my head I could barely hold the club never mind hit the ball. Mishit, slice, hook, shank – I soon realized that the extra 30 mins was just wasting my time and my money.

As we all know, even the tiniest flaw in an almost perfect swing can send the ball towards the trees. However a learner golfer will always judge his swing by where the ball went , and it is horribly demoralizing to have a lesson when the ball is going haywire.

Once they lose control of the ball, the concentration goes, the moral goes, the body tenses, and they automatically fall back on the bad habits that ‘worked’ for them in the past.

So why not take the ball out of the lesson? Why not just focus on the right set up, the right tilt, the correct swing path etc, then worry about the ball when the fundamentals are in place. For example, 8 year old Muay Thai boxers in Thailand spend months being taught how to walk about the ring before they are taught how to punch. Their trainers want to ingrain the fundamentals before they move onto the more complex techniques. Why do we give learner golfers a bucket of 100 balls when they don’t even have the very basics right?

I’ve recently started to practice what I preach, and have set up a video to record my swing without trying to hit the ball. I’m already seeing my swing look a lot better and my moral is high. I’m starting to ingrain the things my pro wants me to do, and I don’t have that frustration that we get when we are trying to make changes to our swings and don’t see instant success (or worse – can’t hit the ball at all!)

Once I feel the adjustments are ingrained in my muscle memory I’ll introduce the damn little white ball. Worth a try eh? God knows I’ve tried everything else!

Happy golfing,

G

[tristanhilton85]

I think that you should still be swinging at the ball... what we do in a practice swing and what we do when we are actually over the ball are usually quite different. There is a reason why one of the rules for the "My Swing" threads is no practice swings.

That being said, try not to be concerned by the ball flight when you are working on incorporating new feelings into your swing.

[iacas]

I disagree entirely.

I think often we'll remove the target from the practice session, but never the ball. We'll do some occasional practice swings without a ball, but then it's immediately "do that with a ball, even if you miss it, top it, shank it, whatever."

There's a passage in TGM, well, I'll just link to it, but basically it says do the right thing even if you miss the ball until you no longer miss the ball.

Link is: http://thesandtrap.com/t/53575/improvement .

[dak4n6]

I think that air swinging has its place, but everything changes when you put a ball in front of you, as you have noticed. I like to practice swing when I'm watching TV (esp golf of course, and esp during the winter). I like to stand in front of a mirror or reflective window both face on and down the line.

Another thing I discovered over the years is what I call shadow swinging. If the sun is out and not too low, stand so that it is behind you over your right shoulder and your shadow is in front of you and about 45 deg to your left. When you pull the club back watch your shadow and you can really see a proper takeaway, and when you swing you can see from your shadow a proper deep hands drop-in-the-slot downswing. I often use this on the course as an easy way to feel a grooved swing.

Anyway, all this ball-less swinging is for nought if you can't put that beautiful practice swing on the ball..

[GlasgowsGreen]

The point I’m making is that you don’t need a ball to check that someone is;

1. Holding the club correctly
2. Has the correct setup
3. Has the correct weight transfer
4. Has the correct swing plane etc

Yes, you’re not going to get very far in golf if you can’t make contact with the ball (!), but I believe that I would have advanced much more quickly if I’d spent my first few lessons doing fresh air swings.

If you can’t do the above when there’s no ball in front of you, how can you expect to do it when there is?

[GlasgowsGreen]

Anyway, just my 2 cents. I'm not a golf pro (understatement of the year!) so I'm in no position to tell anyone how to teach.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by GlasgowsGreen

The point I’m making is that you don’t need a ball to check that someone is;

Holding the club correctly

Has the correct setup

Has the correct weight transfer

Has the correct swing plane etc

1. Correct.

2. Correct, kinda.

3. Disagree.

4. Disagree.

People's swings change when they have a ball in front of them. Practicing "air swings" is virtually pointless. I'd prefer to see someone practice SHORTER swings making solid contact (and taking a little divot) than air swings.

[GlasgowsGreen]

Ok, you've convinced me - the golf balls will be back out tonight!

I still think my few balless sessions have helped though! Guess I'll find out tonight!