Are You Listening To What You Are Being Told?

[GlasgowsGreen]

During a lesson a few weeks ago my pro said to me that I am;

1. Casting the club causing an out to in swing path

2. Not hitting down on the ball

Just last night I found a note on my iphone from one of my lessons in early 2011. It said 'I need to start swinging more in to out and make sure I'm hitting down on the ball'.

It slowly dawned on me that my pro has being saying this to me since my earliest lessons (over 2 years ago)!

I haven't ignored the issue completely - I have made half hearted attempts to fix these two issues, however I have soon moved on to other areas. For whatever reason they just didn't appear to me to be priorities. Maybe they were too difficult to fix? Maybe I thought that I had bigger issues to sort out?

It's now became so clear that if I want to improve as a golfer I need to start swinging in to out and start hitting down on the ball i.e. I need to do exactly what my pro has been telling me for 2 years - at £50 an hour.

I've now decided that I am not going to do anything else with my swing until I have these issues fixed - no matter how long it takes, and I really feel confident that my golf will drastically improve when I have done so.

So this is just a heads up to anyone out there who is trying to get better at golf - are you really listening to what your pro is trying to tell you?

[newtogolf]

Good advice.  Sometimes fixing a major swing flaw like this is overwhelming so we ignore it and try to fix smaller things that won't mess to much with our current swing.  I know in the past I've tried to work around the big issues, hoping I could cover them up with adjustments.   This year I decided to address the big issues, an out to in swing, too much hip sway and head movement and it's finally started to pay off.

Relate it to going to the doctors where people listen to what they want to hear and ignore what they don't want to.

[GlasgowsGreen]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Good advice.  Sometimes fixing a major swing flaw like this is overwhelming so we ignore it and try to fix smaller things that won't mess to much with our current swing.  I know in the past I've tried to work around the big issues, hoping I could cover them up with adjustments.

In another thread Iacas wrote;

Most people have the same flaws over and over and over and over and over again. If you're not diligent about fixing them, and actually WORKING on those particular things, then technically you should get the same lesson again because that thing is still the #1 priority piece for you to fix.

In the past when I have tried to fix my over the top/ casting problem I have spent maybe 20 minutes trying to 'hold the lag' or swing more in to out. I'd then 'try it out' on a full power swing and mishit the ball the completely. After 10 minutes of shanks and pulls I'd give up and go back to my flawed but comfortable swing. I'd still try and get better, but as you said I'd focus on the smaller things which didn't mess with my existing swing too much.

Therefore when I went back for a lesson I'd get given the same feedback (and drills) as before - swing in to out and hit down on the ball. Basically I'm the student that Iacas is describing above.

I think too many high handicappers spend too much time worrying about trivial issues and completely overlook the major, devastating flaws in their swing. If you are casting the club and hitting the ground 5" behind the ball then moving your right thumb 2mm etc isn't going to make any difference!

We overlook the big issues because trying to rectify them feels too difficult and uncomfortable, but as Tiger Woods himself says, if it doesn't feel uncomfortable then you aren't doing it right!'

[dak4n6]

Einstein said that insanity is when people do the same thing over and over and expect different results.

[newtogolf]

What helped me make the major swing change I'd been avoiding is practicing in the mirror at home.  I spent close to an hour a day making sure I was doing it as instructed.  It was still a bit frustrating and embarrassing going to a public range and working through the shanks and mis-hits you mentioned.

I think that's the biggest obstacle, going out in public and shanking balls all over the range when you know if you went back to your old incorrect swing you wouldn't look like such a lousy golfer.  I minimized the embarrassment by going to the far end of the range away from everyone and hoping no one paid attention but likely no one ever was and it was all in my head.

Originally Posted by GlasgowsGreen

In another thread Iacas wrote;

Most people have the same flaws over and over and over and over and over again. If you're not diligent about fixing them, and actually WORKING on those particular things, then technically you should get the same lesson again because that thing is still the #1 priority piece for you to fix.

In the past when I have tried to fix my over the top/ casting problem I have spent maybe 20 minutes trying to 'hold the lag' or swing more in to out. I'd then 'try it out' on a full power swing and mishit the ball the completely. After 10 minutes of shanks and pulls I'd give up and go back to my flawed but comfortable swing. I'd still try and get better, but as you said I'd focus on the smaller things which didn't mess with my existing swing too much.

Therefore when I went back for a lesson I'd get given the same feedback (and drills) as before - swing in to out and hit down on the ball. Basically I'm the student that Iacas is describing above.

I think too many high handicappers spend too much time worrying about trivial issues and completely overlook the major, devastating flaws in their swing. If you are casting the club and hitting the ground 5" behind the ball then moving your right thumb 2mm etc isn't going to make any difference!

We overlook the big issues because trying to rectify them feels too difficult and uncomfortable, but as Tiger Woods himself says, if it doesn't feel uncomfortable then you aren't doing it right!'

[gwlee7]

Don't feel bad. I have been working on ome major thing for almost two years. I have just now moved to the next.

[tiger187126]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

What helped me make the major swing change I'd been avoiding is practicing in the mirror at home.  I spent close to an hour a day making sure I was doing it as instructed.  It was still a bit frustrating and embarrassing going to a public range and working through the shanks and mis-hits you mentioned.

I think that's the biggest obstacle, going out in public and shanking balls all over the range when you know if you went back to your old incorrect swing you wouldn't look like such a lousy golfer.  I minimized the embarrassment by going to the far end of the range away from everyone and hoping no one paid attention but likely no one ever was and it was all in my head.

i'm trying to make a big change in the way i swing and it's not so much the embarrassment for me (not a lot of particularly good hitters at my range most of the time), but it's just a sense that why try to fix it when it's going horribly wrong when i can revert back and hit some nice shots.

i'm trying to get at least a 2 to 1 home practice to range practice, but i need a better camera setup and lighting.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by GlasgowsGreen

In another thread Iacas wrote;

Most people have the same flaws over and over and over and over and over again. If you're not diligent about fixing them, and actually WORKING on those particular things, then technically you should get the same lesson again because that thing is still the #1 priority piece for you to fix.

In the past when I have tried to fix my over the top/ casting problem I have spent maybe 20 minutes trying to 'hold the lag' or swing more in to out. I'd then 'try it out' on a full power swing and mishit the ball the completely. After 10 minutes of shanks and pulls I'd give up and go back to my flawed but comfortable swing. I'd still try and get better, but as you said I'd focus on the smaller things which didn't mess with my existing swing too much.

Erik's a smart guy

That's a great example you bring up and why people think that what they are working on, "doesn't work".  They don't give it enough time and might not understand why they are making the change.  There are days I practice and I couldn't care less how I hit it on the range.  Just trying to repeat certain feels and change the picture.  Then there are other practice days where I put the camera away and picture shots I'm going to be hitting on the course, very little mechanics.  I think learning HOW to practice is just as important as knowing what you need to improve.

Originally Posted by GlasgowsGreen

Therefore when I went back for a lesson I'd get given the same feedback (and drills) as before - swing in to out and hit down on the ball. Basically I'm the student that Iacas is describing above.

We try to let people on Evolvr (online academy) that we'll probably working on the same pieces for a while.  It's good to go and see your instructor to check in.  They might be able to provide you with different feels, drills or just give you a friendly kick in the butt so you don't get lazy.

Originally Posted by GlasgowsGreen

We overlook the big issues because trying to rectify them feels too difficult and uncomfortable, but as Tiger Woods himself says, if it doesn't feel uncomfortable then you aren't doing it right!'

Couldn't agree more, thanks for posting