How long has it taken you to groove a swing change?

[SoundandFury]

Over the past couple weeks I've put a few things together that have drastically improved my ball striking: still/steady head, focussing on "staying down" through impact, and clearing my hips on the downswing. The biggest improvement has come from the steady head; I didn't realize I was dipping into the ball on my backswing, and went from hitting 50% of all shots (on the range and on the course) fat to hitting no more than 20% fat, on a bad day. It's only been a week or so I expect this o improve. My question is how long, in your experiences, it's taken for changes like this become grooved or engrained in your muscle memory? I played this morning and focused on keepingy head still, but topped a few balls and hooked most of the ones I hit crisp. Wasn't until after the round I realized I was raising up and not firings hips through the ball, hence the topped shots and hooks. I know it takes a while, probably months if not years. Curious about everyone else's thoughts.

[boogielicious]

3 - 4 months for real consistency for me.  This is with 2 rounds a week and 2 range sessions.

[Beachcomber]

There are changes that I've been working on for over 6mo... And they still don't feel grooved or natural.  There are different feels in the golf swing, and some mechanical changes can create some significant changes in those feels.  Sometimes that new feel can take a longer time to become grooved or natural.

At least for me... It has been the banking my right foot.  I can't get this swing change/mod to feel natural or right.

[SoundandFury]

what do you mean by banking your right foot?

[Avant]

Takes a long time and a lot of work.  After my lessons i drill the new swing moves until i am blue in the face.

In the living room, on the range, you name it.  The more you do it the faster you will adapt to it.

I honestly think the best thing that has worked for me is swinging about 100 times a night just in my living room.

[jd924]

what do you mean by banking your right foot?

Keeping his right foot on the ground without it lifting on the through swing. It's a more detailed cleanup mechanic for a lower handicapper like beach. The best way to groove your swing is spend multiple hours watching your swing to make sure you are doing what you are trying to do with a nice video camera. Best way to get the right things to actually allow yourself to improve? Sign up for evolvr, worth every penny.

[saevel25]

Depends on how long you have the problem, and how much meaningful practice you put in.

Like suddenly developing a casting motion, can be fixed quickly. Fixing a lifelong problem on slicing, might take a bit longer.

[mchepp]

For me it totally depends on the change. Some I can do in less than a week with mirror work, others take months of swinging at slower speeds to try and ingrain it. Some I am not sure I will ever get.

[SoundandFury]

Yeah, I'm getting that.  I've been hitting the ball fat so damn long i'm surprised my clubs aren't all bend.  I've tried every possible cure/swing change, and focusing on eliminating any up and down motion with my head fixed it pretty much immediately.  Best thing is that it doesn't feel gimmicky like some of the other crap I tried.

[newtogolf]

Took me about 3-4 months to groove a new swing at the range, but hasn't fully translated to the course.  Under pressure, the old swing sneaks back in every once and a while, usually when it can do the most damage.

[Truegolf]

I play more by feel and I generally make changes when there isn't any tournaments that is typically during the offseason like now If I had to describe my golfing motion in 4 words it would be turn-unwind and swing-shift

[iacas]

Hmmmm.... How old am I....???

[AmazingWhacker]

I think the answer could be different depending on the skill level of the respondant . . . but I find that when I hit upon a *correct* move it ingrains itself very quickly.  In fact - that is one of the criteria I use to determine if what I'm working on is valid or not.  I have been working for a few months on different things to try and square the clubface.  Before that - I was working on keeping a flat left wrist.  For the wrist - I tried a lot of different things over the course of a month or 2.  When I found the correct idea for me, it became second nature in just a few days of practice.  Before that - nothing felt right - even the stuff I worked on for a couple of weeks.

[ryangolf]

Originally Posted by mchepp

For me it totally depends on the change. Some I can do in less than a week with mirror work, others take months of swinging at slower speeds to try and ingrain it. Some I am not sure I will ever get.

+1

[bplewis24]

I'll let you know when my swing stops changing

I swear something is always broken.

[soon_tourpro]

Over the past couple weeks I've put a few things together that have drastically improved my ball striking: still/steady head, focussing on "staying down" through impact, and clearing my hips on the downswing. The biggest improvement has come from the steady head; I didn't realize I was dipping into the ball on my backswing, and went from hitting 50% of all shots (on the range and on the course) fat to hitting no more than 20% fat, on a bad day. It's only been a week or so I expect this o improve. My question is how long, in your experiences, it's taken for changes like this become grooved or engrained in your muscle memory? I played this morning and focused on keepingy head still, but topped a few balls and hooked most of the ones I hit crisp. Wasn't until after the round I realized I was raising up and not firings hips through the ball, hence the topped shots and hooks. I know it takes a while, probably months if not years. Curious about everyone else's thoughts.

No thing such as muscle memory. So called reflex training has it backwards. 3 weeks is the time it takes for the brain to solidify the neural net and around 3 months more to make it habit. that is the average process time it takes and it can be done faster and slower depending on who and what change and what practice pattern. If you try to change current mechanics then it will be like Tiger woods that after 3 years dont have it down with the so called next generation swing. Its always the brain that is changing and altering not the muscle memory.

[saevel25]

Yes yes yes, we label things completely wrong in how they are actually processed. We park on a driveway and drive on a parkway.

Quote:

if you try to change current mechanics then it will be like Tiger woods that after 3 years dont have it down with the so called next generation swing.

Huh!, a little bit hard to follow there, please explain.

But at least by standards of a pro golfers, if Tiger by example, i think his took longer because he tried to fix it himself, then went to Foley. So he didn't really stick with anything long enough, and delayed his change. But its been about a year right?, he was working with Foley before the previous Masters, did decent, had a decent 2nd half of last year, now is really hitting his stride.

I think for most people, swing changes can have an instant impact on there swing. If they work on it, can get ingrained pretty fast. For professional's its different because of the level of error they need to play there level of golf. So a swing change for them, to reach the level in which they need to compete, is much longer, because it needs to be much more precise. So our level of acceptance in the progression of swing change is different than that of a professional golfer.

[Phil McGleno]

Sez the guy who is 30 monhts or so into his from 9 to scratch quest and still lists an 8.2 and says things like pros hit the ball with their weight on their back foot Sure thing pal. And boy that Tiger woods fella he was injured and overhauled his swing from the mess that Haney was at the TOP LEVEL of golf and is once again world #1 boy he sucks he will never figure it out!!![quote name="soon_tourpro" url="/t/63243/how-long-has-it-taken-you-to-groove-a-swing-change#post_827110"] No thing such as muscle memory. So called reflex training has it backwards. 3 weeks is the time it takes for the brain to solidify the neural net and around 3 months more to make it habit. that is the average process time it takes and it can be done faster and slower depending on who and what change and what practice pattern. If you try to change current mechanics then it will be like Tiger woods that after 3 years dont have it down with the so called next generation swing. Its always the brain that is changing and altering not the muscle memory.[/quote]