Practice Swing Vs. Real Swing - How Can One Make These THE SAME

[Grizvok]

Someone on these forums had a pretty hilarious (to me) saying they wrote out which was "you dance with the girl you took to the prom" or something along those lines. This was the first time I had heard that and really the first time that I began seeing my actual rounds of golf as a time where I really shouldn't attempt to practice. At this point I'd also like to reference @iacas stupid monkey thread to back the point up. Your swing at that point in time is the swing you brought to the course and really no good is going to come from trying to instantly change your entire swing to something it isn't. Some people take a single swing thought to the course during the round and stick with that for the duration which I think is really the maximum you should attempt in terms of things you are consciously thinking about when you are playing for the lowest score you can manage.

Well I've been working on my swing a lot recently so of course that was a factor in my most recent outing but armed with this new mindset I shot an 84 which is 7 strokes better than I've ever managed. Hell THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVEN BROKE 90. And I got damn close to breaking 80. I decided to put more thought into course management and club selection but LITERALLY ZERO into my swing. Nothing. It made the round a hell of a lot more fun for me and resulted in my lowest score ever.

And the best thing? How well I played didn't and doesn't seem like some level I'll be unable to achieve again. Things just flowed so much more naturally on the course when I began thinking like a stupid monkey and going on instinct. The range is the time to be a human and analyze the shit out of things. The course is when you turn on your baser instincts and just hit that damn ball with your club.

[boogielicious]

17 hours ago, hopingtoenjoyagain said:

Hi folks, brand new member here, and I literally joined because of this thread.  I almost cried when I read this entire thread...because I completely understand what downbylaw11 is saying.  I don't mean to be disrespectful towards those of you contributing to this discussion, I guess my observation is that if you haven't been in someone's shoes on this then it's hard not to offer up the advice that makes the most sense to you based on your experience.  

Not to be too dramatic, but my golf game has literally fallen to pieces almost overnight due to this exact issue.  About 10 years ago I was a 15 handicap, shooting in the 80s on a good day and mostly in the 90s, rarely over 100 if ever.  My swing was fine, not great, but good enough to warrant continual investment in the game.  My triggering event was preparing for a 40th birthday trip to Scotland with 5 of my best friends.  I prepared in my basement, working on my swing, practice putting, and then hitting the range in the spring before our trip, but admittedly my preparation was not on the course, I rarely hit the course before our big trip.  Then we got to Scotland and my mental issues started on Day 1.  I don't know why, it just happened, possibly triggered by my lack of confidence on the short grass w/links style courses.  But what happened was crazy.  On my short chips I started missing the ball completely, my arms would yip upwards not on the practice swing, but only when swinging over the ball.  It then moved to my putting...what you all would call yips.  Bottom line is I golfed the most amazing courses in the world over those 7 days, and I never shot better than 110, I was literally overnight losing to a friend of mine who I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever have lost to ever.  Did I mention ever?  

Fast forward 10 years, I have not shot under 100 AT ALL in my 40s, and I am set to turn 50 next March and once again, the group wants to go to Scotland.  

My friends love to talk about my practice swing, even the caddie at St Andrews said the same thing to me..."why don't you just swing like your practice swing?".  So that comment from the caddie led to 10 years of this comment.  I feel very strongly that it is 100% mental.  This is not about mechanics, it's not about angles, it's not about tricking my brain, it's way smarter than my ability to trick it with games like 'close your eyes' or 'look through the ball'.  In my opinion the angle issues, the swing issues...those are symptoms of the mental problem, they are outcomes from the mental problem, and so the idea of a video and swing plane and angles makes absolutely no sense to someone like me (and I think downbylaw11) because those actions imply mechanical failure. My issue is simple, when I swing without a ball it flows nicely, I transfer nicely, it's a decent swing, it's consistent, it feels great.  Then when I get over the ball...the brain starts kicking in there you go.  My current goal when golfing is anything less than a triple bogey...that is considered a win for me. 

So, unfortunately what has happened to me is that I am often embarrassed to play with anyone other than my closest friends.  I feel bad that they have to put up with this crap, and it makes me sad...until I remember that this is a first world problem :-).  So I've basically stopped golfing other than a couple times a year with my teenage son.  And now I want to see if I can overcome it over the next 9 months and I'm trying to figure out how best to proceed.  I don't have a solution, but I felt compelled to back up what downbylaw11 has been saying.  

The only advice that I've found that makes sense is what I read from Hank Haney's Fix the Yips book, which was the brain gets wired a certain way and that wiring is tied to the club hitting the ball, that specific connection between club and ball, and that the way to get out of it is to 'unwire' that connection.  Sounds easy, right?

Thanks for letting me get this off of my chest, I feel better already :-).

Welcome to The Sand Trap. 

I would recommend you start a My Swing Thread in the Member Swings section and post videos including the practice swing followed by the real swing. We can try and help.

I have had the driver yips or tee yips before, but it was really just fear about the hook problems I was having. But working with my Evolvr instructor and a recent lesson from Erik, and I feel more confident off the tee. I know what I have to work on. Now when I have a hook, I know what I did wrong and treat it more like a lesson in my head. I don’t have the dread on the next shot. 

Others on this forum have had the shanks and had to work through them as well. 

[Vinsk]

Welcome @hopingtoenjoyagain. I actually understand and empathize quite well with your issue. The only main difference is my ‘yip’ is a shank. But mine is unpredictable. When I’m not infected I shoot high 70’s. When I am, I can easily hit 90. 

Now this part may be unpleasant to hear but you may have to consider this. Your practice swing ‘feels’ great and others have commented it ‘looks’ good. Well, the truth is you don’t know what that practice swing would produce. Maybe it’s a whiff, a top, a chunk or a shank. Now as far as tension, it appears to arrive once the ball is present. So, what are you thinking about during your practice swing? I think you should develop a trigger to start your swing (pocket tug, foot tap, etc. But do this trigger consistently when you practice swing. The trigger may help your body perform the practice swing due to the ‘mental training’ you’ve done. Now again we don’t know if your practice swing is a productive swing or not. But it does seem like it is absent of tension which can disrupt your swing. Just my two cents.

[70sSanO]

Have you played without taking a practice swing?  I'm not sure when I started this, but I don't take a practice swing; except warming up on the first tee.  I found it counter-productive more often than not.  I'm not sure what I was expecting to accomplish on my practice swing, but whatever the notion, I'm better off without it.

If you can find a short pitch and putt course when it is not crowded, go out and hit 2 or 3 balls per hole.  Don't practice or think, just hit the ball.  I do like the stupid monkey thread.

John