Developing a repeatable swing

[saevel25]

Flipping is pretty darn repeatable

Agreed, I got pretty darn good at it for over 10 years.

[rkim291968]

Just trying to  remember steps 1 - 3 of 5SK helped me in today's round (5 GIRs which is above my average).   If I can be mindful of the 3 steps before I take each swing, my score would improve greatly.

[mvmac]

Just trying to  remember steps 1 - 3 of 5SK helped me in today's round (5 GIRs which is above my average).   If I can be mindful of the 3 steps before I take each swing, my score would improve greatly.

Just a reminder it's the 5 Simple Keys Keep up the good work.  If you can, try to assess what Key is the priority and work to improve that.  Might see more improvement by focusing on one rather than trying to tackle three at once.

[rkim291968]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkim291968

Just trying to  remember steps 1 - 3 of 5SK helped me in today's round (5 GIRs which is above my average).   If I can be mindful of the 3 steps before I take each swing, my score would improve greatly.

Just a reminder it's the 5 Simple Keys    Keep up the good work.  If you can, try to assess what Key is the priority and work to improve that.  Might see more improvement by focusing on one rather than trying to tackle three at once.

Thanks, mvmac.   Steps 4 & 5 are beyond me right now.  I believe I can focus (do drills) on 1, 2, and 3 together.   They are simple enough, and I have been working on them one time or another.   I've got my smash bag, and training stick at home to aid with the drills.

[Ernest Jones]

5 simple steps (5SS) sounds like a quick way to quit drinking.

[Stretch]

Tried it. Doesn't work. Cheers!

[nevets88]

"HI, my name is John and I'm an inveterate flipper. It's been three years since my last flip."

"Hi John"...

[JonMA1]

I responded in 2007 when this poll and thread was started, but on the subject of developing a repeating swing I've really come to understand that what I thought then is true now, too…

Everyone has a repeating swing.

In fact, that's why most people aren't very good.

The rare good shots the bogey golfer makes? Those are the freak occurrences, the anomalies. You can record swings from people and they'll look almost identical. That's why they're not good - because their swing is not good. It's not because it doesn't "repeat". The problem is that their bad swing is repeatable.

Yup. There have been many times while practicing that I'd keep hitting a push (for example). I would think the first couple were mishits and hit a couple more before making an adjustment. When going to collect the errant shots, I'd find the 3 or 4 balls within a 5 yard radius. Now that's consistency!

On the flip side, I assume one could have a sound swing and still post high scores if they have a problem focusing. When I par three holes in a row yet they're sandwiched between two 10's, I can't completely blame my swing.

IMHO, I think with a bad swing, where you're flippy for instance, it's harder to work the ball, curve, height, curve and height let alone maximize power.

I think this is what convinced me that my lack of power and consistency wasn't due as much to physical limitations and prompted me to start re-developing my swing from scratch. I simply could not control shot shape or get any further distance no matter how much I practiced. I'm not the most athletic guy in the world and even with a perfect swing will never hit a 5 iron 200 yards. But I believe I can do better than I have.

[mvmac]

Yup. There have been many times while practicing that I'd keep hitting a push (for example). I would think the first couple were mishits and hit a couple more before making an adjustment. When going to collect the errant shots, I'd find the 3 or 4 balls within a 5 yard radius. Now that's consistency!

Yeah that's not exactly what Erik was getting at (at least I don't think so).  All golfers have a repeatable swing, film a good shot or a bad shot and it looks identical, they just got lucky and compensated the right amount on the good shot.  We're talking about a movement pattern, you don't wake up one day and start walking or talking differently.  This is why it's so tough to make the smallest of swing changes and make them stick.

[JonMA1]

Failed attempt at humor on my part. In Five Lessons, Hogan makes a reference similar to what I think you and Erik are saying. When those of us with a bad swing make a good shot its more of accident. Is that your point?

[iacas]

Failed attempt at humor on my part.

In Five Lessons, Hogan makes a reference similar to what I think you and Erik are saying. When those of us with a bad swing make a good shot its more of accident. Is that your point?

Somewhat.

If you could somehow remove the golf ball from the picture, I could put high speed video of your good drives next to high speed video of your bad or average drives, and they'd look freakishly similar. Almost perfectly identical.

Your swing doesn't change day to day. Your timing might be better one day. Your ball position might be a little different, or where you aim. You might hole more putts and thus shoot 79 one day when you normally shoot 86, but your swing will be almost entirely "repeatable" - it will look almost the same on the good and bad days.

That's also what makes the post-round analysis of how Tiger's swing was bad today when he shot 73 versus good two days earlier when he shot 63 is laughable. It didn't change… he was just missing that teeny tiny little difference that really barely shows up on camera (if at all) that determines so much.

Remember it doesn't take much - a few degrees, 1/8th of an inch, etc. - to turn a great shot into a horrible shot.

[JonMA1]

I honestly never realized this. With someone like Tiger, of course. But with someone at my level, I always assumed I was all over the place. I suppose we can do 9 out of 10 things correctly in a swing but that one error can be the difference between a GIR and a penalty.

[iacas]

I honestly never realized this. With someone like Tiger, of course. But with someone at my level, I always assumed I was all over the place. I suppose we can do 9 out of 10 things correctly in a swing but that one error can be the difference between a GIR and a penalty.

Consider how easily it is to spot your friends on the range or three fairways over - you recognize their swing because it doesn't really change or vary, even a year later (unless they're actively working on improvement, etc.).

[DocParty]

Well I might give this *&)(*^( sport up!

Been out for maybe 60 rounds of golf over the past year and a half and putting through my 3h is fine.

But when I put a driver or fairway wood in my hand I feel I should be in the senior's special olympics.

Can't hit it straight to save my life. Absolutely horrible.

Go to the range, it's not as bad but not worth taking to the course.

Topped, hossell hits and mostly a hard push or a banana ball.

Par 3 courses don't give me any problems, which are few and far between for practice in my area it seems.

Using a 3 or 4 hybrid requires 3 strokes to get to par fours if I get adequate distance (175 to 185)

When I actually hit a good one, which is 5 balls out of a small bucket, it doesn't outdo my hybrids but maybe 25 yards or so.

So, the risk in using it outweighs the minimal distance I get.

This game inhales at times!

[rkim291968]

I honestly never realized this. With someone like Tiger, of course. But with someone at my level, I always assumed I was all over the place. I suppose we can do 9 out of 10 things correctly in a swing but that one error can be the difference between a GIR and a penalty.

That'd be almost a perfect swing.  I think I only do 5 or 6 out of 10 right.   When I am focused and everything is aligned, I may do 8 or 9 out of 10 right and hit a PW straight to pin about 125 yards.   But I will settle for anything withing 5 yard radius of the pin .

mvmac - Drills & by just being mindful of 5SK (at least steps 1 - 3) in my swing routine, I've got more consistent with 2nd shots.   My bad shots are not ending up as OBs.  Will do more drills until the 3 steps are ingrained in my brain & muscle memory.

[mvmac]

That'd be almost a perfect swing.  I think I only do 5 or 6 out of 10 right.   When I am focused and everything is aligned, I may do 8 or 9 out of 10 right and hit a PW straight to pin about 125 yards.   But I will settle for anything withing 5 yard radius of the pin .

mvmac - Drills & by just being mindful of 5SK (at least steps 1 - 3) in my swing routine, I've got more consistent with 2nd shots.   My bad shots are not ending up as OBs.  Will do more drills until the 3 steps are ingrained in my brain & muscle memory.

What's all this about 10 things, there's only 5 things you need to do right Well, really it's 2 or 3 if you want to be a single digit.

mvmac - Drills & by just being mindful of 5SK (at least steps 1 - 3) in my swing routine, I've got more consistent with 2nd shots.   My bad shots are not ending up as OBs.  Will do more drills until the 3 steps are ingrained in my brain & muscle memory.

Nice, good to hear.  Just be careful trying to take too much on, you can't really focus on 3 Keys at once.  Maybe s tart a "My Swing" thread and focus on one Key at a time.

[rkim291968]

Thanks!   I inputted mine.   I was wondering about the relevance between 5SK and HI (thanks, Icacas).

Yup, just getting the steps 1 - 3 right will take time & persistence.   But as I said, they were things I've worked on before, one time or another.   I have a habit of dropping practice on specific item as soon as I feel I've got better.   Then, before I know it, it returns to bite me.   Anyway, this time, I am keeping the drills for good.

[JonMA1]

Yeah that's not exactly what Erik was getting at (at least I don't think so).  All golfers have a repeatable swing, film a good shot or a bad shot and it looks identical, they just got lucky and compensated the right amount on the good shot.  We're talking about a movement pattern, you don't wake up one day and start walking or talking differently.  This is why it's so tough to make the smallest of swing changes and make them stick.

I get what you and Erik are saying now. I just assumed I was all over the place with my swing. Thinking back on last year, the "feel' wasn't always that much different between the awful shots and the freakishly good ones. If anything, some of those good ones surprised me because they felt exactly the same.

I think the consistency issue is both good and bad. Makes it difficult, as you stated, to break old habits while trying to make improvements, but it's encouraging to think that if developed, good habits may take over and become second nature.

That'd be almost a perfect swing.  I think I only do 5 or 6 out of 10 right.   When I am focused and everything is aligned, I may do 8 or 9 out of 10 right and hit a PW straight to pin about 125 yards.   But I will settle for anything withing 5 yard radius of the pin .

I agree - I'd kill to have more approach shots get within 5 yards of the hole. Next year!

After posting the "9 out of 10" analogy, I was waiting to get called out on it. I half expected someone to write something like "I've seen your swing and you don't have to worry about just one thing messing you up…"  or something along those lines.

I almost think of "perfect" as being relative - which is kind of the opposite of the definition. For example, perfect in my world would mean a fairway hit, a green in regulation or a long putt that gets within tap-in distance.

Sorry if I got off-topic.