Does your swing deteriorate through your round?

[MattM 21]

The question is simple. I'm wondering how many people on here find that their swings start off sound at the beginning of their rounds only to have the swing deteriorate towards the middle and end? It seems that it continually happens to me. I am working with Evolvr and have really cleaned up my swing (so I think). My issue always seems to be that at the beginning of my round I am hitting greens and driving it into the fairway etc., and then a snap hook or a push fade will creep in as the round continues! It's been very frustrating for me the last few weeks with this! I'm wondering if people have this problem and what did they find was the solution? What did they find was the problem? I don't know if I'm tired and get lazy or if I'm just mentally tired. I'll even rehearse my mechanics five to ten times on every hole to make sure I'm still doing what I thought I was. It doesn't seem to matter though! Yesterday I was playing well until the 7th hole when I topped a driver. After that it all fell apart. Not only that but I tried to work with the club and my swing to get rid of the hook that I knew was coming on, and it didn't help! Does anyone else have this problem?

[mdl 150]

My swing usually gets better as the round goes on, or swings up and down without a clear trajectory.  Sounds like maybe a mental game issue.  Maybe you let some bad thoughts creep in too much, too obsessive over the mechanics, and stand over the ball thinking, "Don't hook it" instead of some positive swing thought?

Also, with major swing changes going on, maybe you're warming up well and then the old swing starts creeping in more as the round goes on, jumping in even more as your mental game deteriorates after a major screw up or two?

Last thought.  Doing 10 dry swings before each shot (I hope you're not doing all of those when it's your turn to hit, or in view of someone who's hitting!), obsessing about the whole array of mechanical adjustments and associated feels you're working on right now, is IMO a recipe for a brittle swing that's liable to disappear at any moment.  I'm also in the middle of major swing adjustments, so I've had to fight really hard on the course not to think about 5 different mechanical things over the ball.  Just pick one thing to think about.  If you start hooking it, pick the one swing thought or feel that most helps that miss, think of that, aim for the right side, and just try to stay athletic and play golf instead of playing swing mechanics.

For instance, in my round Thursday I was hitting the long clubs mostly pretty well but had so many holes where I'd pump a tee shot down the middle, have a nice short iron approach, then pull it way left of the green.  Tried for a few holes your approach, lots of dry swings, mechanical thoughts, etc.  Kept pulling them.  By the end of the round I just was concentrating on one swing thought that's part of what usually helps me fix that in practice and started aiming almost to the right edge of the green (instead of more like right center, my standard aim point these days as my miss with the short irons is usually a pull right now).  Hit the left side of a few greens that way.  Frustrating but at least still a GIR.

[Golfingdad 1,993]

I'll even rehearse my mechanics five to ten times on every hole to make sure I'm still doing what I thought I was.

This was the line in the OP that stood out to me the most ...

....  Maybe you [are] too obsessive over the mechanics, and stand over the ball thinking, ...

And this is precisely why.

There is an instructor that teaches at the range I frequent that talks about states of mind and I think he's on to something there.  He talks about "swing mode" and "target mode" and a third one that I can't remember the name of, but basically, he's saying that there is a time and place to obsess over mechanics, but the course is not that place.  You throw all of the mechanical thoughts away and just concentrate on hitting the ball with whatever swing you brought that day.

And to answer the original question:  No.  My bad swings come randomly spaced throughout the round, with no discernable pattern, whatsoever.  Sometimes my first few holes are bad, sometimes the final holes are bad, and sometimes it's randomly in the middle.  Lately it's been the first few holes.  In my last 36, I'm a total of +13 ... +12 on the front nine, and +1 on the back nine.

[Motley01 26]

Yes Yes Yes, I have this issue! I think it might be an age thing, gettin older now. By the end of the round I get really tired and my swing goes to the toilet.

My typical round goes like this:

First tee shot is great, smoke it down the middle. Second shot is horrible, fat or thin. This goes on for couple of holes.

The middle of the round everything starts clicking, few pars and even a birdie or two.

Then the last few holes I'm tired, and I'm lucky to get pars, usually on the bogey train on 16, 17 and 18.

Crazy godamn game.....

[boil3rmak3r 22]

And to answer the original question:  No.  My bad swings come randomly spaced throughout the round, with no discernable pattern, whatsoever.  Sometimes my first few holes are bad, sometimes the final holes are bad, and sometimes it's randomly in the middle.

That's pretty much my answer, too. I do believe it's really important to visualize the shot, have THE SAME pre-shot routine every time, and only take 1 swing thought to the course. If I get lackadaisical during my round with any of those, I'll tell via the results. For example, my waggle is nothing more than a reminder of the tempo I want to achieve with the swing. I pick up the club (representing the takeaway), waggle it back (representing the transition), and waggle it through (representing impact). I do those things to a certain tempo and it reminds me what tempo I want in the swing. If I get away from my waggle, I can get awfully quick with my backswing, which generally throws everything else off.

[RandallT 827]

The question is simple. I'm wondering how many people on here find that their swings start off sound at the beginning of their rounds only to have the swing deteriorate towards the middle and end?

This is my first season getting lessons, and I can definitely relate to this. I played my first round Sunday, and exactly what you describe happened. Front nine felt pretty good with some minor blips, but I felt comfortable. On the 10th hole, my body totally lost the feeling. I have had similar losses of the swing feel before during rounds, but I've been able to get through it and regain the feeling. This time, nothing. Poof. Swing vanished and I just gutted the round out. I'm thinking it just means I don't really have the swing ingrained yet , so I'll just keep plugging away with my lessons. I'm not too worried yet. I gotta do a few more hours of the fundamental drills at home, verify with range balls, and then get back out there on the course soon. And yes, on the course, it can't be mechanics. It's gotta be feel. Just play. Makes the drills and range work critical to the keys ingrained. Can't waste time on the range goofing off. But the course will be where we learn if we really have absorbed it all.

[MattM 21]

It totally sucks!  I'll be fine through a round until that first duck hook happens and then I'm magically thinking about the swing.  I wish I could just think about the target and that's it!

Randall, you are so correct!  It just vanishes.  You don't feel the same in the swing and it just makes you turn into a terrible player!  I hate it when that happens!

[Keith White 9]

I know your pain, and it doesn't help me that our course is harder on the back nine.  I have noticed that if a shot goes wrong, I have a bad habit of analysing and sometimes altering stuff slightly.  Probably a bad thing.  Try keeping the swing the same tempo and control as the early shots, I can start speeding up as the round goes on and it helps me to remember to keep it smooth and within myself, trust the clubs !

Our first tee is not a hard shot, so I swing easy with a 3 wood and just focus on not getting out the shot early, staying focussed on the impact and making a smooth easy swing through the back of the ball.  If I kept that way through the round I would do better and I know thats a weakness of mine.  Keep the focus, it's helping me to make good impacts from start to finish.

Hope that helps.

[Keith White 9]

Those are sound words, all too often I swing a nice tempo in the rehearsal then rush the real thing, and my body loses shape.  I am working really hard on focus, and ensuring that the shot is controlled at the same pace and balance as the warm up.

[Keith White 9]

That's pretty much my answer, too.

I do believe it's really important to visualize the shot, have THE SAME pre-shot routine every time, and only take 1 swing thought to the course. If I get lackadaisical during my round with any of those, I'll tell via the results.

For example, my waggle is nothing more than a reminder of the tempo I want to achieve with the swing. I pick up the club (representing the takeaway), waggle it back (representing the transition), and waggle it through (representing impact). I do those things to a certain tempo and it reminds me what tempo I want in the swing. If I get away from my waggle, I can get awfully quick with my backswing, which generally throws everything else off.

~~Those are sound words, all too often I swing a nice tempo in the rehearsal then rush the real thing, and my body loses shape. I am working really hard on focus, and ensuring that the shot is controlled at the same pace and balance as the warm up.  And not too many swing thoughts!!

[saevel25 1,368]

@Keith White , please use multi-quotes when you are answering more than one thing at a time. It keeps the forum cleaner. Also you can edit your posts if you think of something else. So with in a good amount of time you can come back and edit your post.

~~Those are sound words, all too often I swing a nice tempo in the rehearsal then rush the real thing, and my body loses shape. I am working really hard on focus, and ensuring that the shot is controlled at the same pace and balance as the warm up.  And not too many swing thoughts!!

Usually when a person loses their balance it's because of a faulty swing. Usually swinging easy is a mechanism to help minimize a bad swing.

[RandallT 827]

It totally sucks!  I'll be fine through a round until that first duck hook happens and then I'm magically thinking about the swing.  I wish I could just think about the target and that's it! Randall, you are so correct!  It just vanishes.  You don't feel the same in the swing and it just makes you turn into a terrible player!  I hate it when that happens!

For me, I somehow knew I had lost the feeling as I was taking my posture. I knew I needed to back off and collect myself. But being a dummy, I trusted my body to just magically get it right. My 10th tee shot ended up on the 18th fairway! From there I struggled feeling the correct motion in my body. I don't think it was a matter of being shaken by a wayward shot. Shots like that happen from time to time. I could literally feel that I'd forgotten the correct feel and I couldn't compose myself to get it back. It was still a fun round with fellow TST-ers actually, and we all had a great relaxed time. I'll think about how to refocus next time if I get that feeling again. I need a strategy to regain the fundamentals again.

[hacker101 22]

I don't think my swing deteriorates as I play, once I hit that first shot and we are off and running I am good.

What I do find is when it is really slow play and we have to wait more then a normal amount of time at each hole that is when bad things set in.

I don't know what to call it, other then I loose my mojo, tempo or focus, but slow play just kills my game. By the time I put in a full 18 that took 5 hours or more I am done swing went to shit.

[boogielicious 1,609]

For me it has to do with my body.  If I stiffen up during a round, my swing goes off.  When this happens, I try to loosen up while waiting. I also, try to slow things down to regain my form.  It is worse on days where you are waiting a lot on every shot.

[MikeRanaldo 1]

my swing usually takes a hole or two to fully get into the groove, and then i stay consistent throughout the round. but that just comes with practice and endurance. i have noticed that on super hot days, i get a little tired by the last couple holes. at that point i just don't swing as hard and club up if i have to

[MattM 21]

I wish I could get a damn camera on myself when I start to do that stuff just to see what is really going on in my swing. My friends don't really know what to look for, and usually says something stupid that's un helpful. Even though I can't feel it I think I may be sitting back in my swing somehow. Like not getting my weight transferred correctly in time. It's not that I wind up on my back foot because I never do, but I think I'm not transitioning as fast or something. It's just getting to the point of being frustrating. The next time it happens (if I don't get too pissed off and stop thinking) I'm going to try to go back to a super slow swing in my practice swings to try to find it again. I also think that it might be possible that I'm not holding the swing off into contact. Like sometimes I'll take a practice swing when I get into this situation and when I put the clubface back down it's closed again even though I regripped to not have it do that. I'm wondering if my right wrist gets tired and doesn't hold it's shape from my back swing? I know that's just a feel kind of but I think my right wrist is what keeps me from turning over the swing too much.....

[Hammer 4 51]

When I was playing 3 to 6 times a week long ago, right around the 13th, or 14th hole my swing went to hell, only cuz my back would start to hurt. One time it started acting up after the turn, So I payed 85.00 for 9 holes of golf..lol

[Vinsk 635]

Looks like we have a whole friggin club of this problem! Yeah, my swing just frustrates the hell outta me. Went out Wednesday and shot a 78 at a difficult course. Felt good with that (I'm an 8 hcp). Next day I hit 500 golfballs working mostly on wedges, pretty good session but struggling with my draws. Then comes Black Friday. I go play a nearby par three course and made an assclown of myself. Couldn't hit an iron to save my life. Maybe three good shots the whole round. So I leave and head to the course for some practice. Well...there was a slot for me to tee off and play 9 so I figured I'd relax and just play alone and work this out. First tee. Slice my drive. Chunk my second. Pitched up third and sank 12ft'er for par. Second tee (after deep breathing and focusing) topped my drive. Shanked my second. Bladed my 3rd. Yada yada. Next three holes pretty much played out similarly. Guys, what the hell!!!? I understand being a little off, but how am I so violently inconsistent? I practice so diligently. I just don't understand the magnitude of my inconsistency. I've been known to fire a 75 and literally shoot 90 the next day. My frustration is not because "I just couldn't make a putt" or "just couldn't knock it close today"....it's " I literally feel like I've never swung a club". I'm shanking, topping, blading it...swing feels the same but I look like someone who's never played! Does anyone else experience this? Criminey!! Help me guys!