Get it back swing thoughts please people.

[Keith White]

After a summer of ripping the dog down the middle it's all going wrong.  Sadly this has led to standing on the tee looking for the magic thought in the warm up to return the straight missiles, with rather mixed results !!

I had some success with an old Butch Harmon DVD where he preached a slow start to the takeaway with a little wrist hinge at the start, works to a point for me and probably the best idea to date, at least some are headed to the fairway again !!

So come on golf buddies, give me your best big dog thought, prep, mantra, whispered word etc.

What's gets you on the money, what's the magic reminder that puts you back on track ??

[Hardballs]

Here's what works for me! Keep your head at address position until you physically cannot leave it there anymore! I mean by that, look at the spot the ball was until your through swing is shoulder height! Also, slow back swing, and I mean sllooowwww! And finally, lead the downswing with the thighs and hips, do NOT start the downswing with the arms or shoulders! These 3 swing thoughts are what has made my driving very consistent!

[Shorty]

You are talking about hitting the driver, right?

[Keith White]

You are talking about hitting the driver, right?

Yep :-)

[Keith White]

Here's what works for me!

Keep your head at address position until you physically cannot leave it there anymore!

I mean by that, look at the spot the ball was until your through swing is shoulder height!

Also, slow back swing, and I mean sllooowwww!

And finally, lead the downswing with the thighs and hips, do NOT start the downswing with the arms or shoulders!

These 3 swing thoughts are what has made my driving very consistent!

I like it hardballs, reminds me that the still head used to play a vital part, thank you !

[Slice of Life]

My best drives seem to happen when my swing thought is "I wonder what's for dinner tonight..."

[Keith White]

My best drives seem to happen when my swing thought is "I wonder what's for dinner tonight..."

Love it.

[Hardballs]

Yeah, when my driving goes off the boil, it's always one of the 3 reasons mentioned above, I quickly realise which one it is, sort it out, then get back to the more serious thinking about what's for dinner that evening!

[Keith White]

Yeah, when my driving goes off the boil, it's always one of the 3 reasons mentioned above, I quickly realise which one it is, sort it out, then get back to the more serious thinking about what's for dinner that evening!

Evening dinner, thankfully with your advice I may be able to get my mind back on life's more important things.........

[brice]

I stare at the dimple I want to hit on the ball like its asking me for money

[Keith White]

I stare at the dimple I want to hit on the ball like its asking me for money

Damm dimple - go get a job and quit botherin me !

[jajwrigh]

Don't over think it....grip and rip!

[mvmac]

What's gets you on the money, what's the magic reminder that puts you back on track ??

[Patch]

So at one point you were all dialed in, and ripping stuff down the middle. Now you are not. I think you need to ask yourself what you changed in your swing that caused the drop off.

Perhaps you read something, or were told something that you thought  might give you a few more yards, or some other kind of  help. You tried, it may have worked for a while, and then it didn't. You then tried something else, which did not work. All it did was get you farther from your good swing, and mired you deeper into your own swing grief. This has happened to me in the past. It goes back to "if it ain't broke, don't screw with it"  thought process.

What I did to get back on track was to put the club(s) a way for a while and/or  take a break from the game. If it was just my driver I couldn't swing correctly, I left that critter at home, while just using my 3 & 5 woods. I figured I still had my good swing in me, and that it would eventually return as long as I did not mess with it. It always did. Most of the time I had messed up the  timing/rhythym in my swing. Other times it was an alignment issue. Another helpful factor I used was the copious notes I had taken previously on my good swing. When trouble popped up, I was able to refer back to them for additional help.

I remember watching the movie "Tin Cup" where the guy would say "dollar bills" during his swing. It was "dollar" in the back swing, and bills" in the down swing. I always like that saying, and adopted it.

If I were you I would just relax, think of the your own basics, and swing the club a little slower, in a more balanced manner. The ball may not go as far at first, but I would guess it would be more accurate, and the distance would eventually show up later. You just need to remember you had your good swing before you were side tracked.

[inthehole]

my best (and longest) drives are always when I swing easy - I focus on TEMPO - smooth backswing, and similar paced downswing.     Nothing good ever happens when I speed up or overswing ... think tempo on the backswing and downswing

[ghalfaire]

To some extent we all have to find our own way on how to think on the course.  But I think it is universal to say mechanical thoughts and negative thoughts on the course are counter productive.  Seems as if I play the best when I don't have any mechanical swing thoughts and don't have any "don't go left/right/short/long, ect. thoughts".  I do think on the course and pick targets and make sure before I move the club my set up in correct.  But for me my only swing thought is getting the first foot of club movement correct and after that I don't really have any mechanical thoughts at all.

Also, and this isn't original from me, you need to confine some part of your practice "just hitting the ball and watching where it goes" and not controlling the swing.  I know some part of practice has to be focused on correcting mechanics and therefor having mechanical thoughts like keep the left arm straight, keep the face square, start down with the legs, ect.  But if you never practice "trust my swing" you won't be able to do it on course either.