My Swing (AbsoluteTruths)

[AbsoluteTruths]

I filled my head with "shift your weight forward on the downswing".

[AbsoluteTruths]

Recently when hitting balls into my net I have been feeling pressure on pressure point #3. It feels weird. Is this a good thing?

[iacas]

@iacas and @mvmac Have you seen my analysis from Brian? I sounds like you are telling me I did not understand what he was telling me. It also sounds like you are telling me that I did not experience what I experienced during my practice round.

Maybe "fill my head" is the wrong phrase to use. But my problem as I stated above was not having swing thoughts when a ball was in front of me.

@iacas my response was directed to you because I am talking to you.

I haven't seen it, no. If you'd like to direct me to a specific one, PM me the URL.

"Fill my head" implies a lot of stuff, not just one simple clear thought.

No, I haven't seen any of Brian's analyses and I'm not questioning your experience. I was just backing up the thinking that golfers should have one swing thought/feel when they play and not "fill" their heads with swing thoughts. "Fill your head" to me means juggling 4 or 5 feels at once.

Yes.

[AbsoluteTruths]

Been going out on my local course and practicing on the course for the last few weeks. The only thing it seems to be helping right now is my short game.

Here is a video of a pitch. The technique is a hybrid between something I have been doing lately and something I learned from the free short game e-book Chuck Evans just sent out. I am concentrating on keeping the left arm straight and weight on the front foot and using the right a lot for power. 

 

[iacas]

Been going out on my local course and practicing on the course for the last few weeks. The only thing it seems to be helping right now is my short game.

Here is a video of a pitch. The technique is a hybrid between something I have been doing lately and something I learned from the free short game e-book Chuck Evans just sent out. I am concentrating on keeping the left arm straight and weight on the front foot and using the right a lot for power. 

Looks good… I'd call that a chip. That's using the leading edge more, you're holding the wrist angles, etc. We define "pitching" a bit differently here. Chuck tends to call "chipping" a shorter full swing, "pitching" a medium full swing, and so on.

[AbsoluteTruths]

Looks good… I'd call that a chip. That's using the leading edge more, you're holding the wrist angles, etc. We define "pitching" a bit differently here. Chuck tends to call "chipping" a shorter full swing, "pitching" a medium full swing, and so on.

I see that I am maintaining wrist angle and have a little forward shaft lean at impact. Is this way you say I am using the leading edge? I understand that forward shaft lean uses the leading edge, vertical shaft uses the bounce, and a little rearward lean would only be used by some specialty shots like the flop in a good lie. Is this correct?

I am using this kind of swing in all my shots within close proximity to the green because I have yet to get the timing down that I need to add the wrists. I tend to flip the club when I try that.

[iacas]

I am using this kind of swing in all my shots within close proximity to the green because I have yet to get the timing down that I need to add the wrists. I tend to flip the club when I try that.

It was just a point of terminology. I wouldn't call that "pitching" and if you say "pitching" on this site people think of something different than that. Chuck calls a medium-length full-swing-mechanics swing "pitching" (basic, acquired, etc. from TGM).

The pitching techniques we talk about here on the site are not "timing" based and don't really use the "wrists" like you seem to think.

[AbsoluteTruths]

I have canceled my Evolvr account. Not because there is anything wrong with it or my coach Brian. I am going to see Chuck Waltz who is a 5SK instructor here in Orlando. I believe one on one instruction will help me more.

[AbsoluteTruths]

Shot a 94 this morning. Felt real good. Kept my drives in the fairway. Short game and putting were also good. 

I had four pars and the rest were bogies except for three of the par 5s. I triple bogied them.

Flighting my wedges helped my short game and my last lesson from Brian helped my driving. 
I asked Brian to help with my driving. He noticed three things. I was teeing the ball too low, the club face was open. and I was hitting the ball on heel area of the club this was causing a gear effect and contributing to my slices. He told me to think of rolling my left hand down on the down swing and that helped.

In the middle of the round I powdered the face of the driver and saw I was still hitting the ball on the inside but with some other things cleaned up this was causing a fade into the fairway and not the trees. Here is a picture of the face.

 

[AbsoluteTruths]

Going back over my game yesterday It was three of the four par 5s where I had my problems.I pared the shortest one. Two of them have big lakes running along the right side of the fairways. So I took a conservative drive and aimed left to stay away from the water. also even when I connected with the driver good I was only getting about 195-205 yards.

So I think the problem was the lack of distance and mental. I would hit a short drive and then seeing how far I still was from the green try and make up the distance with my 3H. This resulted in slices, poor contact, and not much distance.

I was doing well with the mental game all day just concentrating on the ball and striking it well and not about the results. Looks like I did not do so well with this on those par fives. I am happy with my score and looking forward to playing again next Monday.

[AbsoluteTruths]

My handicap went down from 28 to 27.2. I have moved from the low 100s to the high 90s. Going to play Monday. I am planning on using the good strategy I did on my last round. I just need to get the long par 5 thoughts under control.

[AbsoluteTruths]

Shot a 100 today at Cleveland Heights Golf Course. Kept my drives in the fairway. Had some problems with the short game and overestimating the distance my approach shot irons would go.

I have started to hit low flying wedge shots into the green instead of the high flying full wedges I used to do with varying success. I just have not got these partial wedges distances dialed in yet. 

But had fun with my best friend.

[chspeed]

On 11/15/2015, 8:23:16, AbsoluteTruths said:

My handicap went down from 28 to 27.2. I have moved from the low 100s to the high 90s. Going to play Monday. I am planning on using the good strategy I did on my last round. I just need to get the long par 5 thoughts under control.

Hi,

I just read through your posts and saw your videos.

Do you play any other sports other than golf? Are there any sports you played as a kid that feel really natural? Throwing a baseball? Hitting a tennis ball? If it's a baseball, remember the rhythm of repeatably throwing a baseball? It becomes a smooth, relaxed movement. Your muscles fire at the right time, not before,  not after.

I think you've been getting excellent golf instruction (I also have Brian as an Evolvr coach, and as you mention, he's great and very insightful), but looking at the videos you post, I think you can use a bit more of that athletic feeling from whatever sport you played as a kid.

The instructors here correctly identify slow, specific swings to ingrain a new feeling. However, sometimes when I start feeling like I'm focusing on mechanics too much, and can barely hit the ball, I loosen myself up and let myself swing smoothly and hard for a little while, feeling more athletic and free. I then go back to slower, more specific swings, and find that I can make better progress.

Anyway, apologize for the long post. Keep working at it, and I'm sure you'll keep improving.

Edited November 17, 2015 by chspeed

[AbsoluteTruths]

16 hours ago, chspeed said:

Hi,

I just read through your posts and saw your videos.

Do you play any other sports other than golf? Are there any sports you played as a kid that feel really natural? Throwing a baseball? Hitting a tennis ball? If it's a baseball, remember the rhythm of repeatably throwing a baseball? It becomes a smooth, relaxed movement. Your muscles fire at the right time, not before,  not after.

I think you've been getting excellent golf instruction (I also have Brian as an Evolvr coach, and as you mention, he's great and very insightful), but looking at the videos you post, I think you can use a bit more of that athletic feeling from whatever sport you played as a kid.

The instructors here correctly identify slow, specific swings to ingrain a new feeling. However, sometimes when I start feeling like I'm focusing on mechanics too much, and can barely hit the ball, I loosen myself up and let myself swing smoothly and hard for a little while, feeling more athletic and free. I then go back to slower, more specific swings, and find that I can make better progress.

Anyway, apologize for the long post. Keep working at it, and I'm sure you'll keep improving.

Thanks for your reply. I have been asked by every golf instructor I have ever had if  played baseball. I could tell they hoped I did as you do. But no I have not. 

My sport was bowling. I was very good carrying a 230 average at one point. But I had that same smooth relaxed feeling you speak of in my bowling swing. It was not something I had to think about like walking.

I do not know if you saw in my thread that I have stopped Evolvr for now and am going to see a local 5SK coach named Chuck Waltz. I have yet to meet with him but will soon and I see potential in my self for better golf to come.

[AbsoluteTruths]

Still not transferring my weight.

 

Edited November 24, 2015 by mvmac
Video

[mvmac]

@AbsoluteTruths, for the videos, just past the url and hit return.

It's worked great for me the past few weeks.

 

[iacas]

11 hours ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

Still not transferring my weight.

I think the bigger issue is the same thing that's always been the bigger issue: you don't turn much. You just lift and bend your arms with little body rotation:

[chspeed]

43 minutes ago, iacas said:

I think the bigger issue is the same thing that's always been the bigger issue: you don't turn much. You just lift and bend your arms with little body rotation:

Yes - your hips look like they're almost locked in place. Check out Rory at the top, he's completely turned his hips back so that he can get those shoulders to turn way over 90 degrees.