My Swing (b101)

[b101]

A few more bits recently to update with:

1. Had my AimPoint class on Monday and it's hands down the most useful thing I've ever done as it's removed the guesswork from determining break meaning that I can now just trust my line and focus my attention on making a clean stroke. It really showed in my most recent round - see point 3.
2. Also had my SeeMore fitting and it showed that my current putter was very ill-suited to my game with a too-thin grip meaning that I lose control far too easily and the toe weighting causing me to fight the path all the way. There were also some practical tips that we worked on, such as the line coming back with the putter, trying not to hit and stopping myself from looking up. We eventually settled on a SeeMore PTM3 which yielded by far the best results, with a thick grip, 2 degree flat lie and a 34' shaft. All in all, the process was incredibly thorough and helped see where I was losing strokes.
3. Played my first ever links round at Rye and scored pretty well considering (+13, net +10 given SSS - our version of Slope). It took a long time to get accustomed to the approaches into the well-guarded and unreceptive greens. There were some great moments though - see below:

The Game Golf image doesn't quite do the drive justice - the best tee shot I have ever hit, so I figured I'd post my photo of just how narrow that fairway was. Both putts simply wouldn't have dropped without AimPoint, though - along with about four others, and it was definitely worth the two hour session!

Overall, I was happy with how I managed the course, notably the second shots, but I did struggle with the fade when the wind was off the left - thanks to Brian's analysis, I know what I need to do and will keep working on getting my arms lower and more inside on the downswing, but the video below pretty much shows how I need to manage my miss - it was a good 8 iron that rode the wind (off the left) a bit, but I ended up on the other side of the green having started it left of the putting surface. A good result, but it was a tough shot to manage consistently!

You can hear how much the wind was going (actually not that bad at this point compared to later in the round), but it's that downswing that we'll be working on over the next week or two when I get more range time! I did a bit more slo-mo work this evening and position stuff and definitely feel a bit different, which has to be a good thing!

[b101]

Bit more priority piece work (trying to feel like arms are going more into right pocket at the start of the downswing to allow me to attack the ball from the inside) this evening with slo-mo swings in front of the Irish Open, really focusing on the 5 S's having re-read that thread yesterday. The slow-motion stuff is starting to take hold, although it's really interesting how I've 'lost' where the ground is as a result. Quite happy actually, as it shows that a change is taking place. Haven't hit a single ball with it (just skimming the carpet) and will probably spend another half hour doing it this evening before hitting the range and the putting green tomorrow morning. Again, really pleased with everything Brian is doing with my swing and the reasons why

[b101]

Latest progress linked below, with a couple of new things happening. I posted this video on evolvr for some more feedback as I felt that whilst I was definitely making progress with the hand position and feelings, I wasn't seeing much different in the slow-mo shots. However, the ball flight is much straighter, with the occasional 5 yard draw thrown in (I could certainly get used to seeing that shot shape after years of fading/slicing...!) with the height better and contact much improved again. A Lowest Score Wins trueism, I know, but I've never been as aware of how poor a ballstriker I was before these lessons - each one improves things almost instantly.

Based on Brian's latest feedback, I need to focus a bit more on my right elbow folding in and trying to maintain the width in my backswing - both of which make total sense and seem completely obvious. I immediately noticed the horrible club angle at the top of the backswing but wouldn't have been sure how to correct it - this sorted it straight off and I'm already looking forward to getting to the range tomorrow to work on it more.

I also had the second instance of my driver fitting (after the first time round where the fitter told me to go away and work on my AoA ). H e first measured the current driver to find that the shaft was 46 inches, and the loft was 1 degree strong (9.5 up to 11.5). The shaft basically wasn't much use and for the whole fitting really we just played around with that. My jaw dropped when he gave me (no word of a lie) 30 yards immediately by changing the shaft out for one that was less whippy and dropped my spin massively. We played around a bit more and worked on the AoA, which isn't perfect yet, but settled on the same head (Callaway X2 Hot) with a Project X Black 6.5 shaft and a new grip. Altogether, I'm delighted as I've tried loads of heads out (we tinkered with the Mizuno 850 but I didn't get on so well with it) and the X2 Hot gives me loads of feedback and feels easiest to swing. We will re-evaluate in the summer once I've tried to push the numbers further, as he's given me a few more thoughts to work on, but I couldn't be more complimentary.

Numbers below - the variations in direction were due to really pushing the feel of hitting up trying to get to a positive AoA, which resulted in a few leaked and a few pulled... Obviously work needed before I hit the course with it, but it was great to see that the distance remained much better (and spin lower) even with the worse strikes.

N.B. White is current setup, yellow with new PX shaft, purple same shaft with the 850 head

Still need to keep working on the AoA, but this should help - 240 carry on poorer strikes is something I've been crying out for, and the smash factor numbers on the combo I've got is very nice

[b101]

Had another couple of range sessions in the last couple of days and a few things are starting to click - the only problem is that it doesn't take too much to turn a draw into a hook. After about an hour of really good progress today, I tried one drill that the guy gave me to work on with my driver (taking the right foot back so it's a massively closed stance to promote that in-to-out path. Really struggled to get anything back after that, although perhaps it was too extreme.

I'm finding that I really need to break down certain sections. First practice swing is to the top of the backswing - check that right elbow is no more than 45 degrees. Second is pump actions down from there - problem is that when doing that I tend to lower my head without noticing. Third is a slowed-down full practice swing feeling that arms are dropping straight down. Fourth is to hit the ball. It's been working ok, but I'm worried that I'm thinking about too much at once. My bad shots (bar the hooks) are a push/fade, with the good a pull/fade. I feel I can now hit the draw when I need to, but I have to be warmed up and in the groove. Off the first tee, I'd just have to set up for a hook and hope... dangerous.

[b101]

I plan to get a few videos done again later - work stuff has been pretty heavy recently so I haven't worked on it as much as I'd like. As Brian noted, my really bad shots come from poor head position (back to Key 1) which I really have to keep an eye on. I played 12 holes on Saturday evening and for the first time in ages topped two tee shots out of nowhere - admittedly straight out of the car. I found it interesting playing without the driver (it arrives back tomorrow) and found a few holes really tough as I was taking hybrid into a couple of par 4s rather than 6 iron... I picked it up later on and had a couple of really good holes, particularly a birdie on the 530 yard par 5 fourth which I hit in two after a couple of lovely 3 wood strikes. However, not having the driver really put pressure on my iron play, which faltered massively. I didn't hit anything lower than a 7 iron into a green and when I did I felt I really had to hit it. Short game was decent, even if putting is still my Achilles' heel.

So this afternoon, I'll focus on the width in the backswing and again monitor that right elbow angle. I'm starting to have more of a miss left than right when I really focus on things, which shows that it's working! After a decent range session, I can usually hit draws or fades on command, but it takes a bit of work to get there. It's really nice to see the ball holding its line more or even turning left a touch after so long seeing it go right.

[b101]

Rained in the end so no range videos, sadly. The driver came yesterday though so I took that for a spin. It'll take some getting used to as I basically now have to aim down the right and yank it back into the middle of the fairway. I couldn't believe it wouldn't fade so I missed a couple of fairways early on by hooking it a bit when aiming left - the weighting will take a fair bit of getting used to! However, when it hit, it was massive - one 326 yard hit which I did manage to get a video of. The right elbow that Brian's been mentioning is definitely in evidence, and I know I need to keep working on that before it shows in the full swing. The club looks pretty on-plane though and the fact that I can now get a slight draw is definitely progress.

[b101]

Spent a bit more time yesterday working on the driving and putting and played nine holes in the midst of that. The putting is certainly improving, although pretty much all of my practice has been on stroke rather than anything else. Ultimately, I'll be working on read and speed as well, but there's no point in doing any of that if I'm still compensating for the poor roll. The main thing has been sorting out my shoulders into feeling a more straight up and down motion with my right shoulder and then fighting that urge to look at the ball. I still tend to pull it a touch, but having sorted out my alignment, I think that'll just be getting my head around not needing to cut it into the hole. At the start of the session I was struggling to hole four footers, but managed to get up to about 25% on ten-footers by the end (admittedly a skewed stat as it was always a very similar ten-footer, but pretty happy.

As for the driving, it was just a case of having a session to get used to the different weight of the new shaft. I was trying out the drill the guy who fitted me gave me of having an alignment stick in the ground and attempting to draw it around that to really drill the feeling of in-to-out and an upward strike. This, combined with Brian's tips about keeping the right elbow at 90 degrees max (basically a slightly shorter backswing) meant that things really improved over the half-hour. The problem remains that the bad strikes are still REALLY bad (think horror slice when you're expecting a slight draw) and I can still see me being tempted to over-hit it.

As for the round; that went pretty well, actually. +3 for nine holes is great round Hindhead - mostly due to my bad shots not being that bad. There's room for improvement still, and a couple of mishit iron shots were the cause of the few bogeys - For example, the horror 8 iron knockdown on the first that I've never really practised (added to the to-do list), slight push with the 7 iron on the tough 3rd hole and another poor 8 iron knockdown on the 6th. There were some other good shots though, and I really liked that I can now visualise (and mostly perform) a decent draw, which has really helped how I see the course. The 5th was a great example, with a 3 iron drawing slightly round the corner before the 9 iron just over-drawing to a safe portion just off the putting surface. Without that shape, I'd have been facing a nightmare fade over a bunker to a pin tucked left on a plateau. More practice this week, but definitely seeing improvements

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/414354

[bm85]

Just wanted to say looks like things are going well. 326 on the fairway is a monster drive. I would just be:

I might be mistaken, but looks like you are playing from the whites? Time to go Black tees with those hits.

[b101]

Just wanted to say looks like things are going well. 326 on the fairway is a monster drive. I would just be:

I might be mistaken, but looks like you are playing from the whites? Time to go Black tees with those hits.

Thanks! Whites are the limit on my course, which is 6400 from the whites, so not a total pushover. I am getting there with the driver, but there's a few weird misses in there still that I'll be looking to sort - I'll be getting in some solid range and course time this week so will post here (and to evolvr) when I do.

[b101]

Probably had the two most polarising rounds of my life in the last few days - on Tuesday I shot a 95 losing 10 penalty shots with the driver, which suddenly developed a massive slice - that then crept into irons, then everything else. Add to that the fact that I just couldn't catch a break with one par three tee shot being only slightly long, taking a massive bounce and embedding itself in a wall of heather, a putt hitting the back of the cup and bouncing out etc. I didn't deserve much from the way I played, but it was hard to take...

Fast-forward to today and I put together my best-ever ball striking round. Half an hour on the range beforehand made that slice go away (in fact, it never surfaced at all...) and I really worked on having just one swing thought that Brian had mentioned - wide takeaway. Anyway, here are some crucial stats:

Overall score - 6 over (6 under handicap)

Fairways - 31% (with five of the misses only just off)

GIR - 50%, (another three NGIR)

Putts - 31

Birdies - 3

Bogeys - 7

Doubles - 1

Average with Driver: 278 yards, with the four best at 324, 310, 307 and 293)

Game Golf: http://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/435708

Clearly there was a massive difference, but the main thing was actually having a second shot. Obviously you can't do much from the rough, but when I was in, I was rarely a long way from the fairway. There were a few things to improve - I had a weird hook with the irons, which I rescued on 15 for a birdie after an awesome pitch, but lost me a shot on 9 and 10 along with two on 17. There were a few poor course management issues as well - notably trying to draw a wedge (!) on 11, whe re I did very well to get up and down. Mostly though, the irons were really good and the swing thought led to a number of towering long iron shots that I just haven't had before. All in all, pretty happy!

As for the swing, these videos were taken between the two rounds, but figured it was worth showing:

[b101]

Did a bit more work on the full swing today in the nets but nothing much new to report there - just more slow swings and reps really. When I do the slow work, it definitely feeds into the full swing but probably only lasts for about ten swings before the old habits creep back in again - I also feel like I have a lot of different thoughts currently, but usually I work out which one works on that given day pretty quickly.

The most interesting thing today was looking at my putting with a mirror behind me. I have some two-tone balls that are great for determining how straight the stroke is and for the majority of the week, I've really struggled with this. Immediately though the mirror threw up that I'd really closed my shoulders (something I'd been told to do in a previous putting lesson). Tried without that and it's immediately so much easier with pretty much every one rolling on line and perfectly end over end. The other major issue is taking the 'hit' out of the putt. Easy to do on the carpet with no target, far harder on the course for me. Will keep working on it, but definitely progress this evening

[b101]

So today brought that exciting evolvr email and Brian's latest analysis. More of the same focus really in how my arms work during the swing. As ever, really well explained and there were some really clear pointers as to why we're doing what we're doing. The basic gist of the lesson was to start the arms working higher at the start of the backswing so that the right elbow doesn't end up collapsing outwards so much at the top. I love having a specific, track-able drill as well and so the idea of having a glove under the right armpit and aiming to let it fall out was a really good one for me.

First attempt at this below - not massively successful in terms of the way it looks - right elbow definitely still flaring out, but it definitely felt different and even the minor change yielded better contact. As always, it's great to have the video feedback to know that what I'm doing still isn't really close to where I need to be.

Having looked at the video, I snuck out again for a second attempt and really focused on that right elbow, tucking it in a bit more whilst aiming to drop the glove (or nearly drop it). The result was some of the best repetitive strikes I've ever had - although the swings on the video aren't the best (I only had my phone which records 30 seconds using V1 meaning I had to rush the swings quite a bit rather than preparing as much as I would normally - annoyingly it meant the only swing I caught had the elbow way out, but you can see the plane is better, at least!).

The plan is to keep working on this as much as possible over the next few days or so (off on holiday in a week), as I've rarely had this big of a smile on my face during a drill. I think I hit dead centre of the face about 7 times in a row in the middle of the second session, which is way more than ever. That won't last, for sure, but it's clearly the right thing to be working on. Have to say, Brian is constantly impressing me with the analyses I'm getting back... Onwards and upwards!

[shakogolfer78]

Hey Ben.  Swing is looking pretty good.  I just got a Game Golf and followed you.  How are you liking your Evolvr subscription?  I am thinking about getting this to improve me swing this summer.

[b101]

Hey Ben.  Swing is looking pretty good.  I just got a Game Golf and followed you.  How are you liking your Evolvr subscription?  I am thinking about getting this to improve me swing this summer.

Thanks for the post and good to hear you've joined the Game Golf club! Have to say, it's made course management easier and less avoidable - it's hard not to notice when you're making stupid mistakes. I'm about to post about my latest round which was my course management at its best, and I thank Game Golf, AimPoint and Lowest Score Wins (which I'd also thoroughly recommend) for that.

As for evolvr, I can't say enough good things about it. Brian, my instructor, is really thorough and I get back a video about 2/3 days after I post it. So far, I've had five analyses (three proper changes and a couple of responses to me posting a video for checking)  and the best thing I can say for the process is that every time, it's been what I needed to hear. Having had a number of lessons with a couple of PGA pros. this is far more useful, as you can re-watch it, the evidence (in the form of the annotations) is overwhelming and clearly presented and once you have the confidence that it's the right thing for you to do, you'll really trust it. On top of that, it's much cheaper. Chances are that you've already seen, but there's a sample analysis here: http://evolvr.thegolfevolution.com/sample_analysis . My four have been:

1. Key 1 - Steady Head. Really focused on feeling the head going up and back during the downswing. This massively sorted out my Angle of Attack issues (previously about -7 degrees, even with driver) and improved contact
2. Key 4 - Diagonal sweetspot path. Aim was to feel like the arms started the downswing and moved more down than out. Contact improved immediately, but I found it hard to check my progress with this. Definitely helped the swing though.
3. Key 4 - Diagonal sweetspot path. Second idea was to notice the right elbow flaring out in the backswing, which is what we're currently working on. Between this and the previous analysis, I can now draw the ball, which was previously impossible, and the slice has completely gone. I do now play a slight fade, but that's fine for the moment!

Yeah, in short - do it! You won't regret it.

[b101]

I managed 11 holes today before the back started complaining - given that I've got 18 holes tomorrow and Monday, I figured it wasn't worth killing myself and the swing was starting to go downhill a bit over the last few holes. However, I had my most successful round in ages (+2 through 11) and it was pretty much down to the few things I've really worked on - decision-making, putting and pitching. Sure, it helped that there were no major misses in there due to my work on the full swing, but it was evident that those three things made the difference. There were though a few holes where I was swinging really well and got what I deserved . I won't go through all of the holes, but have cherry-picked a few that I think are good to learn from.

Hole 1 - Par 4 - 413 yards - SI 11

It's a really good opening hole which gives you a friendly fairway to hit, but has a sting if you miss with heather short, left and right. Before the tee shot, I really visualised what I wanted to do, made a couple of short practice swings with the feeling of hitting out on the ball, then picked a tiny target in the distance and on the ground relative to that. An excellent drive followed, but it was the first time in ages that I'd really concentrated that much on one shot. I was left with 73 yards to the front of the green, into a slight wind. My closest partial wedge is 79 yards (a 3/4 gap wedge), so I gripped down a little, aimed slightly left of the pin, knowing that I tend to slightly push my knockdown shots. The hole was a little further back than I anticipated, but another spell of good concentration - a proper AimPoint read (15 foot, breaking 2% to the left) and a good roll - focused on simply moving the shoulders rather than hitting and not looking up once I'd made contact. I ended with a really nice birdie, feeling that I'd earned it with three good shots.

5th Hole - Par 4 - 388 yards - SI 5

Ok, so I actually made bogey on this hole, but I still think it's worth showing, as I've had it much worse. The tee shot and approach are both horribly tough, although it's hard to really see from the video (the white tees are right at the top of the steps). As a result, you have to hit a 200-250 yard draw off the tee as one tree means you can't really fade it. However, I decided to change things this time, going back a club length from the right tee marker - I could then hit just to the right of the tree with a little fade. I overcut it a bit, but because of having the extra space to the right, it comfortably found the centre of the fairway. I've hit the draw before, but it's 60/40 at best, whereas this was about as bad as it could be aside from a total mishit.

I was between an 8 and a 9 for the approach and chose the latter as over the back of the green is death with a massive drop off to heavy rough and the green sloping back to front. I caught the shot a little fat so although it was dead on line, it came up about 20 yards short. There was then a choice of wedge/putt/hybrid putt. I back myself with the wedge, but having mishit the last one, I went with the putt, but left it short. The hybrid putt is a shot I like - my friend is very good at it - but I just don't have it dialed in yet. The second one from 10 foot just lipped out, so there was every chance of saving par. Given that I didn't hit one good shot, that would have been a fantastic result on a very tough hole.

Hole 7 - Par 4 - 410 yards - SI 1

Another hole with tough first and second shots. Much like with the first hole, I took my time preparing for the tee shot. The major bite with this hole is that you can't be too far offline with your first shot - due to the valley, you can be slightly off and still find the fairway. So, I hit the driver a little less and started it off the left - I pushed it about 20 yards right, but it was still absolutely fine. With 130 in, the obvious shot was a wedge. The downside to the valley holes is that you never have an even footing, with this shot slightly below my feet. Again, with the push likely, I aimed for just inside the left edge of the green. It actually went dead straight, leaving me pin high with a 15 foot putt. Again, another AimPoint read - 2% slope on a very fast green - was spot on and the ball unfortunately bounced back up off the back centre of the cup. Unlucky, but I'll take a par here every time, and that one had relatively little danger. The obvious question is how often I could re-create that tee shot, but I really don't think it's outside of my comfort zone. It's when I really try to go at it that the danger of a slice/pull comes into play - swinging that 10% easier eliminates that, for the most part.

Hope that helps - I always like going through what I've done and analysing it, so this seemed a good way to go. The full round is here (http://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/451193) but it's pretty much summed up by 86%% fairways (7/8 - only miss being a 321 yard shot that stayed left on the 11th, missing the fairway by 4 yards) and 55% (6/11) GIR. Breaking down the putting a bit more, I had no three putts (I count the 5th as one approach shot and two putts, rather than three putts), made 2 from 10-15 feet and burned the edges or just overhit 3 others from 10 feet that would have otherwise dropped.

So, to work on:

• Low Iron shots - my sensible decisions and good driving served to disguise some pretty poor iron play. This was (I think) partly due to my back pain, but contact wasn't great and there were some over-cutting as well. Scoring irons are ok, but 3-6 iron need work from the floor.
• Putting (speed) - I can now start it on the right line, my reads are good and I am no longer putting cut spin on putts, but my pace control still needs work - particularly on down-slopes.
• Hybrid putt/Putting from off the green - I want to hit this shot, but I haven't practised it at all. I'll find a quiet time on the course at some point and have a go.

[Lihu]

I managed 11 holes today before the back started complaining - given that I've got 18 holes tomorrow and Monday,

In what manner did your back start complaining? Was it from golf or some other injury?

[b101]

In what manner did your back start complaining? Was it from golf or some other injury?

Lots of golf, aggravated by football a few weeks back and just needs some stretching before and after. Today, I forgot to do it before and had too much stuff in the bag, so it was pretty inevitable, looking back at it. Have done the stretches now and all fine again. I've got three more rounds until holiday for three weeks when it'll get a good rest. Never had anything like it before, and I'm pretty sure it'll go away - most repetitive injuries I've had in the past tend to with a bit of a break.

[b101]

A couple of days of ups and downs... Played again yesterday and had some really good hits with the driver which saved the round. Couldn't buy a decent iron shot but being able to hit Driver - Wedge into most holes really helped with that. Finished with a +13 on a tough course that isn't my home track, which I'm pretty pleased with given that I didn't really putt well either.

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/453291

Hit the range this morning with a friend who's looking at some new clubs and had an ok time of it - mostly spent the time working on wedge yardages rather than the full swing. Then had the stupid idea of hitting in a net this afternoon - tiredness plus heat plus bad back plus modifying my swing led to shank after shank... just hideous. I've had it before and it only ever occurs in the nets; it'll be gone by the morning. Will try to work on the swing again tomorrow morning. Ho hum...