Is consistency a mindset or a muscle memory thing?

[mvmac]

But just thinking "Strike the ball solidly" is not enough for me to strike the ball solidly. There has to be some underlying move under my conscious control that I am missing.

It's the same kind of thing with "head still" or as we prefer "steady head". Steady head isn't a swing thought, the swing thought is specific to the player on HOW they need to move or what the need to feel in order to keep their head steady.

"Still" tends to describe a head that is locked in place and unmoving. The head will rotate, steady is mostly concerned with limiting side to side movement.

[rkim291968]

I'd like to believe it is more of a mindset but in my heart, I know it is practice, practice, practice until you can swing consistently well without thinking about it.

[vangator]

OK, this is getting at what I was asking, what is your "swing checklist"? I feel like the more I learn about my swing, the more I have to think about and the easier it is to forget one, that is what I meant by "mindset,"  focus on a list of things to do carefully. Plus I have no idea what fundamental thing I can do to eliminate fat shots and thin shots. Eliminating slices was easy in comparison. Getting the club head square was easy in comparison. Keeping my head still, on all of these I could focus on some concrete action that led to the result I wanted. I am not saying I don't still screw up on each of those areas, but if I fully concentrate on the right thoughts, they don't usually happen. But just thinking "Strike the ball solidly" is not enough for me to strike the ball solidly. There has to be some underlying move under my conscious control that I am missing.

The most I try to do is 2 swing thoughts actually. Instead of saying "one" on the backswing and "two" on the downswing for tempo, I might substitute a swing thought for each. I have done "shoulder" and "knee". Shoulder for my right shoulder and knee for bumping my left knee on the downswing. Right now I'm doing "head" and "pause" for keeping my head still and pausing right before I start my downswing so I don't over swing. Unfortunately, I still have problems with my weight shift so I might have to work a third (and fourth) swing thought in there since I still have problems consistently shifting my weight. So I'll go "head", "pause", "knee", "extend" cha cha cha next time. :-)

[gregsandiego]

I'm one of those that if don't practice say for a week, it takes me much longer than normal to get in my groove, I say for me, because, I don't hit the ball very far, I try my best to get longer, and more accurate. I can see the results, I'm now hitting a much higher percentage of good shots vs bad shots that I was even 2 months ago.

Also, when I play, if I don't get to hit any balls, more often I don't play as well, especially when it's not warm outside..

Same here. And it bugs the hell out of me. I can skip a week, then at the range burn through the first 20 balls hitting them thin or weak. Then it slowly comes back.

I have friends that can skip months, take there setup and hit it solid.  That's what I call muscle memory. Wish I could get to that point.

[isukgolf]

Giving that muscle has no capacity for memory, I am going with practice and a mindset ... I have become a believer in the five "S"s of practice ...

[No Mulligans]

Giving that muscle has no capacity for memory, I am going with practice and a mindset ...

I have become a believer in the five "S"s of practice ...

"Muscle memory" is a figure of speech.  Perhaps you're taking it too literally.

[isukgolf]

"Muscle memory" is a figure of speech.  Perhaps you're taking it too literally.

Thanks ... I understand its a figure of speech ... unfortunately one can not convey tone well in this form of communication ... it was said light hearted and not a dig on anyone. cheers :beer:

[shanksalot]

During my 50's and early 60's I played 3-6 times a week and hit balls every day at the range or my house where I had enough room to hit up to a fairway wood. I dropped my handicap down to 5-8 OGA until I had a small stroke that got rid of all that work. I had to start all over again with my swing. But due to the problem from the stroke I could not retain my swing from day to day. At times during a round I could not take the club back because I was just dumbfounded about how to take it back. I would just freeze over the ball for a bit. Sometimes I would back off and retry and sometimes I just gave up and swung usually with bad results. Some ten years later and I still have most of the problems. My swing does not stay with me today from shot to shot much less hole to hole. For some reason muscle memory does not work full time for me and even if I take lessons again I can not retain what I have learned through them or through repetition. So the long answer to the question for me was repetition when I was healthy. Getting old is a b1tch but it beats the alternative.

[shanksalot]

Giving that muscle has no capacity for memory, I am going with practice and a mindset ...

I have become a believer in the five "S"s of practice ...

You are correct what you are doing with constant practice is programming your brain to send those impulses to the body to initiate the swing. If you practice the wrong things you will continue to make bad shots no matter what you do, but if you have a basically good swing it will be ingrained in your brain.So practice will help give you a repeatable swing but in order to play well under pressure you also need to play under pressure to allow your mind to repeat good quality swings in pressure situations.So from that standpoint it does become practice and mindset. Just my humble opinion.

[gregsandiego]

Giving that muscle has no capacity for memory, I am going with practice and a mindset ...

I have become a believer in the five "S"s of practice ...

Not sure I completely agree. The muscles may have no memory per se, but think of some things we learn to do subconsciously. Driving a car with a stick shift come to mind. We don't need to think about where the hands and feet go in that situation.

Not sure it pertains to golf though. Learning to drive was much easier !

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by isukgolf

Giving that muscle has no capacity for memory, I am going with practice and a mindset ...

I have become a believer in the five "S"s of practice ...

Not sure I completely agree. The muscles may have no memory per se, but think of some things we learn to do subconsciously. Driving a car with a stick shift come to mind. We don't need to think about where the hands and feet go in that situation.

Not sure it pertains to golf though. Learning to drive was much easier !

It's still the brain that is in control, not the muscles.  The neurons and synapses which activate those muscles are what are being trained (if this is not technically correct, don't castigate me, I'm not a neurologist ).

[Mr. Desmond]

Same here. And it bugs the hell out of me. I can skip a week, then at the range burn through the first 20 balls hitting them thin or weak. Then it slowly comes back.

I have friends that can skip months, take there setup and hit it solid.  That's what I call muscle memory. Wish I could get to that point.

I think muscle memory is an easy way of saying that your mind is subconsciously "telling" your body/muscles what to do. It's all in your head, whether your muscles can perform what the subconscious directs is up to your physical prowess/flexibility/strength/confidence.

[gregsandiego]

I think muscle memory is an easy way of saying that your mind is subconsciously "telling" your body/muscles what to do. It's all in your head, whether your muscles can perform what the subconscious directs is up to your physical prowess/flexibility/strength/confidence.

Agreed. I'm not caught up in taking the term "muscle memory" literally. It doesn't matter anyway it's the result that counts.

[Mr. Desmond]

Agreed. I'm not caught up in taking the term "muscle memory" literally. It doesn't matter anyway it's the result that counts.

Then for the first 20 balls, make them chips, quarter pitches and work up from there with tempo and then full swings. Let your body and mind build familiarity and confidence.  That's what I see pros do on the range. They don't start banging full irons first thing at the range.

Or if your mind needs more work on "telling" your muscles what to do, get a kid's club and practice the swing inside your house without a ball, of course.

[gregsandiego]

Then for the first 20 balls, make them chips, quarter pitches and work up from there with tempo and then full swings. Let your body and mind build familiarity and confidence.  That's what I see pros do on the range. They don't start banging full irons first thing at the range.

Or if your mind needs more work on "telling" your muscles what to do, get a kid's club and practice the swing inside your house without a ball, of course.

Thanks Mr. Desmond. I'll give that a try...

[M2R]

...

At times during a round I could not take the club back because I was just dumbfounded about how to take it back. I would just freeze over the ball for a bit. Sometimes I would back off and retry and sometimes I just gave up and swung usually with bad results.

...

Well that is really too bad and I feel for your plight in this. The only thing I have ever found that helped me in this situation is, and I wish I could cite a good video but I sadly can not: 1. address the ball, 2. cock your wrists so the clubhead moves more or less straight up toward your head, 3. roll your arms/shoulders/hands triangle 90 degrees to where the butt of the club basically points directly at the target, 4. do a centered pivot mostly with hips and leg action to get your back more or less toward the target. If that kick starts your brain, start over and do your version of a back stroke. Otherwise just make your downswing from that static position.

[McObra]

I think it has to do with proper technique and muscle memory. I recently took a golf class thorough one of the community colleges here, mostly as a refresher, and to help me get

back to the basics. We were discussing who should be fitted for clubs and who shouldn't. The instructor pointed to me and said "you could be fitted because you have a

consistent swing. You make the same mistake every time, but your swing is consistent." Proper technique has a lot to do with it.

[Mac62]

I think it has to do with proper technique and muscle memory. I recently took a golf class thorough one of the community colleges here, mostly as a refresher, and to help me get

back to the basics. We were discussing who should be fitted for clubs and who shouldn't. The instructor pointed to me and said "you could be fitted because you have a

consistent swing. You make the same mistake every time, but your swing is consistent." Proper technique has a lot to do with it.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/80211/a-golfers-good-and-bad-swings-look-the-same-theyre-repeatable-and-consistent

We're all consistent - just not consistently good.  Erik discusses it further in the above thread, and goes more in depth in LSW.