The Dangers of Fixing a Fault in Your Swing

[TheDIYGolfer]

Just wanted to touch on something that popped into my head today as I was practicing on the range...

I had just filmed my swing DTL, and noticed that on my takeaway, I had the club slightly shut, which was causing me some problems later in the swing.  I fixed that, and then filmed again.  Now my club was too flat at the top of the swing!

I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to swing mechanics, but this scenario brings up a point that is so important for us swing tinkerers to be aware of!  If you're trying to change something in your swing, it is imperative that you constantly monitor it (via video or a swing instructor) to make sure that the change you are working on isn't causing another problem.

I've had it happen so many times where I would try and change one thing which would just lead me to another thing that I needed to change.

Ever since I purchased a little Iphone Tripod on Ebay, my swing has become much more consistent.  With the tripod, I can record my swing alone, which allows me to always monitor where I'm at with things.

If you're a player that doesn't like to worry about the swing, this all doesn't apply, but I thought I would share this with anyone who is more like me!

Cheers

The DIY Golfer

[gregsandiego]

I'm interested in how you use the videos,. Do you go home and study them? Do you view them on the spot and make immediate corrections?

[iacas]

Sounds like a case of improper prioritization.

[mvmac]

I had just filmed my swing DTL, and noticed that on my takeaway, I had the club slightly shut, which was causing me some problems later in the swing.  I fixed that, and then filmed again.  Now my club was too flat at the top of the swing!

Most pros have the head "toe down" on the takeaway.

I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to swing mechanics, but this scenario brings up a point that is so important for us swing tinkerers to be aware of!  If you're trying to change something in your swing, it is imperative that you constantly monitor it (via video or a swing instructor) to make sure that the change you are working on isn't causing another problem.

I've had it happen so many times where I would try and change one thing which would just lead me to another thing that I needed to change.

Agree with @iacas , seems like you're not prioritizing the right piece.

[TheDIYGolfer]

I'm interested in how you use the videos,. Do you go home and study them? Do you view them on the spot and make immediate corrections?

It really depends where I'm at with things.  If the swing has gotten too far from where I want it due to lots of tournament play, I'll often have to take it home and study it a bit.  In most cases though, I will just check the swing to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be.

I would say it is completely different for everyone though.  I'm at a point in my golf game where I've put in the hours on the swing, and it is fairly close to where I want it.  When I was just starting out, I don't know that I would be trying to make "quick changes" on the range.  I do this now because I've got an idea what my tendencies are and know how to fix them through previous experience.

IMO, video is great as long as you use it within reason.  If you're videoing your swing constantly, changing what you're working on constantly, and getting obsessive about it, it can be damaging to the golf game.

[TheDIYGolfer]

Sounds like a case of improper prioritization.

Yeah definitely!  It's a problem that I run into often :)

The worst is when something in the setup or fundamentals is wrong... and you're messing with the rest of your swing trying to figure out why the ball is going sideways!!  I've made it a routine to check my fundamentals at the beginning of each practice session, which has taken a lot of discipline but has definitely paid off!

[garush34]

I use video from time to time but only to check the things I have been working on are going in the right direction. I also like to record when I'm having bad days so I can compare to good days and see what is off when its bad.

[saevel25]

Yeah definitely!  It's a problem that I run into often :)

The worst is when something in the setup or fundamentals is wrong... and you're messing with the rest of your swing trying to figure out why the ball is going sideways!!  I've made it a routine to check my fundamentals at the beginning of each practice session, which has taken a lot of discipline but has definitely paid off!

Set up is easy to fix.

The only fundamentals I worry about are these,

With that I tend to just work on what my golf instructor tells me to work on. If I see something else I might comment on it, but I will not work on it unless told to do so.

Before a round I just hit golf balls and see what my ball flight is like and what feel works for my swing. In the end, I don't want to be tweaking my swing before a round.

[Mike Boatright]

Every fix opens up new faults golf is about managing your misses. I used to aim to far to the right and pull it wildly years later I fixed it but found I was blocking the ball so I wen't back to aiming marginally right. Find a good miss and a great perfect shot and stay with it. There is perfect but there will always be misses. If you watch a lot of pga tour events they miss to the right with the irons all the time because they are set up near perfect. It's just good to know at least for me that my misses are long and left which is usually better than short and right.

Edited October 2, 2015 by Mike Boatright

[RussUK]

I read somewhere (think it was Bob Rotella) where they used the phrase perfet imperfection to describe the golf swing. A lot of us have this image of the pro's hitting perfect shots all the time when in reality they are just keeping their shots within a certain tollerance miss-hit wise.

 

only problen for us amateurs is the quest for perfection is engrained within us. Great for normal life, crap for enjoying golf!  

[JonMA1]

As a player 3 or 4 years into learning without any consistent professional instruction, I've been through a lot of changes. While I sometimes think I could be scoring a bit lower had I kept the same crappy swing (there are folks who score pretty well with ugly swings), I'm almost positive there would never be a chance for any type of real improvement. 

One thing that seems apparent is that the changes are becoming smaller - more like tweaks than overhauls. That's not to say I think my swing is very good, only that it's closer to some correct fundamentals. I only think this because of some increased distance, improved accuracy and a bit lower scores. 

Even so, I continue to view my swing on video  - which I record about once per week - and feel like it doesn't look enough like a pro's. Trying to fix that "problem" with my limited knowledge likely does more harm than good. 

[Mike Boatright]

Post a video of your swing dude?

[Lastpick]

As a player 3 or 4 years into learning without any consistent professional instruction, I've been through a lot of changes. While I sometimes think I could be scoring a bit lower had I kept the same crappy swing (there are folks who score pretty well with ugly swings), I'm almost positive there would never be a chance for any type of real improvement. 

One thing that seems apparent is that the changes are becoming smaller - more like tweaks than overhauls. That's not to say I think my swing is very good, only that it's closer to some correct fundamentals. I only think this because of some increased distance, improved accuracy and a bit lower scores. 

Even so, I continue to view my swing on video  - which I record about once per week - and feel like it doesn't look enough like a pro's. Trying to fix that "problem" with my limited knowledge likely does more harm than good. 

Get a good swing now.  Don't know how old you are, but a crappy swing when you get older gets really crappy.  A young person can overcome major swing flaws with physical talent.  Once you get older, you can no longer compensate for a really poor swing.

[JonMA1]

Get a good swing now.  Don't know how old you are, but a crappy swing when you get older gets really crappy.  A young person can overcome major swing flaws with physical talent.  Once you get older, you can no longer compensate for a really poor swing.

Agree 100% (I'm working on it). This is what I meant in the rest of my paragraph when I said there would be no chance for any real improvement with a my old swing. I think the expression "polishing a turd" applies to trying to play good golf with a bad swing.

And speaking of getting older (I'm 54), I think a bad swing could conceivably cause more physical damage to our bodies (I'm not a Dr., I just play one on the Internet).