What is the secret of the golf swing?

[saevel25]

19 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

Okay, my first contribution on this subject was facetious.   Here is my serious response. 

Sure you were. 

19 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

Of course there's no one "secret" to a golf swing.   That said, the one thing I think most hackers fail at during the golf swing is, they are not relaxed.   They are all tensed up.   They put so much effort into hitting the ball hard.  

I doubt it. I would say a very small percentage of them looked tensed up over the ball. 

20 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

 They have so much anxiety at the top of the swing, they yank the club downward, or they try too hard to rotate and as a result come over the top, or they simply get everything out of sequence from anxiety.   

The club looks to be yanked down is because the club gets steeper in the downswing than it does in the backswing. That has nothing to do with tension and everything to do with crappy swing mechanics. 

Most amateurs do not rotate enough in their golf swing. Most rotate too little in the backswing. Most don't rotate enough going through impact.

It's not anxiety, it's a bad swing. 

 

[Marty2019]

On 5/18/2016 at 8:59 AM, saevel25 said:

 

I doubt it. I would say a very small percentage of them looked tensed up over the ball. 

The club looks to be yanked down is because the club gets steeper in the downswing than it does in the backswing. That has nothing to do with tension and everything to do with crappy swing mechanics. 

Most amateurs do not rotate enough in their golf swing. Most rotate too little in the backswing. Most don't rotate enough going through impact.

It's not anxiety, it's a bad swing. 

 

Of course you are correct in your last sentence.   The "secret" (if there is one) of the golf swing is not to have a bad swing.   That goes without saying. 

But what I was saying was that, if you really want my opinion of what is the one thing that I see that holds people back, then in my opinion, it is anxiety.   I see a lot of really good looking practice swings, but then when it comes time to actually hit the ball, the swing is completely different.  I see nice, smooth, inside-out, inside-out, then, address the ball and the swing is over the top.   I see people clinch their jaw muscles, I see veins popping out of people's necks, the club gets yanked down and the whole sequence goes haywire.  

But give them a layup shot on a par-5, where they are swinging at 80%, and they have a beautiful swing and the ball goes a mile.  

And that's why, in my opinion, if I had to point to one thing that holds people back, it is tension.   They need to relax. 

 

Edited May 19, 2016 by Marty2019

[saevel25]

35 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

But what I was saying was that, if you really want my opinion of what is the one thing that I see that holds people back, then in my opinion, it is anxiety.   I see a lot of really good looking practice swings, but then when it comes time to actually hit the ball, the swing is completely different. 

No they don't. They are not a different swing. A person's swing doesn't drastically change from practice swing to the real swing. They are making the same motions. 

38 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

I see nice, smooth, inside-out, inside-out, then, address the ball and the swing is over the top.   I see people clinch their jaw muscles, I see veins popping out of people's necks, the club gets yanked down and the whole sequence goes haywire.  

I doubt it. I can't think of one person I ever played golf with or noticed that has ever had that red-faced, death grip on the club. 

This notion that anxiety is the key to the golf swing is absurd. 

41 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

But give them a layup shot on a par-5, where they are swinging at 80%, and they have a beautiful swing and the ball goes a mile.  

I've seen people duff layup shots into par 5's before. Your notion that they suddenly switch to a smooth good swing is absurd. 

 

[Rainmaker]

In my opinion, the anxiety is a symptom, not a cause.  If we didn't flub every third shot, we probably wouldn't be so anxious . .not the other way around. 

As far as the practice swing goes - that's interesting (to me) . . what I noticed is that my practice swings were indeed quite fluid.  I even took some video of my practice swings and my positions were so much better.

This is because I was not aiming at the back of a ball in a practice swing.  As I started to get close to figuring that out - I noticed that as soon as I addressed the ball . .I could literally feel my whole muscle-tone changing . .because I was going to not do what I just practiced but instead swing at the ball.  And, indeed, this caused me anxiety because when you're aiming at the back of the ball (ie - casting, early release) you are doing a lot with hands and timing and flubbing shots, especially on an off-day. 

Just my opinion, anyway. . I like the all the feedback.  It's really been pretty interesting to see what everybody thinks.  Not hitting at the ball isn't a secret in the sense that once you know it, you're suddenly awesome.  It's only a secret because it's really hard to 1.  realize you're doing it and 2. figure out why you're doing it. 

 

EDIT . .and obviously, this is all just my opinion.  I'm not trying to claim I have some big secret that will magically make everyone better golfers, lol. 

Edited May 19, 2016 by Rainmaker

[iacas]

1 hour ago, Marty2019 said:

But give them a layup shot on a par-5, where they are swinging at 80%, and they have a beautiful swing and the ball goes a mile.

I've seen a lot of people screw up layups, too.

I disagree that it's anxiety that makes them swing differently. The goals are different. Anxiety plays a role, but I wouldn't call it the single biggest thing that holds people back. Most people have a poor concept or understanding of the swing in general. Bad mechanics, by far, is the single biggest thing holding people back. And the vast majority of bad mechanics is not caused by anxiety, IMO.

21 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

No they don't. They are not a different swing. A person's swing doesn't drastically change from practice swing to the real swing. They are making the same motions. 

No, that's not true Matt. You know that you've seen people make practice swings that look VERY different than their real swings.

That thread does not support your point.

21 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

I've seen people duff layup shots into par 5's before. Your notion that they suddenly switch to a smooth good swing is absurd.

Matt, having a bad day or something? Chill man. I agree, but you don't have to call it "absurd." On the whole, people are more likely to hit a good shot when they're laying up than when they're hitting to a flag on a green, I do agree with that. It's just not that much more often. Anxiety plays a role, but I agree it's over-stated. Doesn't make it absurd.

[70sSanO]

There is definitely an inner game that everyone has to contend with.  And even though I have never successfully applied it, I probably should re-visit it.  I do believe that there is a side of the brain that is constantly telling us what to do and the consequences of failing and the other side of the brain that controls the muscles to make the swing.  This exists at every level, even pros, but to be successful the person has to overcome the anxiety/fear/poor shot syndrome that the brain is putting us through.

Obviously there is a premise that there is some proficiency with a basic swing.  If someone doesn't have any semblance of a swing that is a mechanics issue.  But for a person that is able to hit the ball well enough and knows the basics, that person can talk himself/herself out of actually making the shot.

And one person has no real problem with this and another person is in a constant battle.  For the person that doesn't battle this inner game, all this is foreign and doesn't exist.  But for a person that fights this, they will always end up in the water even if they can successfully make the same shot from a hazard free approach.  It is so easy to concede defeat when the brain is constantly chattering "Be the ball."

John

Edited May 19, 2016 by 70sSanO

[uitar9]

there may be commonalities to a "proper" swing but when it gets down it the secret  imo is A club face squarely Hitting the golf ball - However we achieve it- we are all different-age, flexibility , athletic ability

[natureboy]

Be accurate at a distance.

[Mop Bucket]

For me, it's to not think about it .

[70sSanO]

For the past 5 months I have been re-constructing my swing, torn rotator cuff tendons.  Simplifying has helped, if there is a secret, I really think it is being able to develop a technique that will get you to back when your swing starts to fall apart... without a club, or endless bad practice swings on the course.  I am working on something now and I'll see if it pans out.  It may be a dead end.

John

Edited May 30, 2016 by 70sSanO

[Odogesq]

There is no secret. There is no one move or tip that you will see or learn that magically unlocks the golf swing for you. There are only fundamentals that mist be practiced consistently to generate some consistency. Many people on this thread have touched on some of the important ones: good setup, good address, good grip, good takeaway, body coil, leading the downswing with your legs, forward shaft lean and hands at impact, head back and still, etc. The faster you disuade yourself of the notion that there is a "secret" out there that will turn you from a hacker to a tour prop overnight, the faster you will be o they way to playing better golf by focusing on the fundamentals. :)

[rehmwa]

Swing harder.......

 

no.....swing harder than that

[DrvFrShow]

The secret to the golf swing: Don't do this - 

 

[Mr. Desmond]

There is no secret - just constant search and discovery ... and work.

[70sSanO]

My post above about developing a technique has to do with what a person does on the course, not some secret fundamental... turn, twist, weight shift, etc. that transforms someone into a great ball striker.

What happens, say on the 12th, when all of a sudden the wheels come off?  I'm thinking, (guessing?), that the better golfers, not necessarily pros, have a routine, (not a dozen practice swings and then a chunk), to get back on track.  "If" there is a secret it is the ability to re-group, a method to be able to flip that switch and execute an already developed good/decent swing.

John

[bm85]

Slide the hips.