"5 Minutes Daily" Practice Challenge June 2016

[MiddleTees]

Backswing drill using mirrors FO and DTL for 20 minutes and 10 minutes doing pitching via Quckie pitching video technique. All inside using net. 

[Rainmaker]

4 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

Great practice this am.  In terms of quality of strike probably my best ever.  So building on the idea of my legs being responsible to support and assist the rotation of my torso . .I kind of backed off on the idea of firing really hard in the downswing.  Instead I'm still winding up really hard in the backswing - and in transition I'm still using my legs to "prepare" for and assist this torso rotation . .but instead the guiding feeling I was using is that of my clubshaft shallowing out before I really initiate this rotation so that my hands  "flip under" the plane instead of over it.   This also has the effect of pushing the point where my right arm overtakes my left way out . .ie . .way later.  I thought maybe I noticed my left shoulder lifting too much during this but the strikes were great.  Very flush.  Unfortunately my phone battery was dead so I didn't get to video it. 

Still a lot of slow-motion stuff but also around 20-30 full shots. 

Went back out and got some video.  HA!  This whole journey of golf self discovery started with me asking about my flipping.  .which actually was casting but I thought it was called flipping.  I then realized flipping is something else and I definitely don't do it.  Until today, lol.  What I saw on video was *not* what I'm going for.  I watched some tour pro swings and . .yeah . . my whole idea about flipping it under the plane is not the right one. 

I experimented a bit with some more swings doing more what I think it looks like Adam Scott is doing . .except he's way more flexible.  That felt squeezed and narrow . .which could be a good thing. I hit some good shots with it but also some bad ones.  I didn't really work at it too long - will go back again later.  I love having a mat and net in my garage . .

 

[saevel25]

Played 9. Didn't score well. Full swing iron game was junk. Pitching motion was pretty good. Driving was OK. I went to the range after to cleanse the badness of the round. About 10 shots in I started stripping shots. 

Stop thinking MATT and hit the ball!! Oh, make sure you are not aiming 20 yards right 

 

[WUTiger]

Hit hollow plastic balls for 15 minutes in my back yard.

Focus: Tucking right knee at set-up so I get pivot vs. slide. On swing, I made sure I finished high and held it for a second.

[Jeremie Boop]

Hit the range tonight. Not happy with what the video showed me though, no progression because I was playing more than practicing. Need to get back to focusing on drills and practice.

[Valleygolfer]

6/6

Bucket of range, nine practice holes. Hit some great shots. Putted for 1/2 hour...

[Dinoma]

More time working at the indoor range working on my posture and path. All going well, but a small tendency to snatch at the shot which need smoothing out.

[onthehunt526]

6/7/16:

Worked on feeling a wider takeaway this morning trying to get my speed up.

[Lihu]

Did a whole bunch of twists using a universal at a hotel in Boston.

Mirror work with the 9 new setup and swing thoughts from my tune up last week.

[boogielicious]

20 minutes mirror work with slow swings. My practice yesterday showed improvements, but I still had some OTT swings.

[RandallT]

Warmed up with range balls. Did 5 minutes of A4-A6-A7 slow motion. Sped up to full speed slowly. Went through all clubs in the bag and swung smoothly. Contact was iffy, but it was time to play a round. The driver felt the most awkward today on the range. Considered putting it away.

Played 18 holes. Decided to use driver on most driving holes (why the hell not?), and I paid the price. Irons were ok contact (at best) but I was hitting everything all directions. I think I lost track of my new swing thoughts were and by the end, I was mostly back to my old swing- so perhaps some regression there. The bottom line is that I couldn't find a good feel that worked for me today, so obviously more work needed at the range to ingrain what I'm working on. Not a successful day on the course, but a checkpoint on where I stand.

Back at it tomorrow.

[MiddleTees]

Started with slow mo backswing drill with mirrors, 10 minutes. Then played an imaginary 9 holes at home course into net. Based on feel of contact , a good hole would be, good drive, good iron into green and good pitch/chip and a 2 putt for a 5 on a par 4. After 9 holes I finished with 5 minutes pitching .

[Jeremie Boop]

Went to the course today, did the front 9. Mostly used the time to practice short game and test out the new 3 wood again. Still struggling with near green wedge shots when the ball is sunken down in the rough, can't get myself to commit to swinging hard enough for fear of blading the ball. Seems I've really got a good alternative to use off the tee with the 3 wood. Averaged 245 and hit 4 of 7 fairways with all but the last miss within 10 yards of the fairway. I did notice that I'm having a tendency to set up with my clubface open on approach shots for some reason. I'm guessing that it's an automatic response to hitting a lot of pulls recently. Had to keep readjusting it. Except for a couple of shots contact was really good overall. Putting was a struggle though. Starting to scuff the ground. Went over to the practice green afterwords to work on it. Experimented with hovering the putter and that really worked out well, was able to start controlling distance really well grouping all the putts within 2 feet of the markers from 10-15 feet with a few actually hitting the markers. Overall a good night.

[WUTiger]

Had lesson today on reason I'm spraying shots. I tend to have streak of four good holes with good swings, and then four bad holes.

In my bid to avoid overswinging, I had gotten too armsy and not pivoting enough. Did drill in which alignment stick is put into ground at 45* angle. Goal was to take club back inside with shoulder pivot... goal to have back face target at top.

Ball position was off on irons, hands not far enough forward; weight balance off on driver. Got to hitting both clubs better. Have drills to do. 

[Rainmaker]

On 6/6/2016 at 4:04 PM, Rainmaker said:

Went back out and got some video.  HA!  This whole journey of golf self discovery started with me asking about my flipping.  .which actually was casting but I thought it was called flipping.  I then realized flipping is something else and I definitely don't do it.  Until today, lol.  What I saw on video was *not* what I'm going for.  I watched some tour pro swings and . .yeah . . my whole idea about flipping it under the plane is not the right one. 

I experimented a bit with some more swings doing more what I think it looks like Adam Scott is doing . .except he's way more flexible.  That felt squeezed and narrow . .which could be a good thing. I hit some good shots with it but also some bad ones.  I didn't really work at it too long - will go back again later.  I love having a mat and net in my garage . .

 

My little flirtation with flipping has taught me something valuable, lol.  After I saw myself on video I watched some tour player videos looking for how they are making this particular move.  Where I was laying down the shaft and leaving it stuck behind me - they are taking a way more narrow path to the ball with their arms much closer to their bodies through impact.  I finally got it what "narrow" means in swing wide, narrow, wide, lol. 

I worked this early am on slow motion swings, getting into my good coiled up backswing position and then trying to take this "narrow path" to the ball.  That's the deal, lol . .that's one of the things I've been looking for.  I might need to move a fraction closer to the ball.  My attempts at full swings, even at an easy speed, were pretty bad.  That's normal, for me, though.  I have "exploratory" type practices and then, when I start to get it, I'll start moving towards more full swings. 

[Valleygolfer]

6/7/16 Played 18 and practiced a lot of putting after hole out.

[Dinoma]

Another indoor range session trying to smooth the swing, remove a touch of grip pressure and release the club a little more. Swing path and length backswing improving, still a bit too much movement at the start of the backswing.

[RandallT]

2 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

My little flirtation with flipping has taught me something valuable, lol.  After I saw myself on video I watched some tour player videos looking for how they are making this particular move.  Where I was laying down the shaft and leaving it stuck behind me - they are taking a way more narrow path to the ball with their arms much closer to their bodies through impact.  I finally got it what "narrow" means in swing wide, narrow, wide, lol. 

I worked this early am on slow motion swings, getting into my good coiled up backswing position and then trying to take this "narrow path" to the ball.  That's the deal, lol . .that's one of the things I've been looking for.  I might need to move a fraction closer to the ball.  My attempts at full swings, even at an easy speed, were pretty bad.  That's normal, for me, though.  I have "exploratory" type practices and then, when I start to get it, I'll start moving towards more full swings. 

Loving the insights into swing tinkering you have, @Rainmaker. Always a good read! I'm taking the opposite approach right now from you: getting one piece, doing it over and over and over, not tinkering much. Who will win our little competition for who improves first with these contrasting styles?