The Ball is in the Way

[Lime Shark]

"Ball bound" is the term I use for it. The feeling that you are so focused on hitting the ball and making it do something, that your swing falls apart.

To break it, I practiced without a ball at all. Sometimes lining up to a leaf on the ground, sometimes to nothing at all. The leaf isn't going anywhere, even if you do hit it, so you don't worry about making it do anything. You just worry about swinging through it (the leaf just happens to get in the way of your swing).

 

[zero]

I took lessons last year from a zen-type PGA pro, and this was his #1 thing. He taught it to me many different ways, but it always came back to this. When I had an issue later, we had a follow-up, he tweaked one small hand-position thing, and boom, right back to swing, don't hit. When you can do it, it's magic, like a hot knife through butter.

[rehmwa]

I hope everyone has this realization at some point or another.

It's a 'golf swing', not a 'ball hit' - my swing thought that relates to this one is I think about my finish more than contact - that helps a lot of things for me, but certainly the one about 'swing vs hit' is a bonus.

[Patch]

There is a dill I use quite a bit. I use it both with, and without the ball. 

I swing back half way, arms and club to an extended horizontal position, with the toe of the club point up.  Then swing back through the ball to the other half way point, with the same extended, horizontal postion, with toe of the club pointing up. 

When using this drill, with the ball, this also becomes my half swing punch shot , which also tells me what my club face is doing at impact with the ball.

Other than at set up, I rarely if at all, pay any attention to the ball during my swing. The ball is there, it gets in the way, and the club head continues on after impact. 

[Rainmaker]

1 hour ago, rehmwa said:

I hope everyone has this realization at some point or another.

It's a 'golf swing', not a 'ball hit' - my swing thought that relates to this one is I think about my finish more than contact - that helps a lot of things for me, but certainly the one about 'swing vs hit' is a bonus.

 

I agree!  If there was some way I could go around and tap people on the shoulder and "give" this to them, I would, lol.

It's funny how people feel it different ways . .to me, it's not "swing vs hit".  I still hit.  But I hit at an area way in front of where the actual ball is - not really a specific place - as far forward as possible.  But it still feels very much like hitting to me vs swinging. 

 

[natureboy]

27 minutes ago, Rainmaker said:

It's funny how people feel it different ways . .to me, it's not "swing vs hit".  I still hit.  But I hit at an area way in front of where the actual ball is - not really a specific place - as far forward as possible.  But it still feels very much like hitting to me vs swinging. 

The old schoolers called this the 'late hit'.

[rehmwa]

53 minutes ago, Rainmaker said:

I agree!  If there was some way I could go around and tap people on the shoulder and "give" this to them, I would, lol.

Just go up to random people on the driving range........especially those wearing headphones.........

[natureboy]

52 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

Just go up to random people on the driving range........especially those wearing headphones.........

Or discuss this point and it's advantages with fellow golfer a few stalls down really loud so there's no chance of the guy not hearing it. Continue loud discussion until you see them shift from hit to swing.

[Rainmaker]

4 hours ago, natureboy said:

Or discuss this point and it's advantages with fellow golfer a few stalls down really loud so there's no chance of the guy not hearing it. Continue loud discussion until you see them shift from hit to swing.

Right - and make sure you say "Take, for example, this guy 2 stalls down . . "  That way he'll know you're talking about him and it will work much better.