Drill for consistency

[barnum1]

Hi,

does anybody have a good drill for consistency?

I am a 12-handicapper who am pretty satisfied with my swing.
Even my pro agrees that I am in good positions in my swing.
I have improved my "best game" a lot last year, BUT also lowered my "worst game".

Today I had 8 pars (good) but also 5 double-bogeys or worse. "Only" 5 bogeys.
I had 8 shots that were at least 30 yards off my intended line 
And these misses were typically pull-draws or push-fades. (Not a lot of side-spin but started very off the line.)

So what to do? How can I practice on being consistent? 

Thanks in advance!

[amished]

What clubs were you missing with?  What was causing your double bogeys?  Was it your game off the Tee, putting, chipping?  Figuring out what's causing you to score a bogey or worse will be what you should focus your practice on.  If it's always your driver, and always a shank type of shot then work on that.

[barnum1]

Thanks for your reply.

My misses were typically push-fade drivers and pull-draw long/mid irons. And one pull-draw drive in a pond...
So my problem is really that there is no pattern. If I were missing all on one side, I could work on that.
But it seems like I am sometimes getting to the ball in an inconsistent way. (And in between, I hit a lot of good shots too!)

[David in FL]

You're likely already a lot more consistent than you realize....

 

[klineka]

Try charting all of your tee shots for multiple rounds, add up the location of the misses and see if theres a pattern. One round probably isnt a large enough sample size. Have you posted your swing in thr swing thread section yet?

[barnum1]

Thanks for your replies!

@David in FL That was enlightening. I hadn't thought about it that way before, but I guess it's just statistics: the variation depends on the quality of the process (in this case the golf swing). It wasn't what I was hoping for  (a drill to get the variation down), but it does give me some hope (if I continue working on my swing, it will probably help). Thanks for the link to a very good thread.

@klineka I do agree one round is a small sample, and I should look at the bigger picture (this is also in line with what David in FL writes).

[alfriday]

OP,

 

Very interesting post.  Your pro tells you that you are getting into good positions.  You obviously hit a lot of good shots if you are getting 8 pars in a round.  You say the problems come up with your long irons and driver.  So, what's different on those clubs?  

 

Two things to consider:  1).  Are you setting up with those clubs differently?  With longer clubs it is easy to get into a bad set up or alignment.  The ball too far forward, or weight too far on the toes can lead to the problems you describe.  I'd start by checking balance and alignment.  If you are reaching, all sorts of bad things can happen.  2).  The problem could be focus.  Are you worried about the shots on the course?  If so, you may be focusing on hitting the ball too much as opposed to swinging the club and sending the ball to the target.  Subtile difference, but it can have a major impact on the swing.  If the ball is the target, your swing will be different than is your target is the flag or a spot (intermediate target) in front of the ball.   

 

As for drills, a couple come to mind.  

 

The Greg Norman drill may help.  On the range, hit drives (or long irons) of varying length.  Hit 100 yards, 125, 150 etc,. taking a full length swing each time.

 

Shawn Clement's Perpetual motion drill (on Youtube) will definitely help.  This is a drill that has been around forever.   You keep swinging back and forth, staying in balance and centered in your stance.  Ben Hogan did this drill on Ed Sullivan year ago--there's a Youtube video of him on the show if your curious.  While this drill is not unique to Shawn, he gives a good explanation of it.  

 

Eye closed drill.  Set up to a ball.  Just before swinging, close your eyes and hit the ball to your target.  Start with a short club and work your way up to the driver.  The first time you try it you might want to make sure the range is fairly clear--just saying'.       

[saevel25]

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 1:52 PM, barnum1 said:

And these misses were typically pull-draws or push-fades. (Not a lot of side-spin but started very off the line.)

That would be strange to see in the numbers. Lets say you hit the ball 260 yards off the tee. That would be a start line of 6-7 degrees off your target line. That means your swing is producing 12-14 degrees of variance. Being a 12 handicap, I doubt your swing path varies that much. Typically if a golfer hits a ball that far left, with a slight draw they would hit more of a pull-slice or straight-slice if the face opens up more. If a golfer hits a push-fade, if they were to not have the face open enough they would hit a push-hook or maybe a straight-hook.

I would make sure you are seeing the misses you think you are.

[barnum1]

@alfriday Thanks for your advice. I will definitely check out the Perpertual motion drill. 
About focusing too much on hitting the ball, I suspect my problem is the opposite! I have a hunch I'm focusing too much on playing my swing, not hitting the ball. Today I played a few holes and focused on "be sure to hit the ball", and I did start the ball straighter. I like your advice on hitting an intermediate target in front of the ball.

@saevel25 I agree the numbers sound crazy. And fortunately I don't see this all the time. This round was extreme. And I too am also confused that the pulls give draws, and the pushes gives fades. It should be the other way around...

[saevel25]

1 minute ago, barnum1 said:

@saevel25 I agree the numbers sound crazy. And fortunately I don't see this all the time. This round was extreme. And I too am also confused that the pulls give draws, and the pushes gives fades. It should be the other way around...

It's not that uncommon. I would say a pull draw is probably easier to hit than a push fade. 

[iacas]

You won't want to hear this… but you need a better golf swing. You're a 12 or whatever for a reason. Unless your short game and putting are bad, your swing is a 12 handicapper swing.

[barnum1]

@iacas I have no problem with hearing that I have a 12-handicapper swing, because I do 

The reason for this thread was to get better than 12!

[iacas]

Then work on your mechanics and build a better swing. If you're getting inconsistent results the swing isn't as good as the pro told you.

Buy a copy of LSW too.

[CarlSpackler]

The worst lesson I had was one were the pro told me my swing was fine. I started recording and evaluating my swing and discovered that couldn't be further from the truth. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it got me to start working on some things. I still don't have a single capper swing, but it's better than it was. 

[JonMA1]

On 7/27/2017 at 4:44 PM, barnum1 said:

Thanks for your reply.

My misses were typically push-fade drivers and pull-draw long/mid irons. And one pull-draw drive in a pond...
So my problem is really that there is no pattern. If I were missing all on one side, I could work on that.
But it seems like I am sometimes getting to the ball in an inconsistent way. (And in between, I hit a lot of good shots too!)

I'm not that knowledgable nor have I developed a stock shot in terms of a fade or draw, but when I'm missing as you've described above, it make perfect sense. It indicates my swing path is closely aligned to the target line, but my club face is all over the place.  

I guess the trick to having a predictable, consistent curve - whether a draw or fade - is adjusting the swing path slightly and consistently left or right to the target line and opening the face just enough the opposite way. As I said, I'm not that knowledgable and someone will likely correct me if my logic is flawed.

When I'm experiencing a two-way miss on the course, I believe it's often due to over-compensation. Instead of making a slight adjustment to either the club face or the path, I might try to adjust both, or even an alignment change. Doing that, of course, doesn't end well.

(in my best Robert Duvall voice) I love the sound of a golf ball whacking a tree in the morning. Sounds like.... double bogey.

Almost forgot... As far as drills, there's one I was unable to find (maybe in LSW???), I think it's mostly an iron drill, but it involves sticking an alignment stick in the ground (vertically) between you and the target. Simply start the ball on one side of the stick and then the other and having the ball curve back towards the target.

I'll usually do this pretty slowly and see if I can work up to a full swing while controlling ball flight. It's also a great drill for developing trouble shots.

Edited July 29, 2017 by JonMA1

[Marty2019]

If (a big if) your pro is correct that you have a good swing, but the ball is going all over the place, then it seems like you just need to practice. 

So I am wondering, when you go to the driving range, do you have the same error rate that you have when you play? 

I think a lot of people, myself included, go to the range and hit 3 out of 4 shots well, but what they ignore is, 1 out 4 shots being bad shots would mean a really bad round of golf.  Think about 1 out of 4 tee shots being in the woods or in the lake.  That's a disastrous round.   I go, wow, I am really smoking this driver today, but then, oops, that one would have been in the other fairway.   Or that one would have hit that big oak tree on the 3rd hole.  Or that 7 iron would have been in that deep bunker on the 2nd hole.   I think we go to the driving range and think we're better than we really are. 

But I digress.  How often do you go to the driving range, and do you have the same number of erratic shots as you have when you play?  

Also, trying to think logically, do you ask your pro about this?  Hey, you say I have a good swing, but I'm hitting the ball all over the place when I play.   Why is that?   Do you ask him that?   It seems like if he says you have a good swing but you say your shots are all over the place, there would be some followup and a few questions. 

 

Edited July 29, 2017 by Marty2019

[barnum1]

@Marty2019 I think you are very spot-on in your digression. I will try to find out how my practice error rate compares to on the course. I suspect I have the classic problem of good-on-the-range but not under "pressure" on the course.

Thanks for all input. Great forum this!

[Antneye]

I think it's been said already, but start a swing thread and let's see if the swing is as good as the pro says. You will be amazed at the great feedback you will get and will come away with items you need to work on.