Swing 'Trust'

[TheArtfulDodger]

Hello,

Just wanted to get some other peoples opinions on the matter of trusting a certain feeling within your swing. To explain, I like many, suffer from a slight over the top swing which causes my club face to be open and cut across the ball resulting in many shots straight right or topped/thinned to the left. After picking up the game around this time last year I have finally started seeing my local PGA pro and after a few lessons my grip and posture are good to go but my back swing still needs some work. It is a funny thing because the correct swing feel for me feels so out of place it is hard to trust this. For my situation I feel like I am bring the club straight back compared to where I usually am and since shots to the right are a big issue it is beyond difficult for me to 'trust' that this more rounded from the inside swing will not push to the right. Even though this is NEVER really the case for me as my straight right shots are actually a result of me cutting across and leaving the face open. Just wondering if anyone else has ever had trouble with this feeling that the correct swing plane is WAY inside and have had a difficult time adjusting to this.

Thanks!

[Bucki1968]

Speaking personally, I think that having complete trust in your golf swing is something that comes and goes. I usually go wrong in my backswing (when I'm not playing well) and shows up with mis-hits and balls off line. I think that no matter how good or bad you are there will always be some trust issues that show up from time to time. Usually I can head over to the range and work it out. Sometimes it's a quick fix, and sometimes I let something creep into my swing that takes some time to get rid of. Usually when you make a big swing change, it's going to take some time. Unfortunately (when it comes to golf), nothing really comes as quickly as we would like it to. 

[klineka]

Here's a good thread that talks about Feel vs. Real in the golf swing

The new swing feels out of place because you have done probably thousands of swings the "incorrect" way and only a small handful the "correct" or new way. Keep working with your coach and the new motion will come natural over time.

I would guess you are in step 3, the conscious competence phase for this particular swing piece

 

[soupy1957]

My mind goes back to Chi Chi Rodriguez. Some of you guys may not even know who that is, because he’s an older fella.

 What brings him to mind is the fact that he had a very unorthodox swing that was more like he was swinging a baseball bat.

The first time I got myself a set of golf clubs I spent that first entire season at the driving range exclusively, just trying to become familiar with each of the clubs. I didn’t go out to play around of golf until the following season, by choice. 

I came to the conclusion after about four seasons of actual playing of golf, that it’s not so much about how much you conform to what appears to be the “normal” way to play golf, but it was more about consistency, no matter how ugly your shots looked. 

As a result, I quit trying to study everybody else’s teaching on how I should approach things, and just concentrated on how my results changed, depending on how I approach and handled the ball. 

If I could get reasonable results, it didn’t matter how unorthodox I might appear. Let them all stand there and comment amongst themselves about how crazy I look out there. It’s the fun of the game that I’m interested in. 

There was a friend of mine in eighth grade, who used to have the craziest way to dance that any of us had ever seen. You had to give this guy a lotta room on the dance floor, because he just kind a flung himself in all kinds of directions! But you know what? All the girls wanted to dance with him, and none of them wanted to dance with us!! That says something about being un-Orthodox!!

[NM Golf]

Does your instructor use video? If he does have him explain what he is trying to get you to do. Then take video of your practice sessions just to check and make sure you are practicing the correct move. Like everyone has said, feel is a poor indicator of what is actually going on in your swing, and if you have bad habits the correct move will feel strange until you have ingrained it.

If your instructor doesn't use video, I would maybe look for another instructor.

[TheArtfulDodger]

Wow, thanks for the great thoughts guys. Yes, my instructor does use video and we have reviewed clips of my swing in each of my first 2 lessons. He has helped me immensely. I will mention this trust issue next lesson and see what he recommends. I never feel like I want to quit though, I feel as though I am almost over the hill and that just beyond is a great golf swing because I can and do hit many great shots but every now and then those bad ones sneak back in and when they do, it's much to high of a bad to good ratio to have and enjoyable round of golf. I will get there!

Also, to clarify when I said in my first post I feel like I am bring the club straight back I meant back to inside, not back from the target line.

Edited February 9, 2018 by TheArtfulDodger
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