Discover Your "Natural" Golf Swing

[SPJr]

I don't put any weight into the 'don't look at the ball' idea....

I like the idea of the effortless weight transfer he creates. I struggle with this awfully, so it intrigues me.

I found this video clip of the same guy on Instagram.

[iacas]

6 minutes ago, SPJr said:

I like the idea of the effortless weight transfer he creates. I struggle with this awfully, so it intrigues me.

I'm starting to dislike the idea that things can or are supposed to be "effortless."

So, your weight shift relies on something external to you, like gravity? Or the wind? Or some other natural force or phenomenon? Because if it relies on your muscles doing something, it's not "effortless." It requires effort. It's something you have to "do."

Good players may not have to think about it much, or it may feel like it doesn't require much "effort," but to those who don't do that thing naturally, it may require tremendous thought and effort while improving it.

[SPJr]

8 minutes ago, iacas said:

I'm starting to dislike the idea that things can or are supposed to be "effortless."

So, your weight shift relies on something external to you, like gravity? Or the wind? Or some other natural force or phenomenon? Because if it relies on your muscles doing something, it's not "effortless." It requires effort. It's something you have to "do."

Good players may not have to think about it much, or it may feel like it doesn't require much "effort," but to those who don't do that thing naturally, it may require tremendous thought and effort while improving it.

Sure, of course. No disagreement here.

I suppose I should have been more clear?

I don't truly believe it is effortless. It just appears that he (and others) can achieve this with such ease. It makes me wonder if they are indeed on-to-something. Of course, maybe it just is a natural ability.

Edited September 5, 2018 by SPJr

[JonMA1]

8 minutes ago, SPJr said:

I like the idea of the effortless weight transfer he creates. I struggle with this awfully, so it intrigues me.

I do as well.

I don’t believe our practice swings are natural, I think the opposite is true. Our practice swings are the result of hours in front of the mirror and a lot of hard work trying to incorporate the 5 keys. My crappy swing at the ball is my natural swing that simply takes over.

I’ve seen it a lot on the course with other players who struggle even though the flaws vary. I’ve watched many players keep their heads relatively steady and make a centered full turn on their practice swings only to sway everything back and then forward just before they skull their shots.

[SPJr]

1 minute ago, JonMA1 said:

I’ve watched many players keep their heads relatively steady and make a centered full turn on their practice swings only to sway everything back and then forward just before they skull their shots.

Yeah, this is me... Except I hit a lot of shots fat.

[iacas]

8 minutes ago, SPJr said:

I don't truly believe it is effortless. It just appears that he (and others) can achieve this with such ease. It makes me wonder if they are indeed on-to-something. Of course, maybe it just is a natural ability.

He's not on to anything. He just has a better swing.

Ernie Els, Fred Couples… people act like they are swinging so "easy" and "freely" and effortlessly. Yet ask them both and they'll tell you they're swinging about as hard as they can from the top.

[Vinsk]

He’s just saying ‘look what I can do.’ There is no instructional value to this at all. Many people, myself included, could take his swing thought with the swing starting from the ground and yank it way inside and come OTT every time without a thought. It would be an ‘effortless’ disaster. And I agree with @iacas about the whole ‘effortless’ idea being bogus. There’s effort in every swing, good or bad.

[SPJr]

11 minutes ago, iacas said:

He's not on to anything. He just has a better swing.

Oh, no doubt...

I was talking specifically about his lower body weight transfer as something I wish I could apply to my swing.

Again, I suppose I could have been more specific. But I agree the overall message and idea is basically nonsense.

[Vinsk]

Weight transfer in itself isn’t complicated or difficult. Hell we do it all the time in other sports activities. It’s the nature of the golf swing (inclined, a still object on the ground, small impact area) and its timing that makes it so difficult. I can skip a rock easily, no instruction needed. I can chop wood, chop a tree at its base with ease. Golf requires more precision than any of those activities and some people simply have a better ‘feel’ for it than others.

[SPJr]

5 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Weight transfer in itself isn’t complicated or difficult. Hell we do it all the time in other sports activities. It’s the nature of the golf swing (inclined, a still object on the ground, small impact area) and its timing that makes it so difficult. I can skip a rock easily, no instruction needed. I can chop wood, chop a tree at its base with ease. Golf requires more precision than any of those activities and some people simply have a better ‘feel’ for it than others.

But isn't that what this instructor is trying to address here?

Ok - Timing makes it difficult. Isn't he trying to create a rhythm that helps with the timing of the weight transfer?

 

Obviously, I don't really know --- I just know what I feel like is holding me back, and I wonder what I can do to help myself transfer my weight.

[JonMA1]

2 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Weight transfer in itself isn’t complicated or difficult. Hell we do it all the time in other sports activities. It’s the nature of the golf swing (inclined, a still object on the ground, small impact area) and its timing that makes it so difficult. I can skip a rock easily, no instruction needed. I can chop wood, chop a tree at its base with ease. Golf requires more precision than any of those activities and some people simply have a better ‘feel’ for it than others.

You are exactly right about using weight shift in other sports. It’s almost natural. But what I’m describing is a sort of mental block.

I’ve recorded plenty of video of swings at a ball where my weight shift is ok and contact is good. Yet it’s been impossible thus far for me to make it part of my swing on the course. (Still working on it.)

I can only guess that a few others struggle as well with what they are perfectly capable of doing physically and what they actually do.

[SPJr]

1 minute ago, JonMA1 said:

You are exactly right about using weight shift in other sports. It’s almost natural. But what I’m describing is a sort of mental block.

Mental block is exactly right.  It comes naturally in every day life. My practice swings are text book and then I stand over a ball and it's hit or miss.

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

 Hell we do it all the time in other sports activities.

Depends on the person. I saw a 6 year old throw a baseball way better than a middle-aged man before. He just had a better sequencing. There are people who can not do athletic motions well at all.

1 hour ago, JonMA1 said:

You are exactly right about using weight shift in other sports. It’s almost natural. But what I’m describing is a sort of mental block.

It's not really natural. It does need work. The golf swing is not a natural athletic motion. Manny Ramirez, one of the best hitters in baseball, whiffed at trying to hit a golf shot. Just saying.

Also, most people sway too much. Proper weight shift in golf is not a natural motion in the sense that you can just ask people to do it.

1 hour ago, SPJr said:

Mental block is exactly right.  It comes naturally in every day life. My practice swings are text book and then I stand over a ball and it's hit or miss.

Are they? Have you video taped them? I bet some issues with your normal swing are still there.

[JonMA1]

4 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

It's not really natural. It does need work. The golf swing is not a natural athletic motion. Manny Ramirez, one of the best hitters in baseball, whiffed at trying to hit a golf shot. Just saying.

I never said the golf swing was natural. In fact I said almost the opposite in a previous post. In the post you quoted above I said weight shift in other sports is almost natural. Weight shift while throwing an object, for example, does not require instruction.

[SPJr]

14 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Are they? Have you video taped them? I bet some issues with your normal swing are still there.

Yes, I have recorded both my practice and real swing (DTL, side on, and every other angle you can imagine) and you are right about some swing flaws still being there sometimes -BUT- in regards to weight transfer, it is pretty much spot on in the practice swing. For whatever reason, I can't consistently sequence it up once you place a ball in front of me.

[saevel25]

5 minutes ago, JonMA1 said:

Weight shift while throwing an object, for example, does not require instruction.

Tell that to the person who throws an object with out a weight shift. They just stand perpendicular to the target and try to throw the object forward with no rotation or proper weight shift. I've seen it a lot.

The use of the word natural in the case of this thread is just a buzz word. It's stating that no matter what your swing is now, there is a natural swing that is better. That is 100% false.

 

[JonMA1]

2 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Tell that to the person who throws an object with out a weight shift. They just stand perpendicular to the target and try to throw the object forward with no rotation or proper weight shift. I've seen it a lot.

The use of the word natural in the case of this thread is just a buzz word. It's stating that no matter what your swing is now, there is a natural swing that is better. That is 100% false.

 

Hence the word “almost”. Most children learn to shift their weight at least a bit without being to to do it. They figure it out on their own,

Regarding the word “natural”, if you read my post #22 you’d see that we are saying close to the same thing.

[SPJr]

12 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

The use of the word natural in the case of this thread is just a buzz word. It's stating that no matter what your swing is now, there is a natural swing that is better. That is 100% false.

I don't agree. I think of the word 'natural' as something that occurs at ease without having to think about it so much.

In my case, if I could find a technique to help transfer my weight naturally it would probably help my game.

I wouldn't have to think about it so much and I could focus on just playing golf.

In fact, I hit a lot of shots on the range with a step-through. It helps and I generally make much better contact. This technique does in fact, help with my weight shift - it occurs naturally because I'm stepping forward.

Edited September 5, 2018 by SPJr