Learned a Valuable Lesson

[anker0071]

So a little back story... I work a lot on my golf swing. I feel like my swing goals are pretty simple... solid strike and developing a predictable curve. In that pursuit I research the golf swing quite a bit, go to the range, work on positions, video my swing and see what affects strike and ball flight. It gets overwhelming and frustrating at times. In the past 3 rounds I have it 10, 15, and 9 GIR respectively. I feel confident that every round I play I can produce my acceptable shape/strike from wedge to 5i. 4i thru driver is unpredictable at best. 

I played in a 2 day tournament and got paired with a guy I knew to be a great player, but never played with him before. I warmed up, went through my pre round routine while this guy sat in the club house and goofed around with his buddies over pre-round beers. Got to the first tee and he hit a nice little draw about 250-260 with a swing that was far from "good" but with great rhythm. Around the 13th hole I was starting to feel the same way I felt last Monday night watching my alma mater in the national championship game... helpless and violated. Once the beat down was complete I signed for a 78 that felt like a 108 and he carded 67. Every single shot he hit was a 15 yard draw or less, the ball never curved the other way or flew straight. It was amazing. I asked after the round what he works on and he said he just plays 4 times a week and tries to miss bunkers. He said his draw is easy for him to hit and he just plays it. 

I learned that getting into perfect positions is probably not attainable, and I should focus on improving my swing with the intention of affecting ball flight and strike as opposed to what looks good or what works for some people. Oversimplification but I thought it was cool to see this dude ball strike this course to death with a homemade swing he absolutely owns.

 

[klineka]

29 minutes ago, anker0071 said:

Got to the first tee and he hit a nice little draw about 250-260 with a swing that was far from "good" but with great rhythm.

I asked after the round what he works on and he said he just plays 4 times a week and tries to miss bunkers. He said his draw is easy for him to hit and he just plays it. 

Good chances are he is at least somewhat proficient at most (if not all) of the 5 Simple Keys, even if his swing is far from good according to you. He had to be doing a few key things right in order to shoot a 67 in a tournament. 

Also, when you asked him what he works on, that's a different question than asking something like "Have you worked hard at your game to be able to score as well as you do, or has it come naturally to you?"

Just because he isn't actively trying to improve his swing at the moment doesnt mean he hasnt practiced hundreds, if not thousands of hours over the years to get his swing to this point.

It's highly unlikely that he became a really good golfer by just playing 4x a week and trying to avoid bunkers with minimal outside practice or range time.

Edited January 14, 2019 by klineka

[anker0071]

3 minutes ago, klineka said:

Good chances are he is at least somewhat proficient at most (if not all) of the 5 Simple Keys, even if his swing is far from good according to you. He had to be doing a few key things right in order to shoot a 67 in a tournament. 

Also, when you asked him what he works on, that's a different question than asking something like "Have you worked hard at your game to be able to score as well as you do, or has it come naturally to you?"

Just because he isn't actively trying to improve his swing at the moment doesnt mean he hasnt practiced hundreds, if not thousands of hours over the years to get his swing to this point.

It's highly unlikely that he became a really good golfer by just playing 4x a week and trying to avoid bunkers with minimal outside practice or range time.

That was my point... he obviously mastered those keys you mentioned, and I never said he didn't work on his game or practice. My point was that I needed to change my focus in regards to improvement... just my observation that I thought might be of interest to others. And by the way, "good according to me".... all I meant was his swing was not one that someone would aspire to look like. I am in no way saying that is important. Didn't mean to strike a nerve with you.

[klineka]

14 minutes ago, anker0071 said:

That was my point... he obviously mastered those keys you mentioned, and I never said he didn't work on his game or practice. My point was that I needed to change my focus in regards to improvement... just my observation that I thought might be of interest to others. And by the way, "good according to me".... all I meant was his swing was not one that someone would aspire to look like. I am in no way saying that is important. Didn't mean to strike a nerve with you.

No nerve was struck with me, I just wanted to make sure other people that read this didn't get the wrong impression and think that they could start shooting sub 70 rounds by simply golfing 4x a week, avoiding bunkers, and having a swing that looks far from "good".

A fundamentally sound swing is necessary for the majority of golfers to even have a chance of breaking 70. That doesn't mean you have to get into perfect positions, but almost all good golfers possess a few similar traits regardless of how their overall swing looks. 

[iacas]

@anker0071, you're going to have a hard time improving much at golf watching YouTube videos and trying to diagnose and fix things yourself.

I recommend you find a great instructor and work with them. I say this knowing full well you won't be putting any money in my pockets, or at most, will contribute less than a Starbucks' worth if you sign up for evolvr.com.

He absolutely has all 5SK down pretty well, and you likely do not.

Also, you are shown to own LSW, so re-read that, and begin applying its ideas to your practice, your GamePlanning, etc.

[p1n9183]

3 hours ago, anker0071 said:

Oversimplification but I thought it was cool to see this dude ball strike this course to death with a homemade swing he absolutely owns.

Amen to this, but in order to own a swing that consistently hit a draw with all your clubs you need to work a LOT to find it.

[Beastie]

8 hours ago, klineka said:

 

It's highly unlikely that he became a really good golfer by just playing 4x a week and trying to avoid bunkers with minimal outside practice or range time.

I find the number of rounds played in close succession has a massive affect on scoring and 4 rounds a week is a lot for an amateur to find time for. I feel lucky if I play more than 3 times ina fortnight. That’s a lot of golf, he should be a good player if he has good fundamentals.