FundamentallyCommitted

True. Hoping to avoid them, however, in my future attempts to build a better swing Wish me luck

The last round I'll ever play with that terrible swing.

Great thread! I was just thinking about this yesterday, as I only just recently filmed my swing (last week) and posted it to the forum (check it out if you'd like to help me out with a tip or two ) after realizing how fundamentally god awful it was. No wonder breaking 90 has been so difficult! Anyway, seeing my swing has helped me gain perspective on setting goals and I was able to narrow down in my mind exactly what I would need to achieve first before getting obsessed with any of the usual things (equipment, lower scores, more GIR, etc). In 2016 I'd like to: Take a series of lessons from a coach who is compatible with my style/personality (never had a lesson, as video of my swing will make clear) Change my swing so that some basic fundamentals are ingrained and reliably repeatable (takeaway that keeps the club on plane, staying down all the way through the shot, and full rotation of hips/shoulders through impact being 3 that I can see I completely lack right now) Stick to a workout routine that I can do 3x a week that will workout my core and keep me from developing any back pain as I change my swing Start breaking 90 as a result of sticking to the above 3 (this is a reach goal, but it's there to hopefully keep me sticking to the first 3 goals) Nice to read everyone else's goals. It helps me keep things in perspective. I don't think these are too lofty, do you?

Great, thanks for the feedback on this. I totally understand what you're saying about the Faldo drill. As soon as I watched the video you posted I liked what I saw, and then started watching related videos by the same guy, George Gankas. Love his style! Watching him teach is completely changing the way I've looked at golf instruction. This drill you posted in particular is something I'm looking forward to trying out later this evening at the range. I also found this video that I thought was very helpful in terms of keeping the club in front of me. Also, good point about exaggeration. I can already feel the difference when doing some mirror work just now. I have so much that's improperly ingrained in my swing I feel like exaggeration is the only way I'm going to retrain myself. Stay tuned...

Oh and how could I forget the most expensive public course in the city?! Well, that should answer my own question...I've written off the idea of playing here because I don't have over $100 to drop for 18 holes: http://www.trumpferrypoint.com/ Jack Nicklaus design, links-style, opened less than a year ago (I think). If I were on vacation and ready to splurge I'd play here, but otherwise it's totally off my radar (hence the unintended omission from my original list). I get to see it when I drive over the Whitestone Bridge from time to time, looks mighty fun. Guess I should start saving up for the $144 resident greens fee (no cart) on a weekday.

Hello out there... New to the forum as of yesterday, when I got tired of looking at video of my horrible swing (which I finally decided to film after 8 years) and posted it in the "my swing" section of the forum looking for some advice on how to build a better swing from the ground up. Being obsessed with the game, particularly the awesome sight of a fundamentally sound swing, I'm now in search of some solid instruction that can put me on the tough road of changing some poor moves I've seemingly ingrained in my muscle memory (head on over to my post in the "my swing" section to see the ugliness of which I speak). No more quick fixes, now it's time to actually put the work in and one day hopefully reap the benefits of a repeatable golf swing. Really looking forward to contributing here on the forum and to have joined a community of like-minded individuals. And that's right, I'm in the Bronx! Teach high school earth science here in a very difficult neighborhood with tough kids, and I've flirted with the idea of starting a golf team. to help teach the values that many of my students seem to lack. Any other coaches out there who work in difficult urban settings? Would love to hear how you're doing..... Well, great to join an online community about all things golf! Walter

Appreciate you pointing out a need to contribute first. I didn't see that in any of the introductory literature about posting my swing. Wish I had known first, as I certainly don't want to seem like I'm just here to reap info and get out. Looking forward to contributing! As for your thoughts on my swing, much appreciated. Funny, I've never considered where my eye sockets are pointing, only the position of my spine/shoulders/hips and keeping them in line. Already took some swings yesterday with your advice and I like the feel of it. And yes, my takeaway was the first thing I noticed as being TOTALLY out of line. I always knew I was swinging a bit around my body (one of the many tweaks I made that acted as a "quick fix" for one thing or another when I was building a swing all by myself) but it never occurred to me just how offline this was. I've started doing this drill by Faldo and have started getting my hands in better positioning throughout my takeaway, although I'm still only getting my hands at about the level of my shoulders (maybe an inch or so higher - no video yet, sorry). Any advice on what drills might help me start to develop a solid takeaway/top of the backswing position? This is the main thing I plan to start working on. Thanks again! Don't worry, I'm actively seeking for threads I can contribute some thoughts to.

Haha! My understanding is that you guys drive on the wrong side. Lol. All jokes aside, yes the traffic can be terrible, particularly around Brooklyn. Only two courses I've played in Brooklyn are Dyker Beach and Marine Park, and if you keep your expectations relatively low you can have a decent round at either one. Like I said, avoid playing on the weekends and you could get a round in under 5 hours. The layouts provide a decent challenge, although the courses aren't maintained to the highest of standards, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea: they aren't atrocious by any means. However, if you have contacts in the corporate world I would highly recommend going that route if you can. Getting onto any of the private courses in Westchester County (north of the city) or Long Island would be a mighty step up from what you'd get on the muni courses. I'm jealous: I'm from here and I don't have access to any of those pristine places. As for "hire clubs", I assume you mean rental clubs. Yes, all of the courses I've played at offer rental clubs. Check out a few of the links below for greens fees and rental rates. Enjoy your trip! http://www.dykerbeachgc.com/ http://www.golfmarinepark.com/ http://www.pelhamsplitrock.com/ http://www.golfnyc.com/

Glad to hear you'll be traveling to NYC! Mind sharing with us where you'll be staying in the area? Not sure you'll be too keen on traveling all the way out to Bethpage from the NYC area but it depends on your expectations and flexibility. Driving from Manhattan proper will take you at least 1.5 hours, if not more. Traffic can be unpredictable. But certainly for such a famed location it might be worth it to you. Much closer you will find a couple hidden gems up in the Bronx (where I live) in the form of Split Rock & Pelham Bay Golf Courses, 36 holes of decent municipal golf inside the largest acreage of parklands in all of the five boroughs, Pelham Bay Park. There is also Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course, the oldest public municipal course in the contiguous United States. These are true muni courses, so expect 5+ hour rounds on weekends with local duffers all over the course. Best to take advantage during the week, and Pelham/Split Rock runs a deal you can't beat: 18 holes w/cart and 2 free drinks for $45, even less after 3 pm (I think I have those details correct). There are other munis within the city limits that are also worth checking out: Dyker Beach in Brooklyn, Douglaston and Clearview in Queens. Staten island has several courses that I hear are nice but I've only played once over 5 years ago. Can't speak much to those. Certainly this is not a comprehensive list, but it should get you started. Look into lower Westchester for some nice courses (Sprain Lake, Dunwoodie) and also several courses on long Island are not as far as Bethpage (Eisenhower Park has three 18 hole courses). Good luck with your search! Do reach out if you have any specific questions. I'm happy to help!

Hey everyone on the Forum! This is my first time posting on any golf forum, and below you will find a couple of videos I've taken over the past week that happen to be my first attempts at filming my swing. I've spent years developing my swing based on feel and boy was I surprised at how un-fundamentally sound my swing is! For someone who is big on understanding and respecting the fundamentals of any athletic move (I was a decent pitcher in high school), I was shocked at how awful my swing is. I've never taken a lesson so it's no surprise I've been in the dark all these years. I love to watch videos of professionals swinging the club, and I can honestly say I think a fundamentally sound swing is a thing of beauty. No joke, I can watch for hours! You can imagine my horror at watching myself swing. Hence my desire to reach out to a community of golfers for some tips on how to get started redesigning my swing from the ground up. I'm tired of playing inconsistent golf and can't wait to start working on learning a few key moves that will help me strike the ball more consistently. For what it's worth, there are two big things I need to do better in these videos that I noticed right away and have already started to work on. They are: 1) limit my hip turn in the back swing to allow my upper body to coil correctly, and 2) allow my hips to lead the swing and turn my shoulders all the way through the shot (can you see how bunched up my shoulders are at impact? So ugly!). Any and all advice on how I can work to develop a better swing would be much appreciated. I love to practice (I hit the range 3 - 4 times a week lately) and am really eager to work some fundamentally-sound moves into my practice routine. Here's to a better golf swing! Can't wait to hear what some experienced ball strikers have to say. Thanks Walter I've been Playing Golf for: 8 years My current handicap index or average score is: 18.4 My typical ball flight is: Slice/Fade The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: High Slice/Unintended fade Videos: