SirDustinLongJohnson

Sorry, but I just now noticed this. To me, it seems to. You might have to do some adjusting with driver and woods, but that depends on your typical shot shape. For example, you might end up with the ball too far from the left heel if you tend to leave the club face open a little through impact, resulting in slices/pushes (for a righty). I think of it more as a general idea, which should be fine-tuned for each individual.

This will probably help a lot with hitting thin/fat shots. I just recently saw a tip about getting set up. Basically set your feet about shoulder width apart with the ball right in the middle for 8i and shorter, and widen by moving your back foot away from the target for longer clubs. This accomplishes two things: moving the ball position forward and widening your stance all at once. You should get progressively wider with longer clubs.

This season was my third (season in Michigan:~April-October), and I started tracking handicap at the beginning, including a couple rounds I happened to remember from the year before. I think my handicap was around 26 when I first got the required number of rounds in. By the end of the season it was down to 20.8. Keep in mind it isn't official, but I'm very strict with myself about following the rules, holing out, etc., so I think it's pretty accurate.

I was too. I thought about asking how to do it properly, but felt like it was a stupid question and never did. I ended up asking a buddy how he did it.

Rushing the down swing can definitely have a negative effect on ball swing. I heard a good tip, which is that you should think of the downswing as a gradual acceleration, like getting onto the highway with an open mug of coffee in your car. You need to get up to speed, but, if you just floor it, you'll just spill the coffee. The idea being that speed is good, but only at the right moment (I.e. as the clubhead strikes the ball). Too much speed early (I.e. rushing) will cause casting and other problems that will negatively affect your ball striking. The drill for practicing that is simply to take practice swings and try to hear the "whoosh" coming from the left side of your body.

I've been learning the game the last couple years, so, for the past 2-3 seasons, I've been constantly in a swing change. Sometimes more radical changes and sometimes less. I've found that my play tends to be more erratic when making large changes but trends in the right direction overall. I usually play 2-3 (9 or 18 hole) rounds a week even when making big changes. Sometimes I play 9 directly after a practice session (I don't usually score well, but I almost always make few real nice shots). My problem is that I've always been an over-thinker so swing changes tend to get me thinking too much when I'm on the course. I think Michael Breed offered a good suggestion. Take two practice swings: the first focusing on whatever change you're trying to make, and the second focusing on just making a nice steady swing. Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about it and just go play. What's the worst that can happen? A bad round is all. Go out, have fun, and enjoy the course. PS: plan for the course ahead of time (at least tee-shot clubs/targets) to try to minimize the mental work while playing.