Is Too Much Attention Spent On Swing Mechanics (at the amateur level)

[jbw749]

I'm thinking swing your own swing and don't give a dang what it looks like is a better formula to reach your scoring goals.

Everyone knows the swing I'm talking about right? You know the one you know works for you but hate the way it looks? My argument is to take that swing and tweak some setup adjustments, fine tune it and TRUST it. The piece of mind of doing something you know works for you will result in lower scores.

[flatnstuck]

Swing your own swing is probably a good mantra for sub 10 handicappers who want to enjoy themselves every weekend.

 

The majority of amateur golfers own swings are so bad that they still struggle to play bogey golf with a great short game. You gotta remember that anyone shooting mid 80’s is a great amateur golfer statistically speaking, and by far don’t represent the whole.

 

YMMV.

[jbw749]

Swing your own swing is probably a good mantra for sub 10 handicappers who want to enjoy themselves every weekend.

 

The majority of amateur golfers own swings are so bad that they still struggle to play bogey golf with a great short game. You gotta remember that anyone shooting mid 80’s is a great amateur golfer statistically speaking, and by far don’t represent the whole.

 

YMMV.

 

True but those who shoot mid 80's are usually not happy with their game. This is the group I'm talking about. Shooting mid 80's probably means your swing is good enough, so it's time to start searching elsewhere.

[Ghost of Snead]

Swing your own swing is probably a good mantra for sub 10 handicappers who want to enjoy themselves every weekend.

 

The majority of amateur golfers own swings are so bad that they still struggle to play bogey golf with a great short game. You gotta remember that anyone shooting mid 80's is a great amateur golfer statistically speaking, and by far don't represent the whole.

 

YMMV.

 

True but those who shoot mid 80's are usually not happy with their game. This is the group I'm talking about. Shooting mid 80's probably means your swing is good enough, so it's time to start searching elsewhere.

 

Good enough for what ? To play the best golf you are capable of ?

[juststeve]

Swing mechanics are important, but they can also be simple. What is being taught is too complicated.

 

Steve

[Ghost of Snead]

Swing mechanics are important, but they can also be simple. What is being taught is too complicated.

 

Steve

 

Taught by whom ? Sounds like your putting all current day instructors in the same bucket.

[Swingman420]

I think a lot of people spend a lot of time with the wrong perspective. I fell victim to it. It’s the idea that focusing on body mechanics and swing positions means skill will increase. Personally when I got smart and started focusing on operating the tool not taking videos not swing thoughts not swingplane not shallowing not shaft lean not firing the hips not wrist conditions I realized that stuff is reactionary.

Most people I see online have totally the wrong concept and most successful golfers I know in person do not share the methodology of body focus.

I know several competitive young ams and their opinion about this stuff is very telling.

The body stuff is a reaction to the tool imo

[mfm22]

When I started playing & taking lessons about 14 yrs ago - " positions " were stressed - getting from setup to back swing took quite a few lessons - I know those are important but..

not everyone is able to do it the same - looking back i think I could have short cut learning process by a few YEARS ! ..

 

Instructors often ask if you have played sports etc.. but they do not elaborate on difference in the golf swing

step A - Would be to show that it's a simple Underhand / sidearm throwing motion ... Throwing a club down range will teach the correct "mechanics " real fast - you can not come over the top and throw club to target , you can not come in too steep or too flat ... so path & plane are realized not conceptualized

weight transfer is a natural thing at this throwing motion , speed of throw to reach target distance will depend on length of back swing and the speed of the turn

 

I think after a few sessions of doing this you are ready for the difficult part ... letting the ball get in the way ! The ball must be struck properly to propel it to target and that's where things get complicated .... we know about the path and plane from throwing motion ... Need to learn the "Low point " in the swing - then adjust "your" move to accommodate the low point while still being on target .... Sure there are tons of additional things to play with but those thoughts & feels can be learned pretty fast

 

Playing & scoring are another matter !

[chippa13]

The most success is attained from tuning the swing to the body rather than the body to the swing.

[farmer]

If you fall into the TGM-MORAD swamp, then, yes, you will spend way too much time on positions. If you fall into some part of the MdlT camp, then, no, you will not.

[wagsgt]

Swing your own swing can be fine aslong as there a good things in it. Find an instructor who isnt trying to get everyone a perfect model and will work with what works for YOU. But if you "just stop thinking about it" and your swing is trash, you will never improve

[getitdaily]

Positions are still important. But, along with positions, tempo HAS to be worked on. The combination of solid (not perfect) mechanics and solid tempo leads to good golf. There comes a point where you have to know your swing and go with it. That point varies. For a person who's content with their handicap level then that point is now. For someone who wants to lower their handicap, that point comes later.

 

Eventually everyone has to accept their swing and play it for what it is. Unless you've got a ton of money and time.

 

I'll give you a perfect, personal example. March of this year I started to lose my swing. I was constantly in the low to mid 70s...every round. In March I lost it. Started posting more low 80s scores than 70s. Every round, every range session was spent trying to find what was technically wrong with my swing. I was nitpicking. The swing was sound, but it wasn't producing what I wanted. After a few months of deep technical exploration and YouTube videos for this flaw or that flaw, I was flabbergasted to the point of almost putting the clubs up for a month or so.

 

I finally listened to myself and started to find ways to practice tempo. Bought an orange whip, that didn't translate to the clubs or course. Then bought the tour tempo app. 3 range sessions later I played a round of golf. I've played 3 rounds since starting tempo training: 76, 9 hole round of 34, 72. The 76 was with a triple.

 

Positions are important. Swing fundamentals are important. Tempo is incredibly important.

[Grayback1973]

I rarely talk to a good player who focuses on swing mechanics.In fact,when I ask them about their mechanics they seem clueless.They seem to talk more about picturing the shot or focusing on alignment,etc.I find that typically the better somebody is at a sport or game the less they know about the science of how they do it.

[Cretv]

I would agree. I’ve chased mechanics before, and the swing looked better but it wasn’t changing the score much. I think amateur instruction is better served on feel, pitching, and course management to start with. You can have an “improper” swing and still score low.

[getitdaily]

I rarely talk to a good player who focuses on swing mechanics.In fact,when I ask them about their mechanics they seem clueless.They seem to talk more about picturing the shot or focusing on alignment,etc.I find that typically the better somebody is at a sport or game the less they know about the science of how they do it.

 

Not these days. The guys who don't know mechanics are the guys who just don't want to talk about them, but they know them.

 

Good players know how what they do works. They understand mechanics and positions. Find me a good player who started hitting it sideways who doesn't start to focus on mechanics.

 

The better the player, the more they understand mechanics, not the less.

[Grayback1973]

I rarely talk to a good player who focuses on swing mechanics.In fact,when I ask them about their mechanics they seem clueless.They seem to talk more about picturing the shot or focusing on alignment,etc.I find that typically the better somebody is at a sport or game the less they know about the science of how they do it.

 

Not these days. The guys who don't know mechanics are the guys who just don't want to talk about them, but they know them.

 

Good players know how what they do works. They understand mechanics and positions. Find me a good player who started hitting it sideways who doesn't start to focus on mechanics.

 

The better the player, the more they understand mechanics, not the less.

Don't disagree but it has not been my experience with very good local golfers.Most of them seem to have no idea what their body is doing.

[A.Princey]

Sub-10 hcp here, and I understand what the OP is talking about. At some point, your swing gets consistent enough to lower your scores without trying to make it mechanically sound. At this point in my life, I've completely abandoned swing "changes" other than slight tweaks of stance, grip, swingweights, etc. The plane and path of my swing is what it is, and it's so much freer to not be thinking about positions during a shot.

 

Edit: I think about tempo and pressure pre-swing, nothing during the swing, all subconscious at that point.

[Jim Waldron]

Learning/training in new swing mechanics is a totally different mindset than playing golf. Could not be more opposite, in my experience. Oil and water, certainly.

 

This is Sport Psychology 101 and yet somehow the culture of traditional golf instruction has completely missed the boat on this one.

 

You see this reflected everyday in threads on this forum.

 

It has always been a Big Problem in golf instruction but it is on steroids now due to the Internet.

 

You learn/train to form a dominant habit, then trust that habit when playing. It ain't easy to do this in the early stages as we all know, but that does not mean it isn't the right approach. Once you are past the tipping point of 51% of the reps needed to form a dominant habit, it gets way easier.

 

My view and one that I teach every student, is that you should never try to change your swing mid-swing, let alone mid-round. Meaning changing it via thinking or choice, ie visualizing a body part or talking to a body part.

 

Feel is a whole different animal. You can learn to feel the new move to such a degree - with enough reps - that you can recall the feeling of that move, and by holding that feel sense memory in your mind, there is a pretty good chance your body will "get the message". You learn to do this while trusting your "naturalness" or your basic athletic throwing motion. This is just one option for playing golf that has a proven track record, but there are still some downside risks to using that strategy. Where do you focus your mind if the feel you are using only applies to the backswing, ie your mind will then wander on the forward swing making a flinch more likely.

[BrandonG31]

It all depends on how good you really want to become. If mid 80s makes you happy, then perfect whatever swing you want. To become a consistent scratch level player, you MUST have a shallow angle of attack. Whatever you do before that, is what it is. Ala Bubba, Furyk, Ray Floyd. There isn’t a good golfer on the planet with a steep downswing that plays consistently at that level.

[chippa13]

I rarely talk to a good player who focuses on swing mechanics.In fact,when I ask them about their mechanics they seem clueless.They seem to talk more about picturing the shot or focusing on alignment,etc.I find that typically the better somebody is at a sport or game the less they know about the science of how they do it.

 

Not these days. The guys who don't know mechanics are the guys who just don't want to talk about them, but they know them.

 

Good players know how what they do works. They understand mechanics and positions. Find me a good player who started hitting it sideways who doesn't start to focus on mechanics.

 

The better the player, the more they understand mechanics, not the less.

 

People want to believe things like this because they can't accept that others are just naturally better than them. In every sport there are plenty of high performance athletes who couldn't speak one lick to how they do it, they just do it. That is why in most sports, the exceptional in that sport are terrible coaches, because they can't understand how what they do isn't natural.

[Swingman420]

I know this every time you swing a club you are conditioning yourself. So over time you form habits. Some condition themselves one way and some another way.

Some form habits that tend to result in better golf than others.

[PutterKilledTheDream]

It all depends on how good you really want to become. If mid 80s makes you happy, then perfect whatever swing you want. To become a consistent scratch level player, you MUST have a shallow angle of attack. Whatever you do before that, is what it is. Ala Bubba, Furyk, Ray Floyd. There isn’t a good golfer on the planet with a steep downswing that plays consistently at that level.

 

You’re sure about that angle of attack comment? What exactly is shallow?

 

[WILDTHING]

Imho , mechanics is useful for 'what' could be happening in the golf swing but won't teach you how. The strange thing about theories on golf mechanics is when someone states an opinion there always seems to be alternatives that counter it (especially cause and effect).

[BrandonG31]

Steep downswings will limit how good you can be. Because it leads to wildly inconsistent play. My definition of shallow for my own game is the shaft lining up with my right forearm coming into the ball. Right handed golfer.

[getitdaily]

I rarely talk to a good player who focuses on swing mechanics.In fact,when I ask them about their mechanics they seem clueless.They seem to talk more about picturing the shot or focusing on alignment,etc.I find that typically the better somebody is at a sport or game the less they know about the science of how they do it.

 

Not these days. The guys who don't know mechanics are the guys who just don't want to talk about them, but they know them.

 

Good players know how what they do works. They understand mechanics and positions. Find me a good player who started hitting it sideways who doesn't start to focus on mechanics.

 

The better the player, the more they understand mechanics, not the less.

 

People want to believe things like this because they can't accept that others are just naturally better than them. In every sport there are plenty of high performance athletes who couldn't speak one lick to how they do it, they just do it. That is why in most sports, the exceptional in that sport are terrible coaches, because they can't understand how what they do isn't natural.

 

Comical that you lead with that sentence. Comical.

[FourTops]

IMO you can take the club back any way you want....twirl it if you want, but there's a definite "connected" move in the downswing and an impact position that are common to most all high-caliber golfers.

[David C]

How many people actually take lessons consistently, let alone with a plan, then practice properly and for a decent amount of time, and at the same time are members at a difficult 18 hole course and play 1-2 times a week? With the right equipment? And not bouncing from one internet idea to thget next? And do it for a few years or even continuously? Very few in my experience.

 

There’s a lot of bashing on here but I’ve seen plenty of people who at the most basic level aren’t even members of a decent course and not even playing in competitions, who for some reason expect to improve. It’s madness.

[PutterKilledTheDream]

Steep downswings will limit how good you can be. Because it leads to wildly inconsistent play. My definition of shallow for my own game is the shaft lining up with my right forearm coming into the ball. Right handed golfer.

 

You mentioned AoA must be shallow.... it doesn’t whatsoever have to be shallow to be good.

Downswing very different than AoA.

[jbw749]

How many people actually take lessons consistently, let alone with a plan, then practice properly and for a decent amount of time, and at the same time are members at a difficult 18 hole course and play 1-2 times a week? With the right equipment? And not bouncing from one internet idea to thget next? And do it for a few years or even continuously? Very few in my experience.

 

There’s a lot of bashing on here but I’ve seen plenty of people who at the most basic level aren’t even members of a decent course and not even playing in competitions, who for some reason expect to improve. It’s madness.

There's quite a few wrx members who meet your listed criteria or even exceed it.

[BrandonG31]

I’m well aware what angle of attack is. I misspoke. A steep downswing will limit how good you can be, period.