Most fun I've had in golf in 2 years

[Night train]

Trevino did pretty well with a homemade swing. Hogan wasn't one to hand out many compliments but he called Trevino a "hell of a ball striker"

[tElihu]

[quote name='mandudebro' timestamp='1333076944' post='4610659']
Hold the phone folks. Am I reading this right? A bunch of hacks with admittedly ugly swings reinforcing a disdain for instruction by making fun of Adam Scott and his perfect move for not having won any majors!? I'll trade AS for his swing and Tour presence for my swing and weekend 76's anyday.
[/quote]

To answer your questions, no and no.

And regarding your last sentence, so would everyone else.

[ava08]

[quote name='mandudebro' timestamp='1333076944' post='4610659']
Hold the phone folks. Am I reading this right? A bunch of hacks with admittedly ugly swings reinforcing a disdain for instruction by making fun of Adam Scott and his perfect move for not having won any majors!? I'll trade AS for his swing and Tour presence for my swing and weekend 76's anyday.
[/quote]


Easy guy, Hacks is not warrented. I am most likely presuming wrong, but your average drive is 320, any shaft / head that is not "tour" issue is unacceptable to grace your hands, and the thought of hitting any ball that is less than $45 a dozen revolts you to the point of vomiting. No one is questioning or even ripping on Adam Scott, matter of fact I believe that he has nearly the best mechanics on tour, what this thread is about is how hitting the ball with what works, AS LONG AS the idividual is getting what they want ot of their game, is much more fun / rewarding than being frustrated with trying to perfect a swing that a pro has or what top instructors say should be. To date the only instructor, that I know of that does not truely mess with guys swing is B Harmon. He watches and tweeks what is brought to the table. That said if someone is totally messed up, they should take a lesson/lessons but going to someone that will try to fit you to there mold is typically counter productive. That's all that is really being said.

I started this thread because I screwed myself up, not anyone else. I bought into having to lower my ball flight, even when I was blowing it by everyone. So many people told me that I hit the ball too high or would say wow how much more could you get out of that swing if the flight was lowered that I figured I had to fix it, thus the quest for a lower flight and the "right" swing. When I was able to let it go and just hit it, the other day, it was a great feeling and my first step to getting away from reading every article and trying every tip.

[thebuff34]

The problem isnt reading the tips in golf magazines, the problem is not being able to do them properly on the range. The tips will work, but most of the time you dont know whether or not you are doing them properly. If you're the type of person who just wants to go out and enjoy the game and shoot in the 90s swinging however you want then more power to you. But if you're competitive and want to improve, the tips, if done properly, will help you immensely.

[High Plains Driver]

The best advice that I have ever heard is on the PGA Tour mentoring commercial and Ben Crenshaw is telling Jhonattan Vegas that he has to know [b]his[/b] swing. That he has to know "your way of getting the club to the top and how you bring it down. You have to trust it."

[sonofagunn]

Well, on the other side of the fence you have me. My natural swing couldn't get me to break 90. Chunk, top, shank, slice, hook, etc.

Working for YEARS on making my swing more "ideal" has paid off big time. It wasn't easy. You can't just read a tip, try it, and then decide it didn't work for you. Most of the tour pros have spent years trying to change their swing for the better, and it has paid off $$$ for them too! Of course there are a few exceptions, one of them just won the Masters.

[benforeagle]

[quote name='Medic' timestamp='1332984885' post='4602679']
When I got fitted the guy was amazed.

"Your grip is too tight, you are taking it back really low, and you aren't following through all the way."


I showed him my latest scorecard - a 78.

He laughed and asked me to hit a few. Then he said "I don't how you are doing it but you are making great contact each and every time."

I know my swing doesn't look pretty. I know I am making up for things that are not supposed to be done. But I also know that I made contact with the so-called sweet spot most of the time. I know my distances and can play to them. I can hit a stock draw all of the time and have (self taught) learned how to hit a fade off of the tee. I can hit it low when I need to and I can get out of any sand. If I have any real shortcoming it is my putting. But as long as I don't three putt I am even happy with that.

The pro who did my fitting watched me hit my new sticks and it was really funny. He made some comment about "feeding my habit" - meaning his fitting had made my results even better. "Jim, you have the worst swing with the best results I have seen in a long time."

When it comes down to it, three things count:[list=1][*]Make solid contact.[*]The end score no matter how ugly it might have been getting there.[*]Keeping it fun.[/list]That's just my take on it anyway. I gave up a long time ago trying to take lessons and allow some pro to try to change every bad habit I have learned (adapted) to work around. All you have to do is look at Furyk and the proof is there that so long as the club comes into impact with the ball consistently/correctly, the end results will be as planned and desired.



[/quote]

Wow I feel I lost site of number 2 and 3 and I have been getting worse ever since. Thanks for the eye opener guys.

[Yzmerf]

I taught for quite a while and guarantee the original posters swing didn't look any different to the naked eye from one day to the next. No disrespect at all meant I just know how hard it is to make a change to a move that is unconsciously done. It is said that to reprogram muscle memory you have to do something 100 times a day for 21 days in a row for it to become ingrained. I will say though that a golf swing does not have to be perfect to play great golf. I will humbly offer myself as the opposite. I have had top 100 teachers tell me they wish they could swing like me and if they did they could win on tour but I can count the number of times I have shot in the 60's on my thumbs. Just shows how small the margin of error is. Enjoy the epiphany and let me know if you feel the same in a month. If you do can I get a lesson? Ha!

[mandudebro]

Hold the phone folks. Am I reading this right? A bunch of hacks with admittedly ugly swings reinforcing a disdain for instruction by making fun of Adam Scott and his perfect move for not having won any majors!? I'll trade AS for his swing and Tour presence for my swing and weekend 76's anyday.

 

 

Easy guy, Hacks is not warrented. I am most likely presuming wrong, but your average drive is 320, any shaft / head that is not "tour" issue is unacceptable to grace your hands, and the thought of hitting any ball that is less than $45 a dozen revolts you to the point of vomiting. No one is questioning or even ripping on Adam Scott, matter of fact I believe that he has nearly the best mechanics on tour, what this thread is about is how hitting the ball with what works, AS LONG AS the idividual is getting what they want ot of their game, is much more fun / rewarding than being frustrated with trying to perfect a swing that a pro has or what top instructors say should be. To date the only instructor, that I know of that does not truely mess with guys swing is B Harmon. He watches and tweeks what is brought to the table. That said if someone is totally messed up, they should take a lesson/lessons but going to someone that will try to fit you to there mold is typically counter productive. That's all that is really being said.

 

I started this thread because I screwed myself up, not anyone else. I bought into having to lower my ball flight, even when I was blowing it by everyone. So many people told me that I hit the ball too high or would say wow how much more could you get out of that swing if the flight was lowered that I figured I had to fix it, thus the quest for a lower flight and the "right" swing. When I was able to let it go and just hit it, the other day, it was a great feeling and my first step to getting away from reading every article and trying every tip.

 

fwiw, my post was not to be taken seriously. I actually agree with you for the most part. My bad for forgetting tone rarely comes off as intended on the interweb.

 

A couple of the posts took a pretty dismissive tone towards good technique and instruction, so I was just making light of it.

 

Based on my own experience and having observed the progress (or lack thereof) of many golfing friends, natural ability and hard work will only take you so far in this game. At some point, instruction becomes necessary to take it beyond that level (for the vast majority of golfers- there are always freaky exceptions, ie. Bubba).

 

And yes your presumptions (actually presumptions about what I was trying to imply regarding my own game) were wrong. I most certainly meant for myself to be included in amongst the hacks.

 

Still friends?

[4thand11]

I think there is actually something mechanically helpful to just swinging without thinking also. Not only does it get you to stop over-thinking, it also frees up the arms/hands/wrists to allow a better swing.

When you try to manipulate the club on the way back you almost always introduce tension which screws everything up. Just swinging allows a free swing.

I've long believed that golf is not so much a physical game, as a mental challenge of repeating on the course what we do in practice.

For instance, will you be willing to just rip at it on the course, next round you play? Or will you start to focus on what might go wrong and try to control the swing somehow?

In the Inner Game of Golf, Gallwey describes Players 1 and 2. Player 1 is the instinctive player who knows how to freely swing the club. Player 2 is the mind, giving instructions and telling you not to screw up. Player 2 sabatoges Player 1, which is why so many do great on the range but not on the course.

[ava08]

So. It's been about about 3 weeks or so from my original post, and I have to say that I have stuck with it, only once goinig on Youtube to screw around, and this time it was actually very helpful. I watched a short segment on Tom Watson, as he gave a "lecture" at an outing about the key move. And It is super simple and something I think I unconciously did, but got all screwed up on. The tip: Keep the spine angle! My last few outings my scores have been not great, but ball striking has been really good. With my last 9 holes at a 42. I know 42 is awful up here, but that included a quad and a double on that 9 for playing way too agressive after a nice string of pars. Minimizing those mental erros I give myself bogey on those wholes and I'm at 37-38 after a 2 years of God awful golf, I'm happy. This will be a slow process getting back to A) a proper repeatable / natural feeling swing and 2) getting my head back to good course management. Also I've had to recover my putting stroke because with the frustration of everything else I just messed around on the greens, not even trying to recover. Anyways. A few posts above this someone commented on the insignificat differences that were probably not noticable, where as I wouldn't normally argue that, I will this time. I went from a more athletic posture to a more upright posture and some other minor things that made my original/current set up and swing look much diffrent. I have to say that I have purpofully tried to work on the mechanics of my grip both club and putter wise, and that is the only thing I am trying to be mechanical about, To this point it has made a diffrence in both regards.

My keys that I would tell people, which are not mine at all, 1) be mindful of your grip and 2) be mindful of your posture and after that just let it go. Who knows this may all come crashing down, but I hope to continue trending lower.

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

I have a good swing, so my practice is focusing on fine tuning my swing so that I can produce the desired ball flight. Through a lot of hard work the past 3 months, I have gotten away from practicing my swing to practicing shots. I get bored making the ball go to the target, so I practice altering trajectory and flight path. As a result, my scores have started dropping because I am leaving the ball in better positions off the tee and around the green. I am a technical player, in that I have swing cues to hit a particular shot. That being said, for my go-to shot, a Fade with the driver, all I think is "Fade the ball" and the ball generally obliges.

I do look up articles and try them out, but that is for use on shaping shots. For example, yesterday I had 110 yds to an elevated green with a 15 foot tree 5 yards in front of me. I hit a very bad shot, so I will work this week on getting high trajectory on my short irons. If I run into difficulties, I will search for some tips and try them out.


IMO, I think to disregard swing tips is a bit stupid. Try out different tips and find something that works for you. But, to each his own.

[W2_Golfer]

I'm wondering if you guys have a fundamental swing or an ugly swing and shoot the same score?

[Petter Player]

Well, Maybe a bit different story...

Golf is a game of many, many layers. When you start, the first goal is to get the ball airborn, then after towards a target-line, then constantly hit it to the target, both in direction and distance. Then after begin to work the ball on demand, first on the range and then on course. And when you finally have that and the short game with full confidence, you can do this, it again changes from swing execution to total management of your mental and the course. And from there on or at the final level there is tournament play on tours, where all the guys from top to ranked 100+ can on some given day win a tournament, but that will never happen, if the focus is on getting your A-game to the field and false thinking of not being able to go low and score inspite the knowledge of your swing not being right where you want it to be.

I first smack the ball the best I could, making good contact with the egg-shell sized drivers of 80's and more often than not got slices. I was long right from the start, but not the way I wanted. Then I grab some instructional vids, like Golf My Way and The Perfect Swing by Nick Faldo and DL. I then grinded myself a swing-look-alike motion and every time, I put some power into swinging the shots were again all over the place. Played and grinded this way about ten years and shot some high seventies along, but my hcp got stuck around 10 - 12. I found out, that when I put 100% effort on drives, they go fairly straight, but when I try to swing little more carefully, they stray. Never could figure out why.

It was a forum like Hogan's hereoes here, where I got some solid ideas and started working my own images and thoughts on, what was right and what not. Later some of the writers organized a live session within the writers and there we, about thirty people were sharing thoughts and feelings on swinging the club. Two of the guys were pro's, which I did not know prior to our meeting. It took about three years to be able to play same scores as before the transformation, but now about five years after the swing remake start I'm down to 5. And now, no matter, if I only put the ball in play or shoot a 110 per cent effort to make a long par-5 in two the balls don't stray that much. Ofcourse I have an occational push or a big bubba-like slice, but now I do not fear slice or mis-hit every time I bow over the ball with my driver or any other club for that matter.

I totally aggree on not to follow the tips of quick fixes, as they only work if you have the flaws, they're supposed to cure. However, if the right fundamentals are not there, you'll get even more crooked. If you are in general satisfied, with the ball flight and scores you post, don't try to fix it.

Bottom line is, that, if you're not to work hard on learning new and really understand the fundamentals, don't even try. Just go out, play and practise according to what makes your ball fly best. But at same time remember to enjoy the scores you post by the swing and game you have, or end up miserable.

[Petter Player]

[quote name='Night train' timestamp='1333108171' post='4611833']
Trevino did pretty well with a homemade swing. Hogan wasn't one to hand out many compliments but he called Trevino a "hell of a ball striker"
[/quote]

+1

It's not the looks, but the physics and fundamentals...

And acordingly, if you have a homemade execution, you may end up beeing very good, but when you loose it, there are not very many people, who can help you.