Guess the index....

[straightshot7]

[quote name='Thrillhouse' timestamp='1338395260' post='5001004']
[quote name='biolagolfer' timestamp='1338364234' post='4999222']
[quote name='Obee' timestamp='1338351138' post='4998766']
So my actual index, right now, is +0.9, but I'm on my way down. I'll probably be +2 or lower next month or the month after. When I play once or twice a week, I'm a zero or a 1 at the highest. When I play a lot, I'm usually a +2 to +3. I'm a competitive amateur with some nice finishes on my resume (no wins, but have finished high in some really solid tournaments against top fields). I was away from golf for about three years due to some surgeries, and I've been back for a year now, and I feel my game really starting to come around again, finally. I'm 44, so I still have a few good years left in me, and I'm excited about golf again, and it feels great. :-)

So why post this?

I do it because I like to start a discussion about what a good swing actually looks like. In no way am I saying that I have a "better" swing than anyone else (clearly, I don't), I'm just trying to get golfers to understand that serviceable swings come in all shapes and sizes. The first time I posted my swing, the guesses were similar to you guys here: 10, 8, 12, 4, 6. [b]No one[/b] ever guesses below scratch (except the couple guys that know me! LOL!)

The best thing I ever did was accept my swing and work with it. Jim Hardy recently gave a talk at a tournament I played in, and his advice was music to my ears (paraphrasing):

"Be the golfer that you are, not someone else. If you hit it low, embrace the low shot. If you only are comfortable hitting a fade, play the fade. But understand that all golf swings do certain things well and other things not so well. Some shots are easy for some swings and players, while others will just not set up for you and you will not feel comfortable from time-to time. If you are a low-ball hitter, hitting a 194 yard approach shot to a tucked front left pin, that's not a shot you're going to feel particularly confident about. Accept that. Play smart. Play [b]your[/b] game, with [b]your[/b] swing.

I have had some good success over the years helping guys who are in the 2 - 4 handicap range get down to scratch or below, and the way I help them is to first get them to completely forget the aesthetics of the golf swing and focus on function and function alone. Repeatable, center-face contact is what makes a good golf swing, period. I make repeatable, center-face contact with my swing. Does it have its drawbacks? Absolutely. I'm a low-ball hitter. I hit the ball low, with lots of spin. Which means that really firm greens on really long courses can give me trouble, and I have to be very, very careful with what pins I attack. But my swing works, for me.

So quite chasing the myth of the perfect golf swing -- it doesn't exist. Figure out a way to hone center-face contact -- with your swing -- and then work from there. You'll be a much better player for it. I promise. :-)

Oh yeah: And learn to chip, pitch, and putt really well.... :-)

David
[/quote]

While I respect and agree with a lot of what you said, I think it is on one extreme of the spectrum.

I think all of what you said applies to someone who just wants to work with what they have and learn to manage their game and the course better (i.e. someone with the goal of being a single digit handicap or scratch golfer), etc. and it is good advice and it will make people shoot lower scores

However, if someone wants to be a truly great player...there are certain "non-negotiables" in the swing. . i.e. nearly the exact same impact position for all PGA Tour Pros, and there is a reason many PGA Tour players still work with swing coaches and improve their game doing so

So should we all try to copy Tiger's swing from 2000 and try to hit high draws? No, I think we should work with our "natural" leanings.. but there are swing improvements that can drastically lower one's scores in the long run
[/quote]

If someone wants to be a truly great player then the golf swing isn't going to get them there. Trust me, I've been there, done that, got the t shirt. I have a much better swing now than I did when I was good, and I hit the ball better, but my wedge game, short game, and putting were miles better back then so my scores were lower.

If someone has flaws that need to be sorted out then yeah, you need to work on them, but the key is to have a swing that repeats and produces a consistent shot shape. If the prerequisite to being a great player was a pretty golf swing then a lot more people would be "great".
[/quote]

I agree, that's why I am NOT saying it is ALL about having a "pretty" swing. .

I am saying it is a combination of having a great swing AND getting the most out of your swing and the rest of your game the way the OP is talking about.

I was disagreeing with the idea that it is solely about getting the most out of your current swing - -that will never get you to a PRO level (I know the OP is probably not talking about reaching that level)

I'm just pointing out that it is wrong to be on either extreme- - swing only or get the most out of your current swing

the truth is it takes great swing (and I don't mean "pretty", I mean fundamentally excellent) + great everything else (course management, knowing your own swing, short game, putting, etc.) to be truly great

[tfish]

looks like ken duke

not surprised you hit it well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIZqu5U1olA

[ALIF]

A great swing is one that allows you to get your ball in good enough position to let your short game do the rest. It really is a game of how many, not how. Zac Johnson proved that by beating Jason Dufner at the Bryon Nelson a few weeks ago. He kept himself in contention w/ his short game on Saturday and then hung in there on Sunday. BTW, just like thrillhouse stated, you just have to look at your action and your confidence to know you know how to play. Nice swing!


Rob

[straightshot7]

[quote name='chiva' timestamp='1339264595' post='5057926']
A great swing is one that allows you to get your ball in good enough position to let your short game do the rest. It really is a game of how many, not how. Zac Johnson proved that by beating Jason Dufner at the Bryon Nelson a few weeks ago. He kept himself in contention w/ his short game on Saturday and then hung in there on Sunday. BTW, just like thrillhouse stated, you just have to look at your action and your confidence to know you know how to play. Nice swing!


Rob
[/quote]

Jason Dufner won the Byron Nelson & then Zach Johnson won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial but I see your point.

Johnson was 1st in putts per round (25.5), while Dufner was T14th (28.3), although probably due in part to Dufner hitting more greens (T3, 73.6%) vs. Johnson (T37, 62.5%)

Anyways, I think they both have great, fundamentally sound swings along with every other player on tour.

By your definition, a swing that has poor fundamentals and bad mechanics is not a great swing if you're trying to make pars and birdies with your short game, because I don't care how amazing your short game is, if your swing is so mechanically bad that you can't get on or near the green in regulation at least 50+% of the time, you will never break par.