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Is the answer in the dirt?

Trout Bum

Trout Bum

Regional Rival
Albatross 2024 Club
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When asked what his secret was, Hogan said the Secret's in the dirt! (one of my favorite Hogan quotes)

Does the answer lie in the dirt for you? Have you found your swing as a result of practice?
 
To an extent, it is in the dirt. You won't get it figured out without practice, but you better be practicing the right thing or you're just further ingraining bad habits.
 
I've been searching deep in the recesses of an old, worn out, uneven, sandy range mat. Needless to say, I haven't found any answers yet.
 
Mward said:
To an extent, it is in the dirt. You won't get it figured out without practice, but you better be practicing the right thing or you're just further ingraining bad habits.
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^^^^This right here^^^^^

I've never had a lesson until this year becuase I thought I could look at divots and figure it out. Develop a "home grown" swing if you will. Little did I know that while I was learning to make contact and play respectable golf, I was engraining bad habits. One thing I've learned from my lessons and reading the various threads is practice to get better, but practice with a purpose and that means correct fundamentals as much as the results.
 
Mward said:
To an extent, it is in the dirt. You won't get it figured out without practice, but you better be practicing the right thing or you're just further ingraining bad habits.
Click to expand...

Well said right there. For 20+ years I have been a self taught player, minus the instruction provided by coaches and such. This year will be my first series of lessons and hope I don't find I've been ingraining those bad habits.
 
I think if you ever want to get better at something you better be willing to put the time in to practice.

I can't thinking one thing you can get better at by not practicing.
 
Mward said:
To an extent, it is in the dirt. You won't get it figured out without practice, but you better be practicing the right thing or you're just further ingraining bad habits.
Click to expand...

this is very true! You have to put in the practice time, but it has to be real practice working on the right things, just beating balls doesn't cut it!
 
I think so, especially if you have something you are working on with the swing or another part of the game. One of the silliest things I hear on the internet is the idea that one can make measurable improvement in their skills by just playing rather than practicing. Yes, you can learn how to play the game on the course, but learning how to swing or putt isn't the place for that.
 
Hawk said:
I think so, especially if you have something you are working on with the swing or another part of the game. One of the silliest things I hear on the internet is the idea that one can make measurable improvement in their skills by just playing rather than practicing. Yes, you can learn how to play the game on the course, but learning how to swing or putt isn't the place for that.
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This is my mindset completely.

I like to play, but I'll spend hours hitting balls and practicing short game stuff if I have the choice.
 
ATLGolfer said:
This is my mindset completely.

I like to play, but I'll spend hours hitting balls and practicing short game stuff if I have the choice.
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When I lost my time for regular focused practice my swing went downhill very fast. Not a coincidence.
 
Hawk said:
When I lost my time for regular focused practice my swing went downhill very fast. Not a coincidence.
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Same here, the handicap went up as the practice time went down.

There are guys that don't have teachers out there, look at Bubba, he beat balls until he found what worked. Hell, in the old days there were no swing gurus, there was a driving range and a can do attitude, I truly believe the answer is in the dirt.
 
Hawk said:
One of the silliest things I hear on the internet is the idea that one can make measurable improvement in their skills by just playing rather than practicing. Yes, you can learn how to play the game on the course, but learning how to swing or putt isn't the place for that.
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree, and actually feel the opposite is true once you are around a 20 HDCP or so. I think you can learn to swing a club or putt at the range, but you just can't put yourself in the situations your find on the course at the range, at least at the one I go to. I've never punched out from under a tree at the range, hooked it around a bunker or anything that you really face on the course.
 
But you can hit all those shots on the practice tee. Why would you expect to be able to hit those shots on the course if you'd practiced them sparingly?
 
mastapp said:
I respectfully disagree, and actually feel the opposite is true once you are around a 20 HDCP or so. I think you can learn to swing a club or putt at the range, but you just can't put yourself in the situations your find on the course at the range, at least at the one I go to. I've never punched out from under a tree at the range, hooked it around a bunker or anything that you really face on the course.
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I practice those shots all the time on the range, knockdowns, low hooks, low slices, it's easy to visualize the shot when you've spent a lot of time there.
 
I think that part of the "Secret" is in the dirt but more importantly it is "Between the Ears" as well!
Along with the practice of the swing, it also has to be an Attitude!
 
Hawk said:
But you can hit all those shots on the practice tee. Why would you expect to be able to hit those shots on the course if you'd practiced them sparingly?
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There are no trees on my range to hit under, or around. And we also have no true greens on our range itself, so I really don't know how quickly or not the ball will stop if I hit that green. There are lots of factors that are not able to be replicated on the range that you will find on the course.

I'm not pooh-poohing the range, but I don't believe you are going to learn how to become a player by beating balls more than you play on the course. I use the range to get loose, determine shot shape\miss, work on generic things...trying to fade the ball, etc.
 
I'd be really interested to hear a Tour professionals take on this debate, because it does come up from time to time. Just by observation, I see the best in the world practicing constantly, but obviously playing as well. For people with such repeatable swings, I would expect them to spend very little time on the range if it wasn't worth their time.
 
I feel there is a balance you have to have to play better. You can bang balls all day and to a degree you have to do to find what works and get everything working. The problem is if you aren't effectively using a target when you practice, you can get on the course and revert back to old habits when you have to hit at a target.

I am quite the visual learner and I feel I have to play or at least get out on the course and hit shots to get the full effects of my practice. I find when I can hit all shots on the course consistency and do it when targets are involved that is when I will start having confidence and can take it anywhere
 
Hawk said:
I'd be really interested to hear a Tour professionals take on this debate, because it does come up from time to time. Just by observation, I see the best in the world practicing constantly, but obviously playing as well. For people with such repeatable swings, I would expect them to spend very little time on the range if it wasn't worth their time.
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I spend a pretty good amount of time watching tour pros on the range and I can tell you that the ones that are playing well spend a lot of time on the range before and after their rounds, they realize the importance of practice.
 
If you don't practice, you won't be consistent.
 
Trout Bum said:
When asked what his secret was, Hogan said the Secret's in the dirt! (one of my favorite Hogan quotes)

Does the answer lie in the dirt for you? Have you found your swing as a result of practice?
Click to expand...
You are just a thread creating mofo, aren't you? All of them quality too. I hate when I have to think about an answer....and you've made me think again! :alien:

After thinking about this, yes, I agree. You can visualize all you want, but your swing doesn't become "your" swing without practice, practice, practice. I have a coaching colleague who was a 3 time All-American and 2 time national champ in lacrosse, even played in the MLL for a period, and his mantra was, "It takes 10,000 repetitions to perfect one part of your game." Obviously we were talking about lacrosse at the time, but then we starting discussing this concept for other sports, golf included. And if you think about it, it's very true for the most part. Lee Trevino practiced incessantly on his game and perfecting his cut. His practice sessions are legendary. Hogan was the same way from what I've read, a tireless worker.

But there's a caveat to that, you have to be practicing the right way. Going out and just hammering balls hours on end isn't practice. It's hammering balls. My definition of practice is working on an aspect of a skill and piecing those skills together the get the final product. Not to sound cliche, but I view the golf swing as a machine with multiple moving parts that must be in perfect sync in order to achieve maximum results. You may be getting great shoulder turn, but unless you're not doing all the right things through impact you're going to see less than desirable results. And practice for me is first, getting those individual parts to be 100% efficient, then piece them together little by little to make sure it's all in sync (now I have NSync stuck in my head), finally you turn the key and watch those pieces work together in harmony.

And that folks concludes, "Adam's Deep Thoughts of the Day". We now return you the regularly scheduled, "WTH is Adam Talking About" show.
 
Hawk said:
I'd be really interested to hear a Tour professionals take on this debate, because it does come up from time to time. Just by observation, I see the best in the world practicing constantly, but obviously playing as well. For people with such repeatable swings, I would expect them to spend very little time on the range if it wasn't worth their time.
Click to expand...


Listen to Bubba.



http://www.golf.com/video/practice-pros-bubba-watson
 
For me I don't study my divots too much, it's more of a feel thing for me if I'm coming over the top or too inside.
 
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