post lesson round...eeeee....

[huhhh]

Yeah, it went about as you'd expect. Not well. I knew it was coming but it felt like everything that was working during the lesson, and the 2-3 practice sessions after the lesson was completely gone.

I spent the entire time trying to find that feel again and, outside of maybe 5 or 6 swings (out of 103), never got it back. I was concentrating on the same things, had the same swing thoughts, and right up until "contact" the motion felt the same...but it wasn't...it really wasn't.

I know this is somewhat common but how do I work this out? I have no idea what I'm doing differently, so I have no idea what to work on to fix it. I can't afford to get another lesson, 7 days after the last one, and I'm not sure that's the fix anyway.

 

[CobraX51]

It's a bad feeling and we've all been there. When things go south you pay someone $50 an hour for them to diagnose it within minutes and find drills that work while you're together and you found your swing, feel at ease, and most importantly, confident.

Couple days later on the range or on the course it doesn't go as well as it did with your coach and you scramble. Ask your coach if he can text/e-mail you what you guys did correct in your lesson and perhaps have him send you video of what you did correct so you have a reference to go back to when things aren't going the way you expect.

 

[2BFAST]

Normal. Its going to take some time to groove that feeling. Keep it up

 

[Rusty Dave]

Swing changes take months and months to stick. My advice would be to practice what the pro taught you at home, in front of a mirror and at the range.
When you go play, forget about the changes. Just go play perhaps focusing on one swing thought knowing that the swing you have today is the one you’ll play with.
Expecting these changes to happen quickly while you play is setting yourself for failure. Trust me. I’ve been there. I still continue to work on changes. It never stops but I’ve learned to leave those changes for practice and the off season. My scores are better and it’s way more fun.

 

[Desmond]

Normal.

Practice at home, inside with a short club, what you need to work on..

Play more

Eventually, the lessons will take.

Caveat: It may take a year for all of the lessons to take

Patience.

 

[huhhh]

Thanks, I really did half expect to fall apart like a wet paper hat. That didn't spare frustration from the other half though. I guess the question is how do I practice? I'm focusing on the exact same things during good swings and bad swings. I cannot feel where the difference is.

 

[2BFAST]

Thanks, I really did half expect to fall apart like a wet paper hat. That didn't spare frustration from the other half though. I guess the question is how do I practice? I'm focusing on the exact same things during good swings and bad swings. I cannot feel where the difference is.

Find a way to video yourself. There are free apps you can download for this. What feels right usually isn't right in the golf swing. Either someone puts you in the correct position to feel it or you see yourself on video then do it correct.

 

[wadesworld]

I've seen respected teachers remark that it takes 12-18 months to ingrain a single swing change.

I think that's why I never had success with that model through most of my life. I've gone with the Shawn Clement/Fred Shoemaker model of "give your brain a task and allow your body to execute." Not saying which one is right for you - just letting you know there is more than one model of instruction.

 

[Desmond]

Thanks, I really did half expect to fall apart like a wet paper hat. That didn't spare frustration from the other half though. I guess the question is how do I practice? I'm focusing on the exact same things during good swings and bad swings. I cannot feel where the difference is.

I swing very slowly without a ball to feel what is occurring and correct as I go - slo mo' the swing.

And with a big mirror inside.

Video will help but I like to feel everything in slo mo'. Rinse and repeat.

Crawl before you walk, walk before a full speed swing.

 

[jhtr20]

We all go through this. I never play immediately after a lesson, always at least two range sessions before playing. The other thing I always ask my instructor is "what should I feel?" He then gets me in a position and says "this..." with explanation. I also ask what drill I can do to ingrain what is being taught. He also sends videos of the lesson which I can go back to. Having said all that there are times on the course I go through the space time warp and totally revert to a previous me for a swing or two.

 

[JW4]

Had my first lesson ever Friday - hit the ball pretty pure and was feeling good. Mostly worked on wider stance and alignment issues. Played Sunday and had the worst round I have had in over a year. Divots the size of craters and balls flying all over the place (even 10 feet in front of me). Just one of those days, but it wasn't much fun. Had I drove myself to the course I probably would have left. Oh well...life moves on.

Back to the range this week for continued practice

 

[emart2173]

Imo and experience it’s best to spend 1-2 weeks of a few days/week at the range working on the drills and getting the feel for the new movements with slower swings and full speed swings. The mind can’t learn the movements at full speed and for many it takes hundreds of reps to get to the point of having the move(s) engrained and hundreds more to get it down pat. Trying to gonfull speed out of the gate is like getting your drivers license and then trying to race nascar the next day

 

[Lost Golfer]

I feel your pain. My pro tells me I need to be more confident but how do you get confidence when you can’t seem to bring it from the lesson area to the course? I’m stuck in this same spinning wheel as you are right now. I keep to trying to jump off but so far no good. My guess is that I have to be more deliberate in what I do on the course. I seem to rush too much with bad results. Baby steps! Good luck.

 

[emart2173]

I feel your pain. My pro tells me I need to be more confident but how do you get confidence when you can’t seem to bring it from the lesson area to the course? I’m stuck in this same spinning wheel as you are right now. I keep to trying to jump off but so far no good. My guess is that I have to be more deliberate in what I do on the course. I seem to rush too much with bad results. Baby steps! Good luck.

It’s not easy to do but the practice range and the course have to be separated in approach. The course should be about golfing the ball and not swing and the range is for working on the swing. For many it’s hard to pass up a day in the course to go practice instead especially if on course time is already limited due to life. Swing changes imo and I’ve made a frwxover the last couple years take time and have to be deliberate. A couple years ago I spent 3 days a week at the range splitting time between drills and full swings and being frustrated for the first two weeks before I even saw a course and it was right befireca thp trip to ust. Thankfully right before the trip things clicked a little and I played some really good golf. Got side tracked last year and went back to my old instructor and all year was up and down with scores. Decided this year to go back to the guy from a couple years ago and took a lesson earlier in the year..swing changes and the right feelings are now just starting to become more natural. When on the course i try not to thing about it, use my pre shot routine to get a feel for what I want to do then step up and swing away

 

[huhhh]

Update, played only two 9 hole rounds since then and went to the range several times. Everything seems to work better on the range. Though I didn't score any worse than normal (it felt a lot worse than normal though). The problem is still when it goes wrong, I don't know why. I know what it's supposed to feel like, I know it doesn't feel like that...but I have no idea why. So even when on the range I don't know where it's going wrong so I don't know what to do to get it to where it's supposed to feel like.


...I think that made sense.


I just keep doing the drills and concentrating on what he told me. Without any idea if I'm doing right or not.

 

[ChristopherKee]

Never keep score while making changes. Just hit at flags and remember only the good shots. Eventually you'll be mentally prepared to keep score.

 

[huhhh]

Never keep score while making changes. Just hit at flags and remember only the good shots. Eventually you'll be mentally prepared to keep score.

hehe...that's easier for those of us that put 3' from the flag under pressure..and from the rough.

 

[JayB]

don't play right after a lesson with the expectation to have magic. As others have said, you need to engrain those changes in a low pressure setting like your back yard or a range. If you do go out and play, don't even think about keeping score. You may think you have the same focus and thoughts, but secretly you are trying to do it very differently (mentally and physically) because you're on the course trying to put up a good number.