Fundementals... Do you practice them?

kc720

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I've had some terrible ball striking past couple months. Went in for a lesson today and got my eyes opened up on things I had taken for granted. I was setting up inconsistent distance from the ball, feet closed to target line, feet, hips, and shoulders not square to target line. From there things compounded with takeaway too inside, then all hell breaks loose.

In Hogan's five lessons, he suggests practicing the grip several times a day. I never did... So it got me thinking, how often do you practice the fundementals of your swing? Do you practice your grip and setup?
 
I've been working on my set up, as I too have had a tendency to align everything except my shoulders to the correct target line. I've been working on that for a few weeks now, without hitting a ball. So, now I need to head to the range and see if this change is transferring to the course for me.
 
I have a grip that I hold while I'm sitting around. My workouts at OTF, implement my stance and posture when I'm doing legs. The fundamentals are the first check before I swing the club. It allows me to diagnosis my swing when I make a mistake
 
I never practice them and it shows. Sometimes everything lines up perfectly and other times I feel like my body is trying to swing in 500 different directions.
 
I never practice them and it shows. Sometimes everything lines up perfectly and other times I feel like my body is trying to swing in 500 different directions.
It's such simple mistakes that snowball into other compensations in the swing. I heard Michael breed on golf fix say once we should setup like a pro even though we don't swing like one. I'll be paying more attention from now on
 
Not as much as I should. Everytime I start to struggle in some area, the fundamentals are what gets me back on track!
 
pretty much every time I go to the bathroom I'll do a little mirror work


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Not as much as I should and something I plan to spend more time on this year. I noticed my shoulders have been closed to my hips and knees. Some days it feels like i have lazy posture and my setup gets inconsistent
 
Set up and grip I do practice regularly. Every time I hit the range I work on setup. I have a club at work that I practice my grip with.
 
Since my swing relies heavily on a few basic fundamentals, I work on them a lot.
 
It's such simple mistakes that snowball into other compensations in the swing. I heard Michael breed on golf fix say once we should setup like a pro even though we don't swing like one. I'll be paying more attention from now on

Im going to be the dude with alignment sticks everywhere...in the belt loops, along the target line, across my chest
 
Everything kc720 describes is part of what I work on. Golf is hard. But I find that working on fundamentals is harder than it seems. The focus of a swing, an impact, can be crazy complicated. I think about one, lose track of the others. This is part of what appeals to me about golf. It challenges me in new ways. I like that.
 
I never practice. I don't putt, chip or go to the driving range enough to clam it as practice. I grab a club once or twice a week to play.
I have tried to work on this as I think I could take some huge steps if I practiced correctly but just have not been able to do it the way I want. One Day I will stop standing in my own way of good golf.

The question of how low I could go will bug me enough one day that a switch will flip and I will go to it. For now I am pretty content hovering between a 9-12 cap (what I have been over the last year) and just having some fun when I am out there.

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I try to get to the range at least twice a week. I need to work on alignment and maintaining posture. If I can master those 2 things, it would make this game a lot easier.
 
Every time I head to the range to practice, I use two alignment rods.

I don't think I have ever had an issue with my grip - and I have shown it to a number of instructors over the years.

Alignment and ball position are two things that I constantly need to pay attention to, and work on, to get my game to the place I want it to be.
 
I have not practiced this like I should. Thinking about it after you mentioned it, it would probably help me a lot. It's something I am going to make a conscious effort to try to do going forward.
 
I typically work on my grip and setup in my office a few nights a week. I also like to take 10 to 20 practice swings a night, but that doesn't necessarily translate to the course. I struggle with setup quite a bit so I need to figure out a way to get the right setup ingrained in my thick skull.
 
Not really outside of the course, but I am always conscious of my setup. I think that is probably the most important thing to get right for my swing. I have a hard time getting into the "golf mindset" when I'm not at a golf course or driving range.
 
I do not. Probably could find a way to squeeze it in, but it's not something I think about.
 
I never practice them. Like you said it's something that I take for granted. I know I have alignment issues so that's my biggest issue. I have been working on my grip lately


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When I go to the range 3-4 times a week, I use an alignment rod, and aim at something every ball. So yes I work on alignment, and ball position.
But I really don't work on my grip, and I've noticed its not as consistent as I would like. I did change from a strong to a weak grip over the winter, so its something I should practice. Any drills anyone is aware of? Or just re-grip and re-grip and repeat?
 
I don't practice this as much as I should, but I have been focusing on the setup more recently.

For the guys that use the alignment rods, if you set them down initially and keep setting up with the rod on the ground, is that helping you even when the rod isn't there anymore?

For me, I find that I can setup square with the rod there, but once it's gone, I won't know if I'm square anymore

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When I go to the range 3-4 times a week, I use an alignment rod, and aim at something every ball. So yes I work on alignment, and ball position.
But I really don't work on my grip, and I've noticed its not as consistent as I would like. I did change from a strong to a weak grip over the winter, so its something I should practice. Any drills anyone is aware of? Or just re-grip and re-grip and repeat?
According to Hogan you should do just that. Grip, regrip over and over every day so that it becomes second nature
 
I practice these fundamentals every day, and always tweeking things... Just trying to find the perfect swing, that probably doesn't exist. I use practice balls in my backyard and play little drill games in the backyard during my breaks (I work from home). But then again, I am kinda weird about that... Seeing that I like practice more than just going to play a round.
 
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