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Self aware, or delusional...?

JoeyJoeJo

JoeyJoeJo

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Had a couple of good range days. I haven't been striking well for a couple weeks and tried to break down what's going on, going back to my lessons learnt and building back up.

So, 250 balls later I *think* I've managed to reset my grip (my coach wants mine to be stronger), restore the flex in my knees (think I was close to locking them), straighten my posture (think I was leaning over making for a weird swing) and moved away from the ball a touch (think this was causing shanks).

The last 50 were very sweet to strike and filled me with hope, but the question is, am I now a self aware golf guru, or did I just luck out with a couple of good days where things clicked...? :D (I know which I really believe!)

Hopefully I can carry on to the course and my coach isn't horrified next time that I've corrected four faults by compounding four more!!
 
Im not sure. Maybe a combo of the two?
 
It's a great feeling when your able to diagnose a problem. It's definitely possible as we learn more about our swing. It's no replacement for the outside opinion of a trained eye, however. I wouldn't cancel my lessons just yet, but congrats on getting it worked out.
 
Joe it sounds like everything you worked on is a positive. Keep focusing on the stuff that is bringing you consistency :thumb:
 
It's a really rewarding feeling to be able to self-diagnose. A very-few players (I'm thinking Bubba Watson here) have the born ability to self-diagnose. Anyone with half an idea of what their body's doing can learn to self-diagnose after enough instruction. You begin to get a sense for what you're doing wrong and what your pro told you to do to fix that specific fault. That being said, it's a really good idea to double check with your pro if things ever start getting worse when you self-correct!
 
joe, think of it in terms of professional, the tour players practice just about everyday and then they play, baseball players take batting practice everyday and then they play, how many of us amatures practice and then play, most of us play and then hit the range when our game is not where we want it. practice keeps our timing and feel,
 
Agree with everything said, no intention of ditching the lessons, that would be rash/stoopid!

I think the knowledge that is coming from lessons and one to one instruction is having a far greater, longer term effect on my fundamental understanding of the mechanics and how they relate to my body and it's limitations than 25 years of reading magazines. My coach is really good at relaying information in terms relevant to *me*.

Hopefully I'm correcting the things the right way and not correcting faults with faults!
 
Good for you to be able to self-diagnose your golf swing. I think that is a major step in everyones' golf growth.

However there is a saying, "Man plans, God laughs," which I think often applies to golf. We do all we can, practice, and think we have things under control, until the golf gods "step in" with a dose of reality - usually at the most inopportune times.
 
It's always a good feeling when you can get yourself back on the right track. I like to use a video of my swing to help me fix my bad tendencies. Luckily I have the ability to jump in a bay at GolfTec pretty regularly.
 
JoeyJoeJo said:
Agree with everything said, no intention of ditching the lessons, that would be rash/stoopid!

I think the knowledge that is coming from lessons and one to one instruction is having a far greater, longer term effect on my fundamental understanding of the mechanics and how they relate to my body and it's limitations than 25 years of reading magazines. My coach is really good at relaying information in terms relevant to *me*.

Hopefully I'm correcting the things the right way and not correcting faults with faults!
Click to expand...

It reads like you have done the right things. Let us know how it goes the next time on the course and also what your coach says the next time you have lessons.
 
Like everyone JJJ, its probably a bit of both, you guru you. By the sounds of it, you simply 'check listed' the basics. Grip, posture, ball position etc...which I think is probably the safest fix for any issue...then you started the practice, and started getting the mental stuff going too...
 
As expected, I know nothing!
Had my first lesson since the poor spell today, one tiny tweak and things back on track.

Was actually standing a little too far from the ball, weight going to the balls of the feet causing balance issues on the swing down and through.
Reset for balance, everything else flowing better now.

Hit 50 balls to warm up, was happy with 2, hit 20 after, happy with 18.

Everyone on here knows the importance of lessons (or should), lesson learnt here is the amount I spent on range balls trying to figure out would have paid for most of the lesson, could have sorted myself out by just going straight to lesson. Will not hesitate the next time!
 
Lessons are definitely the way to improve, as an instructor will help with your swing and also teach you how to practice. I used to only go to lessons when my swing was absolutely terrible as a last resort. My rationale back then was I didn't want an instructor messing with my swing when I was hitting well. Now, I plan on lessons regardless of how I'm playing, so the instructor can see when I'm hitting well and can tell me what I'm doing right (if anything).

A lot of us have had a-ha moments at the range, and I have been able to bring better scores to the course occasionally because of it. On the flip side, there have been times where I shank about every ball in the bucket, then go to the course and score well. Lessons though will get you consistent and will help you get the most out of time on the range.
 
Once you groove your new swing and all of your fixes have become automatic, then and only then will you know if you've reached the height of self-awareness and your swing is fixed young Skywalker.

"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda
 
Remember what those misses felt like so that you have an easier time self diagnosing next time. It could help speed up your recovery.

(I need to remember to do this too)
 
MizunoStriker said:
all of your fixes have become automatic,
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I'm trying to achieve, standing over a ball, I have mental capacity for no more than three thoughts, I need to get the older fixes to be instinctive/intuitive and only think about the new ones.

The recipe of thinking "feet shoulder width, right behind, flex knees, better posture, aim parallel to path, ball position, is clubhead square, grip there, passive hands, swing around, passive hands, back on the same path, don't lift, release, balance" is a recipe of disaster!!!
 
SharkHat said:
Remember what those misses felt like so that you have an easier time self diagnosing next time. It could help speed up your recovery.

(I need to remember to do this too)
Click to expand...

Another great tip, I do best when remembering how things felt rather than the mechanics, the balance thing we worked on today, I need to practice to train myself what the correct feel in my feet is, if I then feel the balance going, I can think was I too much on the balls or heel and it's a balance thing.

All part of the never ending journey!!

Thanks all for the input :)
 
a self aware golf guru on the areas which you figured out on your own :)
 
I would more call it self diagnostic than self aware for me. I am getting to know what my tendencies are and the cause and effect of my not so good efforts. I am at the point with my lessons where I am cleaning up things like turning through etc. I had a time in the improvement process where I was feeling overwhelmed and thinking too much and from listening to Dr. Rotella realized that was part of the process of learning and that I needed to work on one thing at a time until I could do it without thinking about it, then move on. Most of it was one simple thought before swinging like "pull down on the chain" at the beginning of the downswing that helped "pre-program" my brain before the next swing while practicing.

In all this the hard part is separating the process from playing. It is getting easier to work on something in the bay during lessons and practice and not think about it when I get on the course.
 
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