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Rambler goes to GolfTEC

ShotScope
Orange Hog said:
...Just curious, are you playing in the Duel in the Desert at the end of Jan with GCAT?
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Nope. Once I decided this might be my last GCAT year, I needed to play in events that get points towards national qualifying.

It might be on my list for next year, as you don’t have to be a GCAT member to play in it. A late Jan trip to Vegas will sound good!
 
Golftec Lesson and Practice 25-JAN

Had a lesson a couple of weeks ago, too, but more of a quick touch-base prior to a 4-day golf stint in FL. Today, I ran into a buzzsaw... Thought some of the stuff I had been working on was going to be difficult to change (and it has been, but progress is being made, slowly), but today, we started in on my downswing. Whoa! Tough road ahead. Current downswing is primarily driven by the upper body, so a lot of timing involved, and a lot of arm/hand action to get into impact.

One of the position issues is that I basically eliminate any room through the downswing by bending my upper body into the ball (angle measurements for should bend were waaaaaayyyyy into the "red" category on the GolfTec measurements). So.... during lesson, went to standing even a little bit taller at setup and through impact. Trying to use left hip/leg action to trigger the downswing and maintain a more upright spine angle, with my right shoulder getting down and through the ball.

Post lesson, spent an hour practicing on the swing. Have to be honest, I have never spent that amount of time, with a golf club, not taking a full swing. Was only going with 1/2 to 3/4 swings, trying to stay in positions and maintain that into the impact position. After working on the swing, spent an hour putting - I am feeling much more confident with my putting, so at least the extra time being spent on that is paying dividends.

Much tougher positions than I had been working on up to this point, but the video doesn't lie. Old habits are, indeed, hard to break. I don't expect to play a round until April - a real chance to only focus on swing changes for the next couple of months.
 
Rambler said:
Golftec Lesson and Practice 25-JAN

Had a lesson a couple of weeks ago, too, but more of a quick touch-base prior to a 4-day golf stint in FL. Today, I ran into a buzzsaw... Thought some of the stuff I had been working on was going to be difficult to change (and it has been, but progress is being made, slowly), but today, we started in on my downswing. Whoa! Tough road ahead. Current downswing is primarily driven by the upper body, so a lot of timing involved, and a lot of arm/hand action to get into impact.

One of the position issues is that I basically eliminate any room through the downswing by bending my upper body into the ball (angle measurements for should bend were waaaaaayyyyy into the "red" category on the GolfTec measurements). So.... during lesson, went to standing even a little bit taller at setup and through impact. Trying to use left hip/leg action to trigger the downswing and maintain a more upright spine angle, with my right shoulder getting down and through the ball.

Post lesson, spent an hour practicing on the swing. Have to be honest, I have never spent that amount of time, with a golf club, not taking a full swing. Was only going with 1/2 to 3/4 swings, trying to stay in positions and maintain that into the impact position. After working on the swing, spent an hour putting - I am feeling much more confident with my putting, so at least the extra time being spent on that is paying dividends.

Much tougher positions than I had been working on up to this point, but the video doesn't lie. Old habits are, indeed, hard to break. I don't expect to play a round until April - a real chance to only focus on swing changes for the next couple of months.
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Been going in and practicing a lot from stuff off the swing evaluation, but I just had my first lesson this past weekend. Boy oh boy. What a long way I've got to go! 1/2 and 3/4 swings are on my list as well. I even managed to put a hole in the drywall behind the net....Whoops!

And I HATE the putting green there. There's no consistency in breaks or roll. I just try to make sure my form is fairly solid. I thing we need to grab a 'green mower' and have at it on that thing :)
 
dhartmann34 said:
Been going in and practicing a lot from stuff off the swing evaluation, but I just had my first lesson this past weekend. Boy oh boy. What a long way I've got to go! 1/2 and 3/4 swings are on my list as well. I even managed to put a hole in the drywall behind the net....Whoops!

And I HATE the putting green there. There's no consistency in breaks or roll. I just try to make sure my form is fairly solid. I thing we need to grab a 'green mower' and have at it on that thing :)
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LOL! So you're the one? I hit the wall on Saturday and he said don't worry, the other room already has a ball mark. :)

I don't even know how to make a 1/2 swing... Leonard says only do a 1/2 swing, and I'm going completely to the top, not realizing it. D'oh!!

Putting green does have some oddities near 2 of the holes, for sure. I'm sure glad they have it, though, as I do believe it has helped me with my putting confidence and approach.

Even in the frigid temps, I have another practice session tonight.
 
Rambler said:
LOL! So you're the one? I hit the wall on Saturday and he said don't worry, the other room already has a ball mark. :)

I don't even know how to make a 1/2 swing... Leonard says only do a 1/2 swing, and I'm going completely to the top, not realizing it. D'oh!!

Putting green does have some oddities near 2 of the holes, for sure. I'm sure glad they have it, though, as I do believe it has helped me with my putting confidence and approach.

Even in the frigid temps, I have another practice session tonight.
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Yeah, I've been doing all my work in the small room....and I'm certainly NOT the first to hit that wall in there. That's for sure. From the holes in the wall, there's about 30 others that have hit it too!

1/2 swings are tough. My 3/4 swings are certainly full ones. It's a process for sure. I'll be in there wednesday and Saturday. possibly Thursday if something opens up. My schedule is so hectic with work right now....I feel like I barely have time to blink! But I've got a couple weeks to practice with leonard out of town. So we'll see what happens.
 
Went in this evening, and on the calendar for Thursday and Saturday. Dan said the schedule is filling-up more, now, with folks finishing their holiday lay-off. BTW, they have the i25 demo iron (at least one, anyway). 7 iron, blue dot, with stiff CFS. Really great feeling iron; I'm thinking it will be a minor miracle if I don't put those in the bag... Hit it against my G25s. i25s were nearly as long, without the extra 1/2 inch in length, and they just felt (sounded) better to me.
 
I think I hit those yesterday when I was in there. Didn't feel as good as my S55... But wasn't bad!

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dhartmann34 said:
... Didn't feel as good as my S56... But wasn't bad!

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I don't doubt that. I really like the looks of the 55s, but definitely a better fit for the 25s.
 
Great thread, Rambler. I nearly pulled the trigger last fall with the same coach at Vernon Hills. The price did scare me off, though. I might have to try to get it done before the season starts back up.
 
Splendorlex said:
Great thread, Rambler. I nearly pulled the trigger last fall with the same coach at Vernon Hills. The price did scare me off, though. I might have to try to get it done before the season starts back up.
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Thanks. I hesitated up to the point where I knew I needed to take the leap to make changes. There is also a "Training Camp" type program that is a little less expensive. It doesn't include unlimited practice, but still a good deal (relatively speaking, anyway).
 
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GolfTec Practice Session 30-Jan

Just a quick post. Was striking the ball really well, tonight. But.... [CENSORED by RAMBLER] The dad-gum swing looks pretty much like it did when I started. LOL! Still overswinging, collapsing left knee, huge casting motion, etc, etc... About the only thing I was happy with, mechanically, was my posting to a nice firm left side.

Also putted for about 45 minutes... 50 makes from 3', then the same from 6' and 9', then another 25 from 5'. Finished with having to make 3 consecutive putts, for 4 groupings.

I do find myself extra motivated for the putting practice after a somewhat disappointing full swing session.

The journey continues...
 
Practiced today....I should have stayed home :p

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dhartmann34 said:
Practiced today....I should have stayed home :p
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I hear that... Last 2 sessions have been garbage for the full swing. I'm planning to go back to the "beginning" of these lessons and focus on the stable base, with a connected takeaway, trying for a shorter overall backswing. (Saying it to make sure I emphasize it for my own good.)
 
Yeah, i've been working on half swing punch shots, trying to get myself to come from the inside and stay down on my follow through. It's been a heck of a process.
 
Good to finally meet you today. Practice session actually went really well!! When that happens I wanna be there for hours. Times are already filling up for March! Gotta plan ahead I guess.
 
I started at golftec a few seasons ago after going through 3-4 driving range/local course/golf town training programs and coaches. I've come to the conclusion that for me at least those were a total waste of time. I love learning and being coached and improving so I think I am one of those people who will be in some kind of program forever. The instant realization after a few lessons at golftec was the fact that all of those other coaches were trying to fix things that weren't broken and never getting to the root issues simply because the root issues weren't things you were going to see at 108mph swing speed or from a single low frame rate camera angle.

I'm a fairly visual learner as well so being able to see my swings and have an online record along with the coaches commentary of them that I can review during.... "breaks" at work is hugely valuable to me personally.

I've gone in the last 2.5 seasons from playing in the low to mid 90s with a round in the 100s every 4-5 rounds to playing exclusively in the low 90s high 80s after my first golftec package and then playing in the lower mid 80s with several rounds in the high 70s after my second package.

I'm sure this sounds like an advertisement but I am starting package #3 in march when their yearly 15-25% off sale happens and looking forward to seeing if I can take my game up another level as much as just getting the winter rust off and ready for the season. Stick with it Rambler I look forward to reading if you have the same luck with results as I have.
 
dhartmann34 said:
Good to finally meet you today. Practice session actually went really well!! When that happens I wanna be there for hours. Times are already filling up for March! Gotta plan ahead I guess.
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Enjoyed touching base - glad you were sporting the THP cap. Good sessions are addicting, IMO, so just want it to keep going. Mine wasn't as bad as previous 2, but wasn't great. I was almost sprinting to get out; even went much shorter on my putting time. If times are already filling-up, I could be in trouble as a lot of work activities may push the practice time around the next several weeks.
 
Yeah I just went ahead and booked a bunch of times. They're getting slim fir us working folk.

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Orange Hog said:
I went in to the local Golfsmith by my office today. I think I'm sold on their Training Camp program. The initial price tag of $990 feels pretty steep but when you break it down to an hourly rate it's a pretty good value (about $32/hour). The golf pro at my local course charges $50-65 for a 1 hour lesson. For that price at GolfTec you get 10 lessons, 12 practice sessions, swing evaluation and club fitting for that price. Plus it will align pretty perfectly to when the season starts for me (tournaments, league, etc) at the end of April/early May.
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Completely agree that it seems pretty steep when you look at the up-front costs. Once you break it down to a per hour cost, it seems more reasonable. For the all-encompassing programs, you can get in "unlimited" practice (guaranteed a minimum of 90 minutes per week, but can get in more if bays are open), and the costs look a little more favorable as well.
 
Swing evaluation is awesome.... I learned A LOT. But it certainly gives you a lot to think about in terms of what needs to be worked on.

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Rambler said:
Completely agree that it seems pretty steep when you look at the up-front costs. Once you break it down to a per hour cost, it seems more reasonable. For the all-encompassing programs, you can get in "unlimited" practice (guaranteed a minimum of 90 minutes per week, but can get in more if bays are open), and the costs look a little more favorable as well.
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The practice time has been how I have justified the cost. I am lucky and the local golftec is 2 mins from my office so I have been able to spend my lunch breaks a few times a week in there getting my reps in. This has come in really handy when wife/kids/dog/work/life have been eating away at my post 4pm free time.
 
OK, it's been a bit since I posted, but I have continued with another lesson and some practice sessions. I think I was trying to tackle too many of my swing flaws in a big group. To that end, teacher and I are now limiting the focus a bit more, and that started today, with one of the smallest changes we've made, and yet, one of the most uncomfortable for me. We started by re-examining my grip. I have been using the same grip for at least 10+ years, and have not had any pro tell me it needed to be changed. The primary change we made, was "shortening" my left thumb. Wow! Such a different feel. It has already helped me keep the club face in a slightly more closed position throughout the swing. None-the-less, it feels very different, and I have to check, then double-check during the setup.

Other setup items are still OK, so at least I have that going for me. :thumb: Also picked on 2 other items: connected take away and reducing my upper body driven downswing.

For the connected take away, the new grip seems to have helped a bit, actually, as the shorter thumb feels like the connection with the club is more firm. Two other tidbits on the take away: get weight into the inside of my right heel - that feels (I know; a whole lot of "feel" elements in my swing) like it helps me to rotate back and around the right hip, helping to reduce swaying motion. Also, to lift my chin up a bit - my head position looks to be more "solid" and "still" whereas without that change, i would move my head slightly forward (towards the ball) and then back to the right.

On reducing the upper body driven downswing, we started by using the wall as a "feel" guide for me. From the top, I'm supposed to feel like I'm dropping the club, nearly straight down, while keeping the club head against the wall. The club head isn't to leave the wall until my right elbow is nearly touching my right hip, then rotate through. Sounds easy... LOL!

In the end, today's practice and lessons weren't nearly as frustrating as prior sessions, and for that, I am happy.
 
Keep up the good work Rambler, changes aren't done over night, and you're working in the right direction. Keep it up!
 
I've been struggling as well. Needed to break it down to one thing at a time.

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dhartmann34 said:
I've been struggling as well. Needed to break it down to one thing at a time.

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It's really very true. I've been able to improve about 8 points on my index over the last 3 years, without much "let me work on this" effort. Everything has been based on timing. When it works, I can hit it decent length, and threaten 80 (even with a crap short/putting game - hello 86 with 43 putts). But, when the timing is off, especially in the hands/wrists/hips, big numbers are in store.

Breaking it down even further, while it seems will take longer, already has me feeling more confident with the potential of the changes. Haven't been able to do any practicing since last weekend, but have been gripping/re-gripping with the new grip, to try and get used to it. I'm feeling pretty good about it. And, the downswing thought regarding the wall is sticking with me, even now. My ball flight was really consistent, during the practice session after the lesson, so I'm looking forward to testing that out this weekend. Any interest in hitting at the Buffalo Grove dome this weekend? I think I'll be there for an hour or so, at least one day this weekend.
 
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