Consistency in the golf swing

[ROliver]

What do you do build consistency in your golf swing? Do you hit more balls on the range, practice drills more or just get out and play? I would think that as a higher handicapper that drills would be the majority of your work but that as your handicap goes down that you would drill less and play or hit balls at the range more.

 

[dcbrad]

What do you do build consistency in your golf swing? Do you hit more balls on the range, practice drills more or just get out and play? I would think that as a higher handicapper that drills would be the majority of your work but that as your handicap goes down that you would drill less and play or hit balls at the range more.

I would start with lessons, and what helped me a lot was working on drills and repetition of different"swing thoughts" lots and lots of practice builds consistency in my opinion.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

I would start with lessons, and what helped me a lot was working on drills and repetition of different"swing thoughts" lots and lots of practice builds consistency in my opinion.

I agree. Start with lessons with a PGA Teaching Pro and allow him/her to direct you as to a game plan for the range and the course. I had my first lesson in the early 1970's and my last a month ago. Lessons are for life. I tend now days to just play and spend less time at the range unless I seek out help from my teacher for a certain issue. My swing is my swing and it has been the same as long as I've been playing, and I'm lucky to have had the same teacher all of these years and he is big on just playing "your" swing. He just works on having the correct grip, setup and then goes from there.

 

[McRock]

I use some drills to ensure the club is going thru the same path in the impact zone everytime. I do that drill on the range. Im not out to hit 100 balls though, just to make a repeatable swing.

~Rock

 

[Boston_golfer]

This is something I'm struggling with right now as well. I'm trying to cross over from addressing the ball, and making a conscious effort to go through my checklist of no-no's : Don't grip too hard, don't tighten my arms, don't move my head, don't put weight on my heels, etc. etc. I want to just approach the ball and address it, and bomb's away. I think the key to this (for me) is to come up with a consistent pre-shot routine. As of now, I have none. I grab a club. Sometime's I practice swing, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I check my target once, sometimes twice. Sometime's I swing right away, sometimes I freeze over the ball for 10 seconds.... I realize that I can't expect my SHOT to be consistent, if what I do before the shot isn't.

Also, a little more practice won't hurt either (see my "No Time to Practice" Blues thread, lol).

I've started using a SKLZ Gold Flex tempo trainer for about 5-10 minutes every night to help with flexibility and just keeping my body swinging.

 

[golfsteve]

I am a newbie so take my advice with a pinch of salt! I use the orange whip most nights for tempo and before a range session, i make my first 5 swings at 50%. By that I mean they are full swings at 50% speed. As soon as you do this you feel every single kink in your swing and I've found it a great way to self diagnose faults, if you can't control it with slow speed then any problems will just be made worse by speed. Next I swing 60, 70 and 80% and then settle on my 80% swing, hit some half shots with that tempo and different clubs working up to full swing again. I've really improved my ball striking hugely, swinging at 80% really allows you to focus on your sequence and what the club head is doing rather than worrying about staying in your feet!!


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[rlew]

This thought is a big reason why I'm getting lessons for the first time. I need someone to look at my swing, notice things I can't, little variations, so that I could duplicate the good swings.

 

[tbui1178]

I started playing again after 5 years away because of having kids. I struggled with consistency most of the time. Sometimes good, a lot of times bad, but well enough to be in upper 90s. I do go to clinics and the pro spends about 5-10 minutes with me when I'm out there - which is a couple of times of month. I just recent decided to take some dedicated lessons from a pga pro who recorded my swing and we talked about what is working and what is not. I only had 2 sessions and it has really helped me with consistency and contact. I've been recently hitting in upper 80s now after the lessons. I need to work on my shortgame and course management, I lose too many balls.

Like others have said, bit the bullet and take at least a couple of lessons. It's well worth and and your time at the range will be better time spent.

 

[Darren37]

right now I'm primarily practicing hitting with my irons. Slowing down and keeping a steady tempo. I often do practice swings back n forth and quickly see my golf swing path and can correct it as I swing back n forth. Then once I'm comfortable I do the same when hitting the ball. Nothing faster or harder just taking it easy and steady. For me it sometimes is getting out on the range and practicing other times it's just getting out there and playing some rounds.

 

[grathan]

I keep eliminating the unnecessary. Right now I have an awkward pre-shot routine, but it is needed.

Keep the arms tight, feet solid, wrists loose, head behind the ball. The less moving parts the better. I watched a guy on the seniors tour maybe 8 years ago who never took a full backswing and yet he always ripped the ball accurately, that is my goal.

 

[Junkyard]

I've heard it said many times that once you've swung a club a half dozen times, you've determined your "swing" for life. Fortunately for me, my local pro was able to make a few small adjustments that radically changed the results that I was getting with that "swing". So, tip #1 - take a lesson.

I've never been a range rat - in fact I would go out and play nine holes before I would hit balls for an hour on the range. What I have started doing recently is to warm up by hitting balls on the range before I play with my feet together. This way I don't overawing, and find I get a good "feel" for the path of the club head. It's paying off - my last eight rounds are sub-80. The only other check I try to have in my swing is to set the club face so that it looks open to me at address - it's actually square rather than hooded like when I slice. If I can keep that consistent the rest of the stuff takes care of itself.

These two things might sound simple, but believe me I wouldn't have caught on to them without the help of someone else looking at my swing. Did I mention that taking a lesson would be beneficial? Whatever you do, make sure you find a way to enjoy this game.

 

[malemotives]

The problem with trying to analyze your own swing, on the Range or elsewhere, is you can't see it. So you start looking for a "feel". And, the swing is, or can be, such a fickle thing. I've always felt that my swing plane is almost always where it belongs. That was verified by our simulator at my home course training facility... repeatedly. I could see it on immediate replay and by the data. It has become a "pretty" swing. But pretty don't always get 'er done. Consistency is the swing includes the wind-up and body release... hips, shoulders, all that stuff; and mine is horrible. Which explains why I "consistently" miss to the left. So... the OP has it right. At least for me. Drill, drill, drill... match my release with my swing..... drill, drill, drill. Four simulator session per week (2 hours) of drill, drill, drill... with immediate feedback. Both from the simulator and my swing coach.

 

[Trout Bum]

I would start with lessons, and what helped me a lot was working on drills and repetition of different"swing thoughts" lots and lots of practice builds consistency in my opinion.

Brad nailed what works for many, lessons followed be a lot of practice can do wonders. Learning on your own uses up precious time and is much more difficult than it needs to be.