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Rebuilding my swing using Ben Hogan's 5 Lessons

I have my first lesson of 2020 Sunday. The last 2 months, I spent working at home and at my job, trying to install swing changes. I have been using the Power Package training aid and a big mirror. Swing changes 1-Limit my backswing...parallel at most, trying to finish just shy of parallel. 2-Keeping my right elbow tucked in...no flying elbow on backswing. 3-Taking the club back with a slightly closed face. 4-Starting my downswing with my hips and pulling with my left hand. 5-Staying low through impact...not lifting up. 6-Letting my body rotation bring the club head square. 7-Getting my hands in front of the ball at impact...turning my left wrist over/right palm down creating that forward shaft lean...de-lofting the club face. 8-Turning through impact...proud chest facing target...hands finishing high...club head completely rotated over into finishing position. Hopefully, the time and work pay dividends! I feel more confident! I felt completely defeated after 2019. I will post videos after my lesson.
 
I have enjoyed following your journey to improve your swing. And, based on the videos, it appears that we are about the same age. Been there, done that about 15 years ago and need to do a refresher.

I also see all the hints, advice, instruction, suggestions coming from the members of the forum. A bit of advice my instructor gave me all those years ago that I pass on to you; “When given hints, advice, instruction, suggestions concerning your swing from ANYONE other than me, thank them and do it the way we have worked on.” Best advice I was ever given with respect to golf.

While all that stuff may be correct at some time, it is not what your instructor is wanting you to be working on right then, and his direction is based on what he is seeing first hand over an extended period, not a video clip of of a single swing.

Second best advice I have been given, stick with the instructor that works for you.

As I said, been there, done that, and very glad that I did. Good progress so far, and looking forward to reading about you future development.


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J.B. Cobb III said:
I have my first lesson of 2020 Sunday. The last 2 months, I spent working at home and at my job, trying to install swing changes. I have been using the Power Package training aid and a big mirror. Swing changes 1-Limit my backswing...parallel at most, trying to finish just shy of parallel. 2-Keeping my right elbow tucked in...no flying elbow on backswing. 3-Taking the club back with a slightly closed face. 4-Starting my downswing with my hips and pulling with my left hand. 5-Staying low through impact...not lifting up. 6-Letting my body rotation bring the club head square. 7-Getting my hands in front of the ball at impact...turning my left wrist over/right palm down creating that forward shaft lean...de-lofting the club face. 8-Turning through impact...proud chest facing target...hands finishing high...club head completely rotated over into finishing position. Hopefully, the time and work pay dividends! I feel more confident! I felt completely defeated after 2019. I will post videos after my lesson.
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As an engineer that was how I started my journey but I ended up with so many things in my head I could almost not swing anymore. I would focus on one thought and practice until I had grooved it into my swing then move to the next. I would use video to see if I had let any habits back in but the more thoughts in my head the worse my swing is.
 
My lesson today went really well! Night and day difference! So happy and excited for the 2020 season! Hitting the ball consistently straight, with nice flight, a few with a slight draw. Looking forward to keep working towards improving!


 
93civiccpe said:
As an engineer that was how I started my journey but I ended up with so many things in my head I could almost not swing anymore. I would focus on one thought and practice until I had grooved it into my swing then move to the next. I would use video to see if I had let any habits back in but the more thoughts in my head the worse my swing is.
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Same here 93civiccpe. Instructor I had in El Paso understood this and limited what we worked on to one thing each lesson. That was 15 years ago and I still use that single thought when playing and practicing.

I have had people ask what I was doing at the range with only 1 club. Most don’t comprehend the concept of working on process to get the results right.


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Rock N TN said:
Same here 93civiccpe. Instructor I had in El Paso understood this and limited what we worked on to one thing each lesson. That was 15 years ago and I still use that single thought when playing and practicing.

I have had people ask what I was doing at the range with only 1 club. Most don’t comprehend the concept of working on process to get the results right.


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I had a coach who played on the senior European tour that told me he had a lot of engineers as students since they couldn't get out of their heads. He used to say "dumber the person the better the golfer" when he could tell I was thinking about too much.
 
Well, apparently it takes about 6 months, $500 in lessons, a $60 training aid, a couple YouTube videos, and Ben Hogan‘s book to see a big change in your swing! Worth every penny and second! Feel so confident and can’t wait to play this year!
 
One thing to remember when modeling Ben Hogan, he fought a hook his whole career. So what he says in the book reflects that effort. It’s a great book, I still refer to it, and has a tremendous amount of great information, just beware of that nuance of his instruction.


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Worked on hitting the hybrids, fairway woods, and driver. It was a decent day. 50 % great, 25% decent, 25% bad! I have to remember to keep the hybrids and fw ball position closer to the middle of my stance and not pushed forward. I seem to hit the ball way better then. The driver, my instructor and I, played around with it and wound up putting it in the Left High position which raised the loft up .5*, closed the face 1*, and set the lie angle at 57.5*. I hit the ball well! I play the ball lower than most people. When I tee it up at a normal position, I make contact high on the face. Hopefully you can tell how much I have shortened my swing up. I have to remember to just swing and let the ball get in the way, stop trying to guide the club! Now, I need to try to straighten my left arm up some!
9.0_GS53_Flight_Control_settings_FINAL.jpg



 
Looking good dude!
 
Glad the pre-swing waggles are gone, the club isn't being flipped under the plane at takeaway (Chapter 3) as bad as before... Awesome job.
 
Using the Power Package training aid and a mirror to work on my swing during the day. I go to the Par 3 course as much as I can. Just looking to get back to some type of groove. Check out this thread for the training aid I am using.
Power Package
 
Had a lesson yesterday. Hit the ball well. Worked on 8 iron, 3 wood, driver. I definitely feel more confident. Instructor wants me to really focus on staying down through contact, driving hard with my hips through the swing, and keeping my eye on the ball. I feel like I am close to playing well...at least not sucking so much. He wants me to play a few rounds, then we will do a playing lesson. Consistency is my goal now. Hitting more quality shots. Also, being in the fairway off the tee is a must.
One thing is getting used to my shorter backswing. Still feels foreign, but I strike and compress the ball so much more, and hit it further! I apologize for no video clips, my daughter deleted them!😕
 
It didn't translate to course today! Shot 103. Had a ton of 3 putts and just didn't hit the ball well! I had high hopes, warmed up on the range and hit it great, then on the 1st tee, it was downhill from there! Just have to keep working at it!
 
J.B. Cobb III said:
It didn't translate to course today! Shot 103. Had a ton of 3 putts and just didn't hit the ball well! I had high hopes, warmed up on the range and hit it great, then on the 1st tee, it was downhill from there! Just have to keep working at it!
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So, after a layoff between Covid, going back to work, and 3 weeks of biblical rain, I had a golf lesson last Saturday. I was kinda dejected after my last 18 holes, so I was itching to get back at it. The best way I can explain what i'm feeling right now is "death by 1000 paper cuts"! It's like these small little inconsistencies are killing my swing. A lot of it is lack of playing/practicing. I was having trouble Saturday making good contact consistently. My backswing had gotten long again, moving my head around, opening the club face in the back swing, etc. So, my instructor had me grab a wedge and work on making good contact with a 1/2 swing. I was dejected. He saw it and just tried to boost my confidence in my swing. I will get better, I am working on it, I am not there yet! On a positive, I did hit one 8 iron that sounded like a branch snapped in half during contact. Great trajectory and distance, but it was downhill after that.



 
J.B. Cobb III said:
So, after a layoff between Covid, going back to work, and 3 weeks of biblical rain, I had a golf lesson last Saturday. I was kinda dejected after my last 18 holes, so I was itching to get back at it. The best way I can explain what i'm feeling right now is "death by 1000 paper cuts"! It's like these small little inconsistencies are killing my swing. A lot of it is lack of playing/practicing. I was having trouble Saturday making good contact consistently. My backswing had gotten long again, moving my head around, opening the club face in the back swing, etc. So, my instructor had me grab a wedge and work on making good contact with a 1/2 swing. I was dejected. He saw it and just tried to boost my confidence in my swing. I will get better, I am working on it, I am not there yet! On a positive, I did hit one 8 iron that sounded like a branch snapped in half during contact. Great trajectory and distance, but it was downhill after that.
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"Death by 1000 paper cuts"! Yup, I've been there and recently too, but you have to trust the process. You can see the difference in the swings from the ones you just posted to the ones at the top of the page and its improved from my limited ability on what looks good and doesn't.

Like you I am improving the swing and its been one long year or so of change and I get to play 4/5 times a week and practice in between. But its still been a tough slog, the changes are coming however and that makes me happy. Club changes have helped, to soft an iron shaft ballooned the ball, now in stiff shafted irons and the change is worlds different. A focus on fairway finding by using irons off the tee only not only help find the fairways but grooved my iron swing for the rest of the round. I even got myself a G400 Crossover and to be fair on the course we play you can use that all day long and not miss a fairway its that good.

Just to add, we don't play on an easy course here, its tough, plenty of OB, water, narrow fairways and slick greens so any rounds you play are at a premium for focus and when its not going as you want it can be a mental brain fart and knocks you for six and that gets frustrating quick.

You've got this JB, you can see the improvements and feel them, so take the positives always (like the 8 iron shot you had!!!) trust that process and it will happen! I'm still having blow up holes though my overall play is doing just fine and I manage to recover from those blow ups better than I ever did due to trusting the process.
 
I have recently added the "death grip" to my pre-shot routine, the last thing on my mental check list is to release the grip and find and find a firm but relaxed grip. It has helped my ball striking tremendously.
 
So, when I keep a light grip pressure, really focus on keeping my left shoulder down, and stopping my backswing earlier....I hit the ball so much better! It still feels awkward. But, hopefully after more repetition, it will feel more normal. Golf is hard!
 
It's a long road with no easy answers, just hard work.

Stick with it. Take a kid's club and swing it slowly inside the house if you have room.

Good luck. I read Hogan's book, then I put it back on the shelf and found an instructor. I do look at Hogan's videos on youtube once in a while.
 
Desmond said:
It's a long road with no easy answers, just hard work.

Stick with it. Take a kid's club and swing it slowly inside the house if you have room.

Good luck. I read Hogan's book, then I put it back on the shelf and found an instructor. I do look at Hogan's videos on youtube once in a while.
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I too spent too much time with Hogan’s book and got no results. Went for some human instruction and that, combined with lots of practice, have les to better scores.


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JayB said:
I too spent too much time with Hogan’s book and got no results. Went for some human instruction and that, combined with lots of practice, have les to better scores.


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After reading Hogan's book, I came to the same conclusion - that's why it's collecting dust. I may have tried to warn you earlier. Watching Hogan on youtube, though, is a thing of beauty. But I'd stick with watching players of our era and our equipment. Good luck with your instructor. I spent years hunting one down.
 
It is easy to watch hogan on youtube and think his book will get you that swing. Unfortunately it made me look like a monkey fornicating a football.

I’m on the hunt for a new instructor; guy I was working with moved to a different club and is no longer convenient. I am joining a place now and will start with the pro there to see if we can eliminate the performance stagnation i am stuck on. Instructor fit is a tricky thing.....


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I recently have been doing the same....after watching the Hogan Golf Channel documentary...pulled out the 5 rules book that my grandpa handed down to me. Mostly what I've been doing in relation to the Hogan rules is just grip based. Really focusing on the right hand - gripping with just the middle two fingers, overlapping the pinky on top of my left index finger (or onto the slot between index/middle). It's really helped me relax my grip a LOT. Which has resulted better swings (I used to do more of a baseball grip, which would allow me to tighten up waaay too much). This really relieves tension for me.

I don't know how much all of his rules apply...watching that documentary, they talk about how he basially came up with those rules to stop himself from hooking the ball...so its more an "anti-hook" rule book, almost.
 
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