This is my 3rd season golfing. I've been dealing like most new golfers with just an insane over the top slice. I'm lucky if I break a 100. I had 6-8 lessons when I very first started playing and got some good fundamentals out of those lessons. I could never figure out how to generate power though. I'm 5'11" decent physicality and good hand eye coordination and people my size can drive about 250 easy. Well I could only ever drive about 180 yards. My 7 iron was at best 120 yards.
Then about 4 months ago I started seeing a new instructor who used alot more tech, showed me alot of video and I thought I was on the right track. Went to him quite a few times. My power had gone up about 20 yards to where my 7 iron was playing around 140 yards, drive up to 200 yards, but still had a severe over the top swing, and really wanted enough power to at least play blue tees with my buddies. Conceptually, I understood the concepts of the swing. I've read Ben Hogans book and I could see what I was doing wrong in video, but no matter how much time I put into the range, at the simulator (x golf), on my home net, I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I was at the point where I was just starting to play my slice. Aim left and it'll come back but obviously that creates a sea of other issues including distance lost and just inconsistencies with topped and fat shots all over.
Well...I decided to give instruction one more try, so I had a lesson about 3 weeks ago. I'm a member at x-golf so I figured let me try the PGA guy there. I had one lesson and it's like all the knowledge I had from previous lessons just finally freaking clicked. He had me modify my grip EVER so slightly, but let me keep my baseball grip. He had me narrow my stance just a slight bit, but then he had me focus on two things in particular, 1) Keep your head up...I was basically lifting my head during the backswing to get out of the way which was lifting my body and really focus on bending the left knee in rather than pushing it out towards your toes, it helped rotate my hips in and load the right leg. I've been working on those fundamentals and have seen my slice virtually eliminate over night, my power didn't increase really. 7 iron was at about 140 yards still, but he swore I had enough strength and coordination to get that higher. Well 3 nights ago on the simulator it really came together. I just started twisting into my hip and right leg a bit more and actually relaxed my hands to create more of a release and BAM! 170 yard 7 irons with dispersion tighter then I've ever seen, PW at 130 yards and driver at 250 yards w/ a slight fade-push.
I'm only telling folks this story to say there might actually be a light at the end of the tunnel. I was ready to give up cause golf was unplayable and it's like I have a whole new breath of life. It took one random lesson to tie everything together and it was rather random on the timing. We'll see how it actually translates to the course, but I've NEVER been able to find such a comfortable swing, so for all the times it's said on here. INSTRUCTION IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN SPEND MONEY ON IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING. I have great clubs, I've had fittings, I have all sorts of training gadgets, but it's taken me 3 instructors and roughly 15 lessons to get to a swing that makes sense to me, but it's a beautiful thing when it happens. Even on my shanks and misses I know what fundementals to go back to now. It's like I finally have something repeatable to practice that is finally mindless. Here's to breaking 90...soon...I HOPE!
Then about 4 months ago I started seeing a new instructor who used alot more tech, showed me alot of video and I thought I was on the right track. Went to him quite a few times. My power had gone up about 20 yards to where my 7 iron was playing around 140 yards, drive up to 200 yards, but still had a severe over the top swing, and really wanted enough power to at least play blue tees with my buddies. Conceptually, I understood the concepts of the swing. I've read Ben Hogans book and I could see what I was doing wrong in video, but no matter how much time I put into the range, at the simulator (x golf), on my home net, I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I was at the point where I was just starting to play my slice. Aim left and it'll come back but obviously that creates a sea of other issues including distance lost and just inconsistencies with topped and fat shots all over.
Well...I decided to give instruction one more try, so I had a lesson about 3 weeks ago. I'm a member at x-golf so I figured let me try the PGA guy there. I had one lesson and it's like all the knowledge I had from previous lessons just finally freaking clicked. He had me modify my grip EVER so slightly, but let me keep my baseball grip. He had me narrow my stance just a slight bit, but then he had me focus on two things in particular, 1) Keep your head up...I was basically lifting my head during the backswing to get out of the way which was lifting my body and really focus on bending the left knee in rather than pushing it out towards your toes, it helped rotate my hips in and load the right leg. I've been working on those fundamentals and have seen my slice virtually eliminate over night, my power didn't increase really. 7 iron was at about 140 yards still, but he swore I had enough strength and coordination to get that higher. Well 3 nights ago on the simulator it really came together. I just started twisting into my hip and right leg a bit more and actually relaxed my hands to create more of a release and BAM! 170 yard 7 irons with dispersion tighter then I've ever seen, PW at 130 yards and driver at 250 yards w/ a slight fade-push.
I'm only telling folks this story to say there might actually be a light at the end of the tunnel. I was ready to give up cause golf was unplayable and it's like I have a whole new breath of life. It took one random lesson to tie everything together and it was rather random on the timing. We'll see how it actually translates to the course, but I've NEVER been able to find such a comfortable swing, so for all the times it's said on here. INSTRUCTION IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN SPEND MONEY ON IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING. I have great clubs, I've had fittings, I have all sorts of training gadgets, but it's taken me 3 instructors and roughly 15 lessons to get to a swing that makes sense to me, but it's a beautiful thing when it happens. Even on my shanks and misses I know what fundementals to go back to now. It's like I finally have something repeatable to practice that is finally mindless. Here's to breaking 90...soon...I HOPE!
