We've launched the new forums! Read more here

McLovin's Journey to Improve

OldandStiff said:
Can definitely see the progress!

You're killing me with the 1 second videos though. Lol You have GOT to give us a second or two to get buffered, or be able to hit pause before it's over, or at least let our eyes focus or something. Swing looks solid, vid share needs more work. :LOL:
Click to expand...
He’s to catch up with you video post rate. 😂
 
OldandStiff said:
Can definitely see the progress!

You're killing me with the 1 second videos though. Lol You have GOT to give us a second or two to get buffered, or be able to hit pause before it's over, or at least let our eyes focus or something. Swing looks solid, vid share needs more work. :LOL:
Click to expand...

i usually trim the fluff lol.
 
since the lesson i've been to the range 4 times and played once. the focus on the range is to push the hands far away at the top of the backswing, stop the hands around shoulder height, and add the most wrist set possible. i find it's easier to do this when i slow the backswing down a bit, and also maintain good trail hip depth. first range session was trash, second was brilliant, third just ok, and the fourth this morning was freaking great. so it's in there, just gotta keep grinding.

the round was frustrating. i could blame a lot of external factors, but those wouldn't have mattered if i had played better lol. still kept it somewhat together, but was hoping for much better play. the process continues.
 
we've had a ton of rain the past few weeks, so short game practice hasn't really happened, even though this was supposed to be my exclusive focus. also, it's more fun to hit good full swing shots, so sue me. i went to the practice area yesterday, and the rust really showed. it was pretty darn frustrating, tbh. so i reached out to ty for a lesson next week to refresh the short game stuff. i went back today, and despite really soft conditions from heavy rains last night, my practice was dramatically better. it's nice to have a better understanding of what i need to do to succeed, so i can course correct and get back on track. i was very encouraged, and will try to re-focus on the short game.
 
had a lesson with ty yesterday. the last couple lessons we've done he hasn't sent a typical recap video; he will have me explain my understanding of the feel, maybe prompt me where necessary, then send that video to me.

i've been disappointed with driver lately, so told him i wanted to take a look. we ended up spending pretty much the whole lesson on driver which was good, but short game needed more time.

i told him i just haven't felt like i have any awareness of where the club is, and i'm seeing a lot of right misses. it's been hard for me to know whether my driver swing has gone off the rails, or if i need to look at a different setup that matches my timing better. i'll give you one guess which one it is...

i was already warmed up, so we went right into driver. first shot was actually pretty decent contact, but right going right. not off the planet, but enough that it could get me in trouble and certainly isn't a shot shape i want to play. path was -1, face was +2, and attack was pretty neutral. he said it wasn't too far off.

the first thing he saw was that i was turning behind the ball well, but i never really "recovered." he said guys like dustin and rory turn off the ball with their head moving a little laterally away from the target, then they shift a bit back toward the target, and as they get into impact their head again shifts a bit away from the target. for me, i had the lateral shift away, but no recovery, and even a bit more lateral shift away into impact. it was a recipe for two things: 1) path moving left because my center is too far behind the ball, and 2) low face contact. pretty much exactly what i see all the time.

we worked on a little squat into the left side to start the downswing a la rory, but what ty really didn't like was path being too neutral. so we worked HARD on path. move the ball back just a bit, and try to swing MILES out to the right. moving the ball back helped, it got me to 1-2* in-to-out. but he wanted to push it to 7* or 8* just to for the feel. i couldn't do it. at all.

that's when he put another feel into the motion, something we've worked on before. wrist flexion, or turning the knuckles down to square the face very early in the downswing. because my face is pretty neutral, i won't let myself swing to the right because i know it will miss to the right. the more we can square the face early, the more i know subconsciously that i'm protected against a right miss and will allow myself to swing in-to-out.

it was a freaking grind. it was hot. i didn't feel well. and it was very slow, deliberate, almost chip speed movements. i was sweating like a horse and out of breath, and i wasn't even swinging at speed. by the end, we felt good about it. unfortunately it's a lot to think about right now. ball position back a bit. good hip depth in the backswing. softness at the top to let the club fall behind me. squat into the lead side to start the downswing and flex the left wrist to square the face. then throw the club out toward right field. all while maintaining tempo and balance. it's a lot to think about...

we finished up with just a bit of short game. first shot was excellent. the next handful of shots were AWFUL. it was a weight issue, hanging back instead of keeping the weight on my lead side. we ran out of time, so i'll need to make that the focus in the next few lessons.

so what's the best way to test a new complicated move off the tee? go play! and play at length so you have to hit driver a lot. driver started off a little shaky, but as the round progressed i hit some extremely encouraging tee shots. unfortunately i was toast, so the rest of the game didn't really show up. i still posted a good score, but it was from scrambling rather than hitting quality shots.
 
I'm going back through this thread on vacation. It's fun to see you improve and that 'cap dropping!

Rock on, McLovin!
 
Parrot said:
I'm going back through this thread on vacation. It's fun to see you improve and that 'cap dropping!

Rock on, McLovin!
Click to expand...

thanks man. i do the same from time to time. gives me a glimpse into the successes and struggles, and also encourages me that progress IS possible with hard work, persistence, and the right person guiding me.
 
McLovin said:
that's when he put another feel into the motion, something we've worked on before. wrist flexion, or turning the knuckles down to square the face very early in the downswing. because my face is pretty neutral, i won't let myself swing to the right because i know it will miss to the right. the more we can square the face early, the more i know subconsciously that i'm protected against a right miss and will allow myself to swing in-to-out.
Click to expand...

My instructor has a similar focus with me: making sure we get the club face closed before we start down. This allows me to take the right side out of play, and allows me to stay behind the ball, maintain lag and rotate. Historically I had always been wide open at the top and my only choice was to come OTT and flip to try to get it square.

I do find I have to really commit to it before the swing. When I get tentative, my "bail out" move is to revert to old habits and miss right.
 
Good follow thanks for sharing. What was your handicap when this started?
 
The motorcycle move or bending the wrist back to close the face - Morikawa does it at the top of his swing - was watching youtube yesterday. Luke Donald does it the same way. My instructor was having me do it in transition. But I think, for me, it's better when setting the club towards the top.

You've got a lot to think about. Give yourself a break and some time.
 
Chef23 said:
Good follow thanks for sharing. What was your handicap when this started?
Click to expand...

iirc it was around 6 when we started, but it was trending up to an 8 or 9. it's below 5 right now.
 
Desmond said:
The motorcycle move or bending the wrist back to close the face - Morikawa does it at the top of his swing - was watching youtube yesterday. Luke Donald does it the same way. My instructor was having me do it in transition. But I think, for me, it's better when setting the club towards the top.

You've got a lot to think about. Give yourself a break and some time.
Click to expand...
I saw a study a while back on PGA pros. Some do it at the top, some do it on downswing, and some do it really late just prior to impact. Basically it is whatever works for each person as long as they get it accomplished. I have some of the same issues he is having and have a lesson on Thursday as well.
 
Stryker said:
I saw a study a while back on PGA pros. Some do it at the top, some do it on downswing, and some do it really late just prior to impact. Basically it is whatever works for each person as long as they get it accomplished. I have some of the same issues he is having and have a lesson on Thursday as well.
Click to expand...

Of course, it depends on what works for each golfer. I have the same issue.

Still getting accustomed to which technique to use. I tend to overdo it at the top and get something low and left from a closed face. Over the weekend, I was bending it back on the way to the ball and think it was more successful. I think the image of a bent to the ground back of the wrist helps. But not too much bend. Something natural. Everyone is different.
 
life and work have been tough to juggle, so i've only played once since my last update. and haven't taken any lessons. i've practiced a bit. but honestly i've lost a little motivation as the game hasn't been very good. i know my issue is the face being open and the path moving too much left, but i think it's the weight shift. when i can remember to flex the wrist and throw the path, i hit some very good drives by my standards. it's also a move that needs make into my full swing right now, particularly the path. i remember when we were working on driver pretty early in our time together, i had a lot of low-face contact. ty explained it was because my path was left but i still had a neutral to positive aoa, but if we could shift the path neutral to a little right, the contact would immediately move up the face. he was 100% correct (obviously). i think a bit of that has crept into my iron play as well: left path, low face contact. so i need to grind on the wrist flex and path throw move with my irons as well. it's just so hard to find the time, not to mention it's disgustingly hot right now.
 
hey did you guys know alignment is important? go figure.

my alignment has skewed WAY left recently. when i focus on squaring myself up, i'm able to make some damn good swings evidenced by a large bucket over my lunch break today.

i still have a full 5-lesson set with ty that i haven't used yet. it will be kinda tough to find the time, though.
 
McLovin said:
hey did you guys know alignment is important? go figure.

my alignment has skewed WAY left recently. when i focus on squaring myself up, i'm able to make some damn good swings evidenced by a large bucket over my lunch break today.

i still have a full 5-lesson set with ty that i haven't used yet. it will be kinda tough to find the time, though.
Click to expand...

Happy you're sticking with the program. It is a difficult road.

I still have too many swing thoughts and up and down rounds. Driver good, then driver abysmal. I did not play much before the Mizuno-THP Experience, but have played 5-6x since. I did not like playing alone and now my younger son was accepted on the golf team. So we play on the weekend.

Seems as if I am Ranger Rick on the weekdays but it does not yet translate to the course. It's like Jekyl and Hyde. Putting a series of lessons together is tough. I will remember things Jon said to do 2-3 yrs ago and begin incorporating them - foot ground pressure is the most recent tech that I had forgotten due to the other swing thoughts. My big issue is path (too much in to out) and I must think "cut" to neutralize it. And then getting the hips out of the way. And then last night, after 5-6 repetitions of drills, I just relaxed the body during a swing and voila - had a full finish and more speed. Who would've thought? Everyone. I'd just forgotten.

Telling you all this to let you know you are not alone in a big swing change and to stay positive. You've made great strides. And then I think it took Tiger a year or two to change a swing, and it was his job! It's going to take time. I pick up a club in the house several times a day to interrupt work, to hammer in the new swing. Keep going for it.
 
Desmond said:
Happy you're sticking with the program. It is a difficult road.

I still have too many swing thoughts and up and down rounds. Driver good, then driver abysmal. I did not play much before the Mizuno-THP Experience, but have played 5-6x since. I did not like playing alone and now my younger son was accepted on the golf team. So we play on the weekend.

Seems as if I am Ranger Rick on the weekdays but it does not yet translate to the course. It's like Jekyl and Hyde. Putting a series of lessons together is tough. I will remember things Jon said to do 2-3 yrs ago and begin incorporating them - foot ground pressure is the most recent tech that I had forgotten due to the other swing thoughts. My big issue is path (too much in to out) and I must think "cut" to neutralize it. And then getting the hips out of the way. And then last night, after 5-6 repetitions of drills, I just relaxed the body during a swing and voila - had a full finish and more speed. Who would've thought? Everyone. I'd just forgotten.

Telling you all this to let you know you are not alone in a big swing change and to stay positive. You've made great strides. And then I think it took Tiger a year or two to change a swing, and it was his job! It's going to take time. I pick up a club in the house several times a day to interrupt work, to hammer in the new swing. Keep going for it.
Click to expand...

remembering stuff from awhile back is so true. i'll re-watch the videos ty sent in chronological order, and find that the moves he wanted me to work on a year ago are the same things he wants me to work on now. if you asked me, i would have said our feels have bounced around all over the place. but that's just not true.

i can also relate to feeling like ranger rick. on the range yesterday i was smoking driver. high, straight, peppering the target line. you get me on the course and it's, well, not that. not at all. i guess on one hand it's encouraging that the good golf is in there somewhere, though it's frustrating when the hard work doesn't pay off on the course.

i'm looking at my work schedule and deadlines and just not sure when i can get back together with ty. and unfortunately the longer i go between lessons, the more regression there typically is.
 
McLovin said:
remembering stuff from awhile back is so true. i'll re-watch the videos ty sent in chronological order, and find that the moves he wanted me to work on a year ago are the same things he wants me to work on now. if you asked me, i would have said our feels have bounced around all over the place. but that's just not true.

i can also relate to feeling like ranger rick. on the range yesterday i was smoking driver. high, straight, peppering the target line. you get me on the course and it's, well, not that. not at all. i guess on one hand it's encouraging that the good golf is in there somewhere, though it's frustrating when the hard work doesn't pay off on the course.

i'm looking at my work schedule and deadlines and just not sure when i can get back together with ty. and unfortunately the longer i go between lessons, the more regression there typically is.
Click to expand...

So understandable.

I also understand regression. My game was a wreck in May, June, and got a tiny bit better in July. But inconsistency all over the place - tempo, lack of energy, and lack of relaxation during the swing meant I was short.

And Jon says you must play while you learn or you won't really know the issues. So it's like being in golf hell at times. Must stay the course.

Schedules and Deadlines are why I do the once per month 3 hr lesson.
 
McLovin said:
remembering stuff from awhile back is so true. i'll re-watch the videos ty sent in chronological order, and find that the moves he wanted me to work on a year ago are the same things he wants me to work on now. if you asked me, i would have said our feels have bounced around all over the place. but that's just not true.

i can also relate to feeling like ranger rick. on the range yesterday i was smoking driver. high, straight, peppering the target line. you get me on the course and it's, well, not that. not at all. i guess on one hand it's encouraging that the good golf is in there somewhere, though it's frustrating when the hard work doesn't pay off on the course.

i'm looking at my work schedule and deadlines and just not sure when i can get back together with ty. and unfortunately the longer i go between lessons, the more regression there typically is.
Click to expand...
You think there's some sort of subconscious minute change that you do on the tee box vs the range? Like just a small difference in tee placement, alignment, tee height?
 
Gyro25 said:
You think there's some sort of subconscious minute change that you do on the tee box vs the range? Like just a small difference in tee placement, alignment, tee height?
Click to expand...

all of the above and then some lol. i think it's tension, alignment, and general swing flaws.
 
McLovin said:
all of the above and then some lol. i think it's tension, alignment, and general swing flaws.
Click to expand...

I've been attempting to overthink that same thing. What is it that turns Ranger Rick into Harry Highcapper?
 
McLovin said:
hey did you guys know alignment is important?
Click to expand...



Thank God for sticks, video, and trusted eyes right? Everyone always talks about exact same position, setup, etc. I honestly don't think it exists. Something is always creeping toward an exaggeration of whatever made it seem like that little amount was just right. Constant little adjustments bringing it all back around again and again. Hopefully that loop just gets a little tighter each time.
 
I did find the secret tip to alignment. :love:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top